Note: My real name is NOT Hideaki Anno. I do not own Gainax or any of its
creations let alone Neon Genesis: Evangelion. Characters, locations,
themes, and ideas used in this fic are used without permission from Gainax
or Hideaki Anno.
Last Time on The Last Gift She Expected...Kensuke runs out of photo victims early, and helps Misato try to find the others. Kensuke soon finds Toji, and Misato finds Shinji and Asuka, asleep in each other's arms, inside Eva Unit Two, much to the shock of Kensuke. Meanwhile, Rei decided to do the same thing, and uncovered Ritsuko's heinous plans for Hikari. After exacting a bit of revenge, Rei started to think of a punishment...
And without further ado...
The Last Gift She Expected, Chapter 8: Crime and Punishment : Die, Ritsuko, Die!
------------------
Hikari walked out of the room, following Rei. Rei was walking at a fast pace; Hikari had to almost jog to keep up with her.
"Hey, Rei, slow down!" Hikari complained, "What's the rush?"
"That serum," Rei responded, "She told me that they were antibodies..."
"Huh?"
"I used to get regular injections of that serum while the Angels were attacking."
"Oh...wait a minute, that means..."
"Yes. That must be why I was always so closed off from everyone else..."
Hikari finished Rei's train of thought for her. "It's her fault that you have no friends..."
Rei walked on. Hikari asked, "Where are we going?"
"She also injected me with a whole lot of other stuff." Rei remembered a term Asuka used when the in-school immunization program was implemented. "Ritsuko made me a human pin-cushion."
Hikari gave a slight laugh. "Ha!" Rei gave her a glare. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that, just the pin-cushion joke..."
Rei smiled. [It's already working...that drug really did keep me from being normal...damn you, Ritsuko...]
At that time, Hikari and Rei heard a voice shout out from the end of the corridor. "Hey! Wait up!"
Hikari turned around at the familiar voice. "Toji!" Toji hobbled over toward Hikari, while she ran toward him.
"Oh my God, you're hurt! How did this happen?"
"...You know, I'm not quite sure..."
Rei walked up to them while Toji asked. "Hey...your clothes..." Toji noticed Hikari's bedraggled appearance. "What happened to you?"
"I don't even think I want to know..."
Rei interrupted. "We're going to the Medicines Division. Dr. Akagi was...violating Hikari..."
Toji and Hikari gasped. "She did WHAT to Hikari!?" / "She did WHAT to me!?"
Rei turned away down the corridor. "Don't worry. I have something in mind for the good doctor."
Toji and Hikari looked at each other, immediately feeling better about the situation. The three walked down the corridor, brandishing three evil grins...
------------
Kensuke was standing in the lift, between Shinji and Misato, with Asuka standing next to her boyfriend. Kensuke leaned his head closer to the two pilots.
"Hey, have you guys noticed anything wrong with Misato?" he whispered.
"Yeah, great spot to talk about it, dumbkopf!" Asuka hissed back.
"As a matter of fact," Shinji whispered, "She seems to think that she sees Kaji sometimes..."
"Yeah, I thought so...any ideas as to why?"
"I dunno...might have something to do with all that beer she drinks..."
"I reckon you might be right, Asuka. Then again, maybe it's some sort of mental problem..."
"Yeah, if she cared about Kaji that much...I'm worried about her..."
Their conversation was interrupted when the elevator opened. They looked at the Major, awaiting instructions.
"Okay, I'll have to drive back to the apartment. Will you two stay out of trouble until I get back?" Misato eyed off Shinji and Asuka, who immediately turned their respective red/pink shades.
"Yes..." the pair muttered. Misato smiled at Kensuke. "Keep an eye on them," she told him, as she walked to the corridor. Misato turned around the corner, and Kensuke knew what was about to happen. Asuka held the scrawny boy against the wall, fuming.
"Listen you little baka hentai," Asuka growled under her breath, "You so much as breathe a word of any of this to anyone, and your pathetic existence won't be worth seeing through to the end, got it?"
Kensuke looked across at Shinji, horrified. Asuka also shot Shinji a look, but not one of anger, but one of mischief. [Ha ha...Asuka wants to play "good cop bad cop"...]
"Now, come on, Asuka," Shinji mock-pleaded, rather convincingly, "I'm sure that Kensuke wants to do the right thing...don't you?"
Kensuke could only manage a slow nod. Asuka smiled. "Good," she said, releasing the petrified teen. "Now, let's see where everyone else is, hm?"
---------------------------
Rei, Hikari and Toji had arrived in front of a large metal door, marked "Medicinal Laboratory 12".
"So what exactly do you have in mind for Ritsuko?" Hikari turned to the blue-haired wonder.
"If it were up to me, I would.uh, how you say?.kick her ass from here to New Yokosuka."
Toji looked at Rei strangely, having hardly ever heard Rei speak as a normal person would.
"But such a punishment does not fit the crime. I have thought of a better way."
Rei pressed her thumb against the security scanner, waiting for the customary bleep to signify her entry. However, instead of the green "ACCESS GRANTED" appearing on the display, "ACCESS DENIED" flashed onscreen instead. Rei frowned, removing her hand. [What am I supposed to do now?.Hold on a minute.]
Rei felt her hands clench into a fist, and immediately had an idea. Stepping toward the wall, she slammed her fist into the display, once, twice, and thrice. She felt another strange sensation building in her mind. She stepped back, holding her hand. [Was that.rage? Adrenaline?]
"Aw, too tough for you, Rei?" Toji's testosterone kicked in. "Let a man handle this!" Toji stepped forward, and reared back to punch the door. Unfortunately, he stretched his wounds awkwardly, and fell to his knees, clutching his chest and belly, wincing in pain. Hikari laughed, and Rei gave a small smirk.
"Let a woman show you how it's done." Rei stepped back, lining up the door.
"Yaaah!" she ran at the door, lifting her leg at the right time, planting her foot into the door. The rusted hinges holding the door in place gave way, the door falling to the ground under the force of Rei's yakuza-style kick. Toji stood up, impressed by Rei's deceptively powerful frame.
"Whoa.nice one, Rei." Hikari followed Rei into the laboratory.
A cold, sterile room greeted the intruders, the only sign of chaos being the collapsed door. The walls were lined with cabinets, containing syringes with various different colored fluids. In the center of the room was a stainless steel bench, almost like a draining table found in a mortuary. Rei had seen this room many times, but now shivers ran up hers as well as her two counterparts' spines. She walked into the room, opened the cabinets and gathered many of the syringes into her arms.
