Chapter Eleven: Of Misato's Short Search for the Two Wayward
Children and What Happened Afterwards
If Shinji hadn't dragged Asuka out of the water, she probably would have drowned. Kneeling on the graveled shore, he looked on as she slept, unable to forget the sound of her tormented screaming. Shinji kept silent as he watched her, feeling an ever-growing sense of guilt as all of his conjectures and assumptions from just hours previous were wiped away.
Her insanity remained a mystery, and he knew it was more than just simple self-delusion. She was hiding something painful inside.
I'm back where I started, Asuka. I don't know you at all.
Eventually, she would wake, and there was no telling what would happen afterwards.
-
Misato didn't think that it was likely to accomplish anything but, having received the task of recovering Asuka and Shinji, and knowing that there wasn't much else to do, she decided to let her legs do what work they could. This isn't to say that she thought it would really accomplish anything. What were the chances, after all, that she would take the same precise path of travel as the two children? Furthermore, what were the chances that whomever she talked to, though they, by some miracle, were in the right spot to have seen the two wayward brats, would have actually been paying attention at the right moment? And this convenient person would, on top of that, happen to know where the children might be found, even approximately?
Gendou Ikari seemed to think that the girl's antics would draw attention to the two of them, but Asuka would have to do something extremely noticeable, and something that would come to Misato's attention even as she searched for them.
"Excuse me sir," Misato said politely, handing the hastily drawn composite sketch to the ramen stand owner, "Have you seen this girl?"
The man examined the sketch for a moment. "Yeah, I think I saw this girl. Red hair, right? She came charging past here. Everyone saw her. She looked like she was being chased by a devil or somethin'."
"Really?" Misato asked, incredulous that the reality of the situation went against her recent considerations so ironically. It was a welcome and convenient surprise.
He examined the sketch again, and nodded. "Yeah, she went down that way, by the lake. But that was hours ago. I don't have any idea where she might a' gone from there though."
Misato's sudden elation vanished as it became apparent that she wasn't all that much closer to finding them than before. Still, she knew which direction they were traveling in, hours previous. It was something.
-
Asuka…
She looked so weak. So different.
You can't hide anything now, is that it? When you sleep, you can't hide things you don't want people to see?
She was shivering from the cold, curled up on the ground in front of him. Her fingertips were wrinkled from the water.
It didn't seem right. The fact that she would betray weakness, even in sleep, seemed very wrong somehow.
If she was awake, she wouldn't stay in the water long enough for her skin to wrinkle, and she would mask her shivers. And she didn't do it just because she was a pilot... that could only be an excuse, right?
A chill wind blew from across the pond, causing Asuka to curl up further into a fetal position.
She's afraid of weakness, and in the end she's... just a child. She kills these 'Angels', but it doesn't mean anything to anyone besides herself. She talks about all this stuff like it's real, and she's got all the details worked out. But why is she always talking about 'Kaji'?
'Kaji' probably didn't even exist.
She talks about how cool he is, but her parents… she hardly talks about them at all.
'Mama', she said before. Asuka called for her mother when she thought she was going to die. Her mother killed herself, but she talks about it so casually... as if it's not a big deal at all. But that can't be true. That's the reason she acts like this. It must be. That's when this whole thing must've started.
He reached out and stroked her cheek, overcome with emotion and not particularly worried of what would happen if she woke up.
I think I understand you now, Asuka. You run away from reality, because you know you can't really trust anyone. They'll always leave you, just like your mother left you.
He leaned forward, bringing his face close to hers, as if to whisper something in her ear.
I'm sorry, Asuka. I had no right to want to get rid of you. Maybe... maybe you can help me, once I've helped you. I think I want to kiss you again. Your breasts are so...
Shinji had a sudden spasm in a fit of sexual repression, driving all perverse thoughts from his mind. He closed his eyes tightly, shedding tears of helplessness.
Even at a time like this, I'm so weak. Every day, you deal with this harsh reality so bravely, fighting it off like it's one of those imaginary angels. When it comes down to it, only you can defeat reality itself.
A single tear dripped down his face, and he clutched at it, as if hiding it; as if wanting it to disappear. Crying in self-pity wouldn't help him, not if he wanted to make some sort of personal breakthrough with his internal emotional ramblings.
Your mother left you of her own free will, and abandoned you. I may be weak, in so many ways, but I can't leave you like she did.