"My god," Hikari stammered. "You were injected with.all of these?"
"Only a few, but I was never told of what they were. Some of them bought great pain, other took away the pain. In hindsight, they might've been some form of toxin, followed by their antidote."
Hikari held her mouth in shock. "No.way."
"Really?" Rei showed Hikari an exposed part of her arm. Hikari gasped, noticing a pattern of pinpoint scars, all consistent with injections. "Sometimes up to six in one day, one of which was always the clear blue one you're familiar with."
Hikari felt herself gag, and staggered to a nearby sink, sounds of regurgitation filling the dank room.
Toji reared away in disgust. Rei continued to gather as many needles as possible. When she was satisfied, she left the room, Toji supporting a nauseous Hikari.
--------------------------
Shinji led his trio back to the Bridge, in search of everyone else. Asuka peered into the room, only to find that Hyuga and Aoba had passed out, and Asuka's friends from school were already heading for the Second Child.
"Hey Asuka! Where've you been?"
"Where the hell do you think she's been? She took Shinji with her."
"Ooooooh! So Asuka, how was he?"
"What does.it feel like, Asuka?"
Asuka was engulfed in questions, reminding Shinji of his first day at the new school, when everyone found out he was the pilot of Evangelion.
"Listen, do you know where the others went?" Asuka asked.
"Well, after you dragged Shinji off." The rest of the sentence was temporarily lost in giggling and aww-ing, until Asuka asked again with more aggression. "We saw Toji follow you two. Then the two women from NERV went up to Hikari, and she walked off with them, and a while after that Rei just walked off."
[What would Ritsuko and Maya want with Hika.oh, holy SHIT!]
Asuka looked back, and saw that Shinji had come to the same conclusion. They turned for the door they had just came out of, as if they were one. Kensuke was left standing there, as Shinji and Asuka went on a search and rescue operation for Hikari Horaki.
"Hey, you guys!" Kensuke turned and chased after them, "Wait up! You better not be going off to ride Shinji again!" The last comment got a great laugh from the girls.
---------------
Gendo Ikari had left the bridge to go to the surveillance room. He sat in front of the bank of monitors, a bowl of popcorn in his hand, laughing his head off at the situation.
[This is so much better than that show that they used to have on in my age,] he thought to himself, [What was it called? Ah yes, the Big Brother show.] Gendo kicked back as Rei kicked down the door to the Medicine Room. [Hmm.a twist around every corner.maybe I could make a movie.]
The more that Gendo thought about the movie idea, the more he liked it. After all, all he had to do was edit the surveillance footage into a decent movie. He could think about the box-office potential now.more money in the coffers for NERV, Academy Awards for the 'cast', even he could get an Oscar.
Shinji leading Asuka and Kensuke back to the Bridge distracted Gendo. Gendo refocused on the action, shoving a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth. [Damn, these need butter.]
------------------------
"Any idea where Ritsuko's office is from here?" Asuka said, instinctively heading left.
"I know it's three floors up," Shinji said, heading to the elevator to the right. Asuka paused, looked back at Shinji, and turned around. They both went for the elevator, worried about their friend. For them, the elevator couldn't go up three floors quick enough. They rushed out of the elevator, and dashed madly down corridors, looking for Ritsuko's office. [Aww! I was just there a few hours ago! Why can't I find it again!?]
Suddenly Shinji's voice reached Asuka. "Found it!" Asuka turned and followed the voice. Shinji had pinned himself against the door, as Asuka had seen Raiden do in Metal Gear Solid 4: Revelations.
"Can you hear anyone?" Asuka asked Shinji.
"Nothing," Shinji muttered. Asuka instinctively went into Infiltration position #4, pinning herself against the wall to the side of the door. Shinji slowly turned the doorknob, until it was free of the frame, then pushed the door open violently, rushing into the room, Asuka not far behind.
"Ritsuko! What the HELL did you do with Hikari!?" Shinji thundered as he entered the room. Asuka stepped back from Shinji, amazed at Shinji's terrifyingly powerful voice.
Maya propped her head up. "Shinji.thank god." she said.
Asuka leant beside Maya. "What happened here?"
"Ritsuko was drunk.she started hitting on Hikari.I tried to stop her, but she used her serum on the both of us." Asuka got a better look at Maya's face. [Her eyes.they look glazed over.]
Shinji stepped in. "Serum?"
"It takes over your mind.lowers your ability to control yourself.thinking about an action automatically makes you do it.all it takes is for the idea to come into your head.like Ritsuko mentioning it."
[That's it.] [She's dead.] Shinji and Asuka thought exactly the same thing. Shinji's head turned to the corner, where Ritsuko lay, unconscious from her beating at the hands of Rei. His fists clenched, as he walked over there.
"Wait!" Maya said, as she sat up. Shinji turned back around, as did Asuka. "Rei already came through here, and she's on her way back with."
"With what?" Asuka and Shinji's attention was focused on Maya. Maya's eyes darted behind the two pilots, and saw Ritsuko standing up, a pair of blue-filled syringes in hand. [Good.Sempai's plan will work.we need someone to defend us from Rei.huh? What happened? Argh, that bloody serum of Ritsuko's!] Maya focused on her vision again.
"Asuka? Shinji? What are you.agh!" Maya glanced behind the pilots again. "Shit! Watch out!"
Asuka looked behind her, only to find a syringe implanted in her exposed arm. Ritsuko pushed down the plunger, injecting Asuka with the blue serum. Shinji turned at this time, and swung his forearm into Ritsuko's, loosening the syringe from her arm. Asuka's eyes lost focus, and she froze in position.
"Asuka?" Ritsuko asked Asuka.
Shinji looked at Asuka, hoping that the serum didn't work, or it didn't go into her bloodstream, or something. Alas, Asuka could only mutter, "Yes, Sempai?"
[Whoa! Asuka's voice sounds like Rei.] Shinji thought to himself.
Ritsuko smiled. "Would you please subdue Shinji for me?"
"Yes, Sempai." Asuka turned on Shinji, going into a classic jeet kune do position.
Shinji stepped back "Asuka!? Snap out of it!"
Asuka approached Shinji, throwing dummy strikes and feints that Bruce Lee (although Asuka probably would never have heard of him) would've been proud of. Shinji realized that Asuka had fallen victim to Ritsuko's serum and was hesitant to fight back, but nonetheless adopted a defensive nan chuan posture.
[If it's a fight you want, Asuka.] Shinji defended against Asuka's lightning strikes, at least until Shinji noted that jeet kune do involved a lot of bouncing in place. Asuka would've laughed if she was herself, but she wasn't, so she just buried her left foot into Shinji's abdomen with a vicious side kick. Shinji was hurled him into Ritsuko's filing cabinet, jolting it open. Shinji supported his winded body against it, accidentally plunging a hand inside. Glancing inside, he immediately pulled his hand out of Ritsuko's "goodie drawer". Thinking for a second, he plunged his hand back in, and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Shinji, while trying not to think of things to inspire thermal expansion, readied the handcuffs for Asuka's next attack.
Asuka jabbed a punch at Shinji. He easily dodged it, and wrapped one half of the handcuffs on Asuka's wrist. Twisting his body around, he slammed his open palms into Asuka's midsection, sending her sailing across the room into a conveniently placed armchair. Shinji rushed forward, grabbing Asuka's arm, twisting it around her body, and cuffing her other arm behind her back. Asuka struggled in the bonds, a snarling growl emanating from her mouth.
"Gomen kudasai, Asuka," Shinji apologized, "You can do better than just growling, can't you?"
Asuka snarled again, looking very upset with herself. Shinji turned to Ritsuko, who was already drawing out another syringe. Shinji walked toward Ritsuko, unfazed by Ritsuko's seemingly infinity arsenal.
"Put it down, Ritsuko," Shinji said, with a controlled rage that came with his Ikari heritage, "You're in enough trouble as it is."
Ritsuko just smiled, standing perfectly still. Shinji continued, "What kind of twisted individual are you, anyway? Manipulating minds to your own ends, violating and taking control of others." he looked back at Asuka for a second, then back at Ritsuko, "You can't be human."
"Me?" Ritsuko smiled, "What about you?" She knew Shinji's weak point: he pilots the Eva. "God sent Angels as messengers of peace, right? You think you can kill God's very own creations, his ambassadors, and call yourself human?"
Shinji's lower lip trembled. He didn't have a response.
"Hmph. As I thought." Ritsuko walked to the frozen shell of Shinji, cockily. "You are the real monster here."
Shinji's mind twisted like a pretzel. [She's right.I am a monster.]
Ritsuko could tell she was breaking him. Her smile grew more devilish. [Ha, I knew good ol' insecure Shinji was still in there somewhere.he'll be crying in the corner in two minutes.]
"A monster." Shinji said to himself, shuddering with low, soft sobs. The word repeated in his mind, over and over.[Monster.monster.monster.monster.]
----------------
In the depths of Shinji's mind, another voice spoke up. {Shinji-kun.}
[.mo.mother?]
{You aren't a monster.you're a savior.I'm proud of you.}
[Mother? Is that you?]
{You've come this far, Shinji.don't run away now.not when you're this close.}
[This close to what?]
{Ritsuko.she despises you now.she sees me in you now.do you know why, my son? Because.}
[Why, mother?]
{She loved Gendo.but she couldn't see that he loved me more.}
[She.who?]
{Ritsuko's mother.she ran a program through Unit One.I was trapped inside.until you came.}
[No! You died during the Second Impact!]
{I thought you didn't trust your father? My soul was taken into Unit One itself.just as what happened to you, after the 14th Angel. It was my release.I fled the Eva, and here I am, with you.}
[Mother.]
{Ritsuko's noticed more and more of my personality in you.it's brought up her inherited hatred for me, Gendo and you.it has twisted her mind.everything she has done, was subconsciously to appease her hatred for you.}
[I must.]
{You must defeat her.you must fight, one last time.}
[No! That would make me a monster! I.can't.]
{You're not a monster.she is.}
------------------
"A monster." Ritsuko whispered into Shinji's ear. Shinji's eyes dilated, his face twisted with rage.
"NOOOO!" Shinji's wiry frame turned on Ritsuko in a pure undiluted fury. Ritsuko gasped as the enraged Ikari boy lifted her solid figure from the ground by the throat.
"I AM NOT A MONSTER!! SHE KILLED MOTHER! SHE IS THE MONSTER!" Shinji screamed amongst his emotional maelstrom, chilling Ritsuko's soul with every thundered word. "YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!! YOU ARE THE MONSTER!!!" Ritsuko looked into the crazed boy's eyes, and was stunned by what she saw. A faint glow was visible, as if the image of another pair of eyes was overlapped over Shinji's own. [Those eyes.Yui? Is this her revenge?] Shinji reared back.
Outside, Rei, Hikari and Toji were approaching Ritsuko's office, syringes in hand.
"Yeah, we're gonna punish her goo." Toji began, but was interrupted by the prone body of Ritsuko Akagi being thrown through her office window, a thin layer of aluminum venetian blinds doing little to absorb her impact against the far wall of the corridor, some three metres away. She hit the wall flat on her back, turned almost fully upside-down, before slumping to the linoleum floor, unconscious.
Shinji stepped through the window, down onto the glass-covered floor. "You are avenged." he muttered to himself, he then turned away.
Rei was stunned by Shinji's incredible feat of strength. She and Hikari may have wanted revenge, but even this at first seemed too much.
Toji was dumbfounded. "H-holy.SHIT!" he stammered out, his body paralyzed with shock at what greeted his eyes. Shinji turned around, the faint glow in his eyes gone without a trace. He looked down at his hands. [Did.I do that?]
"Shinji." Rei walked forward, toward the Third Child. ".are.are you hurt?"
"No," he replied, "I'm fine." [and so is Mother.]
Hikari stepped forward. "How did you do that?"
"Her mother.killed mine.she called me a monster.she almost killed me." Shinji almost broke down again, but something deep down gave him the strength to remain unmoved. "Now.I'm free from her."
A figure in the office doorway stepped into the corridor, her arms still cuffed behind her back. She looked at Shinji, then at the prone but still alive body of Ritsuko. She glared at Shinji.
"You.killed Sempai.!"
Shinji turned to face Asuka. "No, she's not dead, Asu.hang on, Sempai?" It dawned on Shinji that Asuka was still under the control of the serum. Asuka charged at her lover, hands still linked together.
"Ikari! Use this!" Rei threw Shinji a syringe. Shinji caught it, just in time to avoid Asuka's rush. He spun behind her, inserting the decapped needle into Asuka's thigh. She froze in place while the chemical countered the mind-altering effects of Ritsuko's serum. After a few seconds, she blinked, and looked around at Shinji.
"Shinji." Asuka said, seeing her love's face. She then noticed everything else in her immediate environment. "Why am I wearing fluffy handcuffs?"
Toji gaped at Shinji, as did Hikari. Rei fought back a laugh. Shinji's face turned red. "It was all I could find!" he tried to explain. [Shit! Very bad choice of words!]
Asuka soon found herself fighting back laughter, starting from a broad grin, progressing through giggle, snicker, and laugh, finally reaching hysteria. Toji, Hikari, Rei and Shinji didn't take much longer to get to this stage, either.
Just then, Kensuke came rushing around the corner, looking exhausted. "Asuka! Shinji! Finally caught up with you! Don't run off like that! Misato told me to."
Kensuke then noticed that Shinji held Asuka in a sort of embrace, and that Asuka just so happened to be wearing fluffy pink handcuffs.
Kensuke went off. "God-dammit, guys! Can't you stay out of each other's pants for just a minute!?" This triggered off a new wave of laughter. Kensuke then looked over at the still body of Ritsuko Akagi.
"Whoa! Who the HELL did that!?"
"Me." Shinji gave Kensuke the coldest Ikari Glare he could muster. Kensuke back off, at least until Shinji started laughing again.
"So, Shinji the Incredible," Asuka said, "I don't suppose you have keys for these?"
Shinji's heart skipped a beat. [Keys? Were there keys?]
"Um.anyone got some wire?" Five shocked faces greeted his. "Nah, just kidding." Shinji walked over to Ritsuko, and searched her pocket. Sure enough, on her key chain was a small pink one. Shinji took the key and unlocked the cuffs. Asuka rubbed her wrists in appreciation of her newfound freedom.
Meanwhile, Hikari turned to Rei. "Um, thanks.for getting me out of there."
Rei turned to Hikari, searching her mind for the appropriate words. "No problem, Hikari."
Toji faced Shinji. "So, Big Shot, where did you and Asuka go off to?"
"They were." Kensuke began, before Asuka glanced back at him. "Um.looking for you guys. Yeah."
"Y'know, I bet everyone's wondering where the hell we all are." Toji stated.
"Yes. Maybe we should return to the Bridge."
Toji turned toward the Bridge, being supported by Hikari. Kensuke hurried forward to help her.
[Aida.] Rei followed behind Kensuke, and draped her arm around Kensuke's shoulders. Kensuke looked up, and saw Rei smiling at him. He smiled back, hooking his spare arm around her lower back. Asuka and Shinji looked at the group of four, heading back to the Bridge, arms linked. They looked at each other. Asuka gave Shinji a puppy-dog look, as if asking "please?"
"Why not?" he smiled cheerfully. They walked toward the group, and Asuka put her hand around Hikari's shoulders, creating one long chain of six. They shared a laugh, finding the whole gang of six thing hilarious as they walked back to the party.
----------------------
The gang walked back into the Bridge. Asuka and Hikari immediately ran to Melchior, looking for the drinks. Rei followed the other girls, while Toji and Kensuke walked off to the buffet. Shinji walked past Balthasar, but not before looking up at the montage board.
[Aw, god dammit, Misato!] She had put up that damned picture again. Shinji walked over to the board, taking the offending picture and was about to crumple it, when.
"Hey, whatcha got there, Shinji?" Asuka began to walk over to Shinji [Shit!]
Asuka grabbed the picture from Shinji's hands. She glanced at it, and laughed. "Ha! Kensuke sure captured the moment, didn't he?"
Shinji looked at the picture. [Now that she mentions it.it is pretty funny.] "Heh heh, yeah."
"You know what, Shinji? Red suits you a bit," Asuka shot Shinji a furtive glance, "It brings out your.feminine side." She then started laughing.
"Yeah." Shinji didn't really find that funny. [Maybe the drink's starting to affect her humor.]
At that time, Misato walked in, carrying a bundle of sleeping bags and pillows. "Hey, guys!" she said, her face hidden behind a pillow.
"Misato! Let me help you with them," Shinji said, he and Asuka walking over to the Major.
"No, I'm right now," she said, dumping the pile on the ground. "So, was everyone else alright for sleeping gear?"
"Um, Rei didn't bring anything, Hikari's fine with it, Kensuke will need a bag, and I think Toji mentioned his mum coming to pick him up."
Misato's ears perked. [His mother!? Mrs. Suzuhara? I thought that was his aunt or something.]
"Something wrong, Misato?" Asuka questioned.
"Oh, no, nothing," Misato said. [I thought all of the Eva candidates' mothers were dead.could she be.?]
----------------
In the security post, Gendo was already on the phone.
"You have a warrant to search the Suzuhara residence," Gendo commanded, "The woman is suspected of being a spy, possibly armed. Exercise extreme caution." The commander slammed down the phone.
----------------
"By the way, Asuka," Misato noticed a certain picture in Asuka's hand, "what's that in your hand?"
Asuka handed Misato the picture. Misato looked at it, then at Shinji. She laughed, handing the picture back to Asuka. She then walked back over to the montage board. She opened her jacket, and pulled out something from inside it. Pinning it against the wall, she walked away, still chuckling to herself. Sure enough, another copy of the picture was on the wall.
[God damn!] Shinji thought, [How many of those does she have!?]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
Who is Mrs. Suzuhara really? Will Ritsuko recover from two absolute beatings in one night? Will Kensuke survive much longer after he gets those photos developed? All the answers and more in the next The Last Gift She Expected!
Note: My real name is NOT Hideaki Anno. I do not own Gainax or any of its creations let alone Neon Genesis: Evangelion. Characters, locations, themes, and ideas used in this fic are used without permission from Gainax or Hideaki Anno.
Author's Note: That went a little longer than expected. Anyway, I think that by the most recent chapters you can figure out that I don't like Ritsuko too much. Yeah, that evil bitch.uh, sorry. Just a warning, if any of you are expecting her to get her revenge, then I laugh at you, hahahahaha. Anyway, I think I've covered as much as I can at the party, so it's time for me to move on. I'm probably only two chapters from the end, but I'll try and make the last two chapters a bit bigger. At this point I'd like to thank all of the readers who've followed this story thus far, and for the people who have taken the time to point out some errors. Heck, if it wasn't for those reviews, Toji's mum would still be floating about! Anyway, see you next chapter!
Last Time on The Last Gift She Expected...Kensuke runs out of photo victims early, and helps Misato try to find the others. Kensuke soon finds Toji, and Misato finds Shinji and Asuka, asleep in each other's arms, inside Eva Unit Two, much to the shock of Kensuke. Meanwhile, Rei decided to do the same thing, and uncovered Ritsuko's heinous plans for Hikari. After exacting a bit of revenge, Rei started to think of a punishment...
And without further ado...
The Last Gift She Expected, Chapter 8: Crime and Punishment : Die, Ritsuko, Die!
------------------
Hikari walked out of the room, following Rei. Rei was walking at a fast pace; Hikari had to almost jog to keep up with her.
"Hey, Rei, slow down!" Hikari complained, "What's the rush?"
"That serum," Rei responded, "She told me that they were antibodies..."
"Huh?"
"I used to get regular injections of that serum while the Angels were attacking."
"Oh...wait a minute, that means..."
"Yes. That must be why I was always so closed off from everyone else..."
Hikari finished Rei's train of thought for her. "It's her fault that you have no friends..."
Rei walked on. Hikari asked, "Where are we going?"
"She also injected me with a whole lot of other stuff." Rei remembered a term Asuka used when the in-school immunization program was implemented. "Ritsuko made me a human pin-cushion."
Hikari gave a slight laugh. "Ha!" Rei gave her a glare. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that, just the pin-cushion joke..."
Rei smiled. [It's already working...that drug really did keep me from being normal...damn you, Ritsuko...]
At that time, Hikari and Rei heard a voice shout out from the end of the corridor. "Hey! Wait up!"
Hikari turned around at the familiar voice. "Toji!" Toji hobbled over toward Hikari, while she ran toward him.
"Oh my God, you're hurt! How did this happen?"
"...You know, I'm not quite sure..."
Rei walked up to them while Toji asked. "Hey...your clothes..." Toji noticed Hikari's bedraggled appearance. "What happened to you?"
"I don't even think I want to know..."
Rei interrupted. "We're going to the Medicines Division. Dr. Akagi was...violating Hikari..."
Toji and Hikari gasped. "She did WHAT to Hikari!?" / "She did WHAT to me!?"
Rei turned away down the corridor. "Don't worry. I have something in mind for the good doctor."
Toji and Hikari looked at each other, immediately feeling better about the situation. The three walked down the corridor, brandishing three evil grins...
------------
Kensuke was standing in the lift, between Shinji and Misato, with Asuka standing next to her boyfriend. Kensuke leaned his head closer to the two pilots.
"Hey, have you guys noticed anything wrong with Misato?" he whispered.
"Yeah, great spot to talk about it, dumbkopf!" Asuka hissed back.
"As a matter of fact," Shinji whispered, "She seems to think that she sees Kaji sometimes..."
"Yeah, I thought so...any ideas as to why?"
"I dunno...might have something to do with all that beer she drinks..."
"I reckon you might be right, Asuka. Then again, maybe it's some sort of mental problem..."
"Yeah, if she cared about Kaji that much...I'm worried about her..."
Their conversation was interrupted when the elevator opened. They looked at the Major, awaiting instructions.
"Okay, I'll have to drive back to the apartment. Will you two stay out of trouble until I get back?" Misato eyed off Shinji and Asuka, who immediately turned their respective red/pink shades.
"Yes..." the pair muttered. Misato smiled at Kensuke. "Keep an eye on them," she told him, as she walked to the corridor. Misato turned around the corner, and Kensuke knew what was about to happen. Asuka held the scrawny boy against the wall, fuming.
"Listen you little baka hentai," Asuka growled under her breath, "You so much as breathe a word of any of this to anyone, and your pathetic existence won't be worth seeing through to the end, got it?"
Kensuke looked across at Shinji, horrified. Asuka also shot Shinji a look, but not one of anger, but one of mischief. [Ha ha...Asuka wants to play "good cop bad cop"...]
"Now, come on, Asuka," Shinji mock-pleaded, rather convincingly, "I'm sure that Kensuke wants to do the right thing...don't you?"
Kensuke could only manage a slow nod. Asuka smiled. "Good," she said, releasing the petrified teen. "Now, let's see where everyone else is, hm?"
---------------------------
Rei, Hikari and Toji had arrived in front of a large metal door, marked "Medicinal Laboratory 12".
"So what exactly do you have in mind for Ritsuko?" Hikari turned to the blue-haired wonder.
"If it were up to me, I would.uh, how you say?.kick her ass from here to New Yokosuka."
Toji looked at Rei strangely, having hardly ever heard Rei speak as a normal person would.
"But such a punishment does not fit the crime. I have thought of a better way."
Rei pressed her thumb against the security scanner, waiting for the customary bleep to signify her entry. However, instead of the green "ACCESS GRANTED" appearing on the display, "ACCESS DENIED" flashed onscreen instead. Rei frowned, removing her hand. [What am I supposed to do now?.Hold on a minute.]
Rei felt her hands clench into a fist, and immediately had an idea. Stepping toward the wall, she slammed her fist into the display, once, twice, and thrice. She felt another strange sensation building in her mind. She stepped back, holding her hand. [Was that.rage? Adrenaline?]
"Aw, too tough for you, Rei?" Toji's testosterone kicked in. "Let a man handle this!" Toji stepped forward, and reared back to punch the door. Unfortunately, he stretched his wounds awkwardly, and fell to his knees, clutching his chest and belly, wincing in pain. Hikari laughed, and Rei gave a small smirk.
"Let a woman show you how it's done." Rei stepped back, lining up the door.
"Yaaah!" she ran at the door, lifting her leg at the right time, planting her foot into the door. The rusted hinges holding the door in place gave way, the door falling to the ground under the force of Rei's yakuza-style kick. Toji stood up, impressed by Rei's deceptively powerful frame.
"Whoa.nice one, Rei." Hikari followed Rei into the laboratory.
A cold, sterile room greeted the intruders, the only sign of chaos being the collapsed door. The walls were lined with cabinets, containing syringes with various different colored fluids. In the center of the room was a stainless steel bench, almost like a draining table found in a mortuary. Rei had seen this room many times, but now shivers ran up hers as well as her two counterparts' spines. She walked into the room, opened the cabinets and gathered many of the syringes into her arms.
"My god," Hikari stammered. "You were injected with.all of these?"
"Only a few, but I was never told of what they were. Some of them bought great pain, other took away the pain. In hindsight, they might've been some form of toxin, followed by their antidote."
Hikari held her mouth in shock. "No.way."
"Really?" Rei showed Hikari an exposed part of her arm. Hikari gasped, noticing a pattern of pinpoint scars, all consistent with injections. "Sometimes up to six in one day, one of which was always the clear blue one you're familiar with."
Hikari felt herself gag, and staggered to a nearby sink, sounds of regurgitation filling the dank room.
Toji reared away in disgust. Rei continued to gather as many needles as possible. When she was satisfied, she left the room, Toji supporting a nauseous Hikari.
--------------------------
Shinji led his trio back to the Bridge, in search of everyone else. Asuka peered into the room, only to find that Hyuga and Aoba had passed out, and Asuka's friends from school were already heading for the Second Child.
"Hey Asuka! Where've you been?"
"Where the hell do you think she's been? She took Shinji with her."
"Ooooooh! So Asuka, how was he?"
"What does.it feel like, Asuka?"
Asuka was engulfed in questions, reminding Shinji of his first day at the new school, when everyone found out he was the pilot of Evangelion.
"Listen, do you know where the others went?" Asuka asked.
"Well, after you dragged Shinji off." The rest of the sentence was temporarily lost in giggling and aww-ing, until Asuka asked again with more aggression. "We saw Toji follow you two. Then the two women from NERV went up to Hikari, and she walked off with them, and a while after that Rei just walked off."
[What would Ritsuko and Maya want with Hika.oh, holy SHIT!]
Asuka looked back, and saw that Shinji had come to the same conclusion. They turned for the door they had just came out of, as if they were one. Kensuke was left standing there, as Shinji and Asuka went on a search and rescue operation for Hikari Horaki.
"Hey, you guys!" Kensuke turned and chased after them, "Wait up! You better not be going off to ride Shinji again!" The last comment got a great laugh from the girls.
---------------
Gendo Ikari had left the bridge to go to the surveillance room. He sat in front of the bank of monitors, a bowl of popcorn in his hand, laughing his head off at the situation.
[This is so much better than that show that they used to have on in my age,] he thought to himself, [What was it called? Ah yes, the Big Brother show.] Gendo kicked back as Rei kicked down the door to the Medicine Room. [Hmm.a twist around every corner.maybe I could make a movie.]
The more that Gendo thought about the movie idea, the more he liked it. After all, all he had to do was edit the surveillance footage into a decent movie. He could think about the box-office potential now.more money in the coffers for NERV, Academy Awards for the 'cast', even he could get an Oscar.
Shinji leading Asuka and Kensuke back to the Bridge distracted Gendo. Gendo refocused on the action, shoving a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth. [Damn, these need butter.]
------------------------
"Any idea where Ritsuko's office is from here?" Asuka said, instinctively heading left.
"I know it's three floors up," Shinji said, heading to the elevator to the right. Asuka paused, looked back at Shinji, and turned around. They both went for the elevator, worried about their friend. For them, the elevator couldn't go up three floors quick enough. They rushed out of the elevator, and dashed madly down corridors, looking for Ritsuko's office. [Aww! I was just there a few hours ago! Why can't I find it again!?]
Suddenly Shinji's voice reached Asuka. "Found it!" Asuka turned and followed the voice. Shinji had pinned himself against the door, as Asuka had seen Raiden do in Metal Gear Solid 4: Revelations.
"Can you hear anyone?" Asuka asked Shinji.
"Nothing," Shinji muttered. Asuka instinctively went into Infiltration position #4, pinning herself against the wall to the side of the door. Shinji slowly turned the doorknob, until it was free of the frame, then pushed the door open violently, rushing into the room, Asuka not far behind.
"Ritsuko! What the HELL did you do with Hikari!?" Shinji thundered as he entered the room. Asuka stepped back from Shinji, amazed at Shinji's terrifyingly powerful voice.
Maya propped her head up. "Shinji.thank god." she said.
Asuka leant beside Maya. "What happened here?"
"Ritsuko was drunk.she started hitting on Hikari.I tried to stop her, but she used her serum on the both of us." Asuka got a better look at Maya's face. [Her eyes.they look glazed over.]
Shinji stepped in. "Serum?"
"It takes over your mind.lowers your ability to control yourself.thinking about an action automatically makes you do it.all it takes is for the idea to come into your head.like Ritsuko mentioning it."
[That's it.] [She's dead.] Shinji and Asuka thought exactly the same thing. Shinji's head turned to the corner, where Ritsuko lay, unconscious from her beating at the hands of Rei. His fists clenched, as he walked over there.
"Wait!" Maya said, as she sat up. Shinji turned back around, as did Asuka. "Rei already came through here, and she's on her way back with."
"With what?" Asuka and Shinji's attention was focused on Maya. Maya's eyes darted behind the two pilots, and saw Ritsuko standing up, a pair of blue-filled syringes in hand. [Good.Sempai's plan will work.we need someone to defend us from Rei.huh? What happened? Argh, that bloody serum of Ritsuko's!] Maya focused on her vision again.
"Asuka? Shinji? What are you.agh!" Maya glanced behind the pilots again. "Shit! Watch out!"
Asuka looked behind her, only to find a syringe implanted in her exposed arm. Ritsuko pushed down the plunger, injecting Asuka with the blue serum. Shinji turned at this time, and swung his forearm into Ritsuko's, loosening the syringe from her arm. Asuka's eyes lost focus, and she froze in position.
"Asuka?" Ritsuko asked Asuka.
Shinji looked at Asuka, hoping that the serum didn't work, or it didn't go into her bloodstream, or something. Alas, Asuka could only mutter, "Yes, Sempai?"
[Whoa! Asuka's voice sounds like Rei.] Shinji thought to himself.
Ritsuko smiled. "Would you please subdue Shinji for me?"
"Yes, Sempai." Asuka turned on Shinji, going into a classic jeet kune do position.
Shinji stepped back "Asuka!? Snap out of it!"
Asuka approached Shinji, throwing dummy strikes and feints that Bruce Lee (although Asuka probably would never have heard of him) would've been proud of. Shinji realized that Asuka had fallen victim to Ritsuko's serum and was hesitant to fight back, but nonetheless adopted a defensive nan chuan posture.
[If it's a fight you want, Asuka.] Shinji defended against Asuka's lightning strikes, at least until Shinji noted that jeet kune do involved a lot of bouncing in place. Asuka would've laughed if she was herself, but she wasn't, so she just buried her left foot into Shinji's abdomen with a vicious side kick. Shinji was hurled him into Ritsuko's filing cabinet, jolting it open. Shinji supported his winded body against it, accidentally plunging a hand inside. Glancing inside, he immediately pulled his hand out of Ritsuko's "goodie drawer". Thinking for a second, he plunged his hand back in, and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Shinji, while trying not to think of things to inspire thermal expansion, readied the handcuffs for Asuka's next attack.
Asuka jabbed a punch at Shinji. He easily dodged it, and wrapped one half of the handcuffs on Asuka's wrist. Twisting his body around, he slammed his open palms into Asuka's midsection, sending her sailing across the room into a conveniently placed armchair. Shinji rushed forward, grabbing Asuka's arm, twisting it around her body, and cuffing her other arm behind her back. Asuka struggled in the bonds, a snarling growl emanating from her mouth.
"Gomen kudasai, Asuka," Shinji apologized, "You can do better than just growling, can't you?"
Asuka snarled again, looking very upset with herself. Shinji turned to Ritsuko, who was already drawing out another syringe. Shinji walked toward Ritsuko, unfazed by Ritsuko's seemingly infinity arsenal.
"Put it down, Ritsuko," Shinji said, with a controlled rage that came with his Ikari heritage, "You're in enough trouble as it is."
Ritsuko just smiled, standing perfectly still. Shinji continued, "What kind of twisted individual are you, anyway? Manipulating minds to your own ends, violating and taking control of others." he looked back at Asuka for a second, then back at Ritsuko, "You can't be human."
"Me?" Ritsuko smiled, "What about you?" She knew Shinji's weak point: he pilots the Eva. "God sent Angels as messengers of peace, right? You think you can kill God's very own creations, his ambassadors, and call yourself human?"
Shinji's lower lip trembled. He didn't have a response.
"Hmph. As I thought." Ritsuko walked to the frozen shell of Shinji, cockily. "You are the real monster here."
Shinji's mind twisted like a pretzel. [She's right.I am a monster.]
Ritsuko could tell she was breaking him. Her smile grew more devilish. [Ha, I knew good ol' insecure Shinji was still in there somewhere.he'll be crying in the corner in two minutes.]
"A monster." Shinji said to himself, shuddering with low, soft sobs. The word repeated in his mind, over and over.[Monster.monster.monster.monster.]
----------------
In the depths of Shinji's mind, another voice spoke up. {Shinji-kun.}
[.mo.mother?]
{You aren't a monster.you're a savior.I'm proud of you.}
[Mother? Is that you?]
{You've come this far, Shinji.don't run away now.not when you're this close.}
[This close to what?]
{Ritsuko.she despises you now.she sees me in you now.do you know why, my son? Because.}
[Why, mother?]
{She loved Gendo.but she couldn't see that he loved me more.}
[She.who?]
{Ritsuko's mother.she ran a program through Unit One.I was trapped inside.until you came.}
[No! You died during the Second Impact!]
{I thought you didn't trust your father? My soul was taken into Unit One itself.just as what happened to you, after the 14th Angel. It was my release.I fled the Eva, and here I am, with you.}
[Mother.]
{Ritsuko's noticed more and more of my personality in you.it's brought up her inherited hatred for me, Gendo and you.it has twisted her mind.everything she has done, was subconsciously to appease her hatred for you.}
[I must.]
{You must defeat her.you must fight, one last time.}
[No! That would make me a monster! I.can't.]
{You're not a monster.she is.}
------------------
"A monster." Ritsuko whispered into Shinji's ear. Shinji's eyes dilated, his face twisted with rage.
"NOOOO!" Shinji's wiry frame turned on Ritsuko in a pure undiluted fury. Ritsuko gasped as the enraged Ikari boy lifted her solid figure from the ground by the throat.
"I AM NOT A MONSTER!! SHE KILLED MOTHER! SHE IS THE MONSTER!" Shinji screamed amongst his emotional maelstrom, chilling Ritsuko's soul with every thundered word. "YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!! YOU ARE THE MONSTER!!!" Ritsuko looked into the crazed boy's eyes, and was stunned by what she saw. A faint glow was visible, as if the image of another pair of eyes was overlapped over Shinji's own. [Those eyes.Yui? Is this her revenge?] Shinji reared back.
Outside, Rei, Hikari and Toji were approaching Ritsuko's office, syringes in hand.
"Yeah, we're gonna punish her goo." Toji began, but was interrupted by the prone body of Ritsuko Akagi being thrown through her office window, a thin layer of aluminum venetian blinds doing little to absorb her impact against the far wall of the corridor, some three metres away. She hit the wall flat on her back, turned almost fully upside-down, before slumping to the linoleum floor, unconscious.
Shinji stepped through the window, down onto the glass-covered floor. "You are avenged." he muttered to himself, he then turned away.
Rei was stunned by Shinji's incredible feat of strength. She and Hikari may have wanted revenge, but even this at first seemed too much.
Toji was dumbfounded. "H-holy.SHIT!" he stammered out, his body paralyzed with shock at what greeted his eyes. Shinji turned around, the faint glow in his eyes gone without a trace. He looked down at his hands. [Did.I do that?]
"Shinji." Rei walked forward, toward the Third Child. ".are.are you hurt?"
"No," he replied, "I'm fine." [and so is Mother.]
Hikari stepped forward. "How did you do that?"
"Her mother.killed mine.she called me a monster.she almost killed me." Shinji almost broke down again, but something deep down gave him the strength to remain unmoved. "Now.I'm free from her."
A figure in the office doorway stepped into the corridor, her arms still cuffed behind her back. She looked at Shinji, then at the prone but still alive body of Ritsuko. She glared at Shinji.
"You.killed Sempai.!"
Shinji turned to face Asuka. "No, she's not dead, Asu.hang on, Sempai?" It dawned on Shinji that Asuka was still under the control of the serum. Asuka charged at her lover, hands still linked together.
"Ikari! Use this!" Rei threw Shinji a syringe. Shinji caught it, just in time to avoid Asuka's rush. He spun behind her, inserting the decapped needle into Asuka's thigh. She froze in place while the chemical countered the mind-altering effects of Ritsuko's serum. After a few seconds, she blinked, and looked around at Shinji.
"Shinji." Asuka said, seeing her love's face. She then noticed everything else in her immediate environment. "Why am I wearing fluffy handcuffs?"
Toji gaped at Shinji, as did Hikari. Rei fought back a laugh. Shinji's face turned red. "It was all I could find!" he tried to explain. [Shit! Very bad choice of words!]
Asuka soon found herself fighting back laughter, starting from a broad grin, progressing through giggle, snicker, and laugh, finally reaching hysteria. Toji, Hikari, Rei and Shinji didn't take much longer to get to this stage, either.
Just then, Kensuke came rushing around the corner, looking exhausted. "Asuka! Shinji! Finally caught up with you! Don't run off like that! Misato told me to."
Kensuke then noticed that Shinji held Asuka in a sort of embrace, and that Asuka just so happened to be wearing fluffy pink handcuffs.
Kensuke went off. "God-dammit, guys! Can't you stay out of each other's pants for just a minute!?" This triggered off a new wave of laughter. Kensuke then looked over at the still body of Ritsuko Akagi.
"Whoa! Who the HELL did that!?"
"Me." Shinji gave Kensuke the coldest Ikari Glare he could muster. Kensuke back off, at least until Shinji started laughing again.
"So, Shinji the Incredible," Asuka said, "I don't suppose you have keys for these?"
Shinji's heart skipped a beat. [Keys? Were there keys?]
"Um.anyone got some wire?" Five shocked faces greeted his. "Nah, just kidding." Shinji walked over to Ritsuko, and searched her pocket. Sure enough, on her key chain was a small pink one. Shinji took the key and unlocked the cuffs. Asuka rubbed her wrists in appreciation of her newfound freedom.
Meanwhile, Hikari turned to Rei. "Um, thanks.for getting me out of there."
Rei turned to Hikari, searching her mind for the appropriate words. "No problem, Hikari."
Toji faced Shinji. "So, Big Shot, where did you and Asuka go off to?"
"They were." Kensuke began, before Asuka glanced back at him. "Um.looking for you guys. Yeah."
"Y'know, I bet everyone's wondering where the hell we all are." Toji stated.
"Yes. Maybe we should return to the Bridge."
Toji turned toward the Bridge, being supported by Hikari. Kensuke hurried forward to help her.
[Aida.] Rei followed behind Kensuke, and draped her arm around Kensuke's shoulders. Kensuke looked up, and saw Rei smiling at him. He smiled back, hooking his spare arm around her lower back. Asuka and Shinji looked at the group of four, heading back to the Bridge, arms linked. They looked at each other. Asuka gave Shinji a puppy-dog look, as if asking "please?"
"Why not?" he smiled cheerfully. They walked toward the group, and Asuka put her hand around Hikari's shoulders, creating one long chain of six. They shared a laugh, finding the whole gang of six thing hilarious as they walked back to the party.
----------------------
The gang walked back into the Bridge. Asuka and Hikari immediately ran to Melchior, looking for the drinks. Rei followed the other girls, while Toji and Kensuke walked off to the buffet. Shinji walked past Balthasar, but not before looking up at the montage board.
[Aw, god dammit, Misato!] She had put up that damned picture again. Shinji walked over to the board, taking the offending picture and was about to crumple it, when.
"Hey, whatcha got there, Shinji?" Asuka began to walk over to Shinji [Shit!]
Asuka grabbed the picture from Shinji's hands. She glanced at it, and laughed. "Ha! Kensuke sure captured the moment, didn't he?"
Shinji looked at the picture. [Now that she mentions it.it is pretty funny.] "Heh heh, yeah."
"You know what, Shinji? Red suits you a bit," Asuka shot Shinji a furtive glance, "It brings out your.feminine side." She then started laughing.
"Yeah." Shinji didn't really find that funny. [Maybe the drink's starting to affect her humor.]
At that time, Misato walked in, carrying a bundle of sleeping bags and pillows. "Hey, guys!" she said, her face hidden behind a pillow.
"Misato! Let me help you with them," Shinji said, he and Asuka walking over to the Major.
"No, I'm right now," she said, dumping the pile on the ground. "So, was everyone else alright for sleeping gear?"
"Um, Rei didn't bring anything, Hikari's fine with it, Kensuke will need a bag, and I think Toji mentioned his mum coming to pick him up."
Misato's ears perked. [His mother!? Mrs. Suzuhara? I thought that was his aunt or something.]
"Something wrong, Misato?" Asuka questioned.
"Oh, no, nothing," Misato said. [I thought all of the Eva candidates' mothers were dead.could she be.?]
----------------
In the security post, Gendo was already on the phone.
"You have a warrant to search the Suzuhara residence," Gendo commanded, "The woman is suspected of being a spy, possibly armed. Exercise extreme caution." The commander slammed down the phone.
----------------
"By the way, Asuka," Misato noticed a certain picture in Asuka's hand, "what's that in your hand?"
Asuka handed Misato the picture. Misato looked at it, then at Shinji. She laughed, handing the picture back to Asuka. She then walked back over to the montage board. She opened her jacket, and pulled out something from inside it. Pinning it against the wall, she walked away, still chuckling to herself. Sure enough, another copy of the picture was on the wall.
[God damn!] Shinji thought, [How many of those does she have!?]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
Who is Mrs. Suzuhara really? Will Ritsuko recover from two absolute beatings in one night? Will Kensuke survive much longer after he gets those photos developed? All the answers and more in the next The Last Gift She Expected!
Note: My real name is NOT Hideaki Anno. I do not own Gainax or any of its creations let alone Neon Genesis: Evangelion. Characters, locations, themes, and ideas used in this fic are used without permission from Gainax or Hideaki Anno.
Author's Note: That went a little longer than expected. Anyway, I think that by the most recent chapters you can figure out that I don't like Ritsuko too much. Yeah, that evil bitch.uh, sorry. Just a warning, if any of you are expecting her to get her revenge, then I laugh at you, hahahahaha. Anyway, I think I've covered as much as I can at the party, so it's time for me to move on. I'm probably only two chapters from the end, but I'll try and make the last two chapters a bit bigger. At this point I'd like to thank all of the readers who've followed this story thus far, and for the people who have taken the time to point out some errors. Heck, if it wasn't for those reviews, Toji's mum would still be floating about! Anyway, see you next chapter!
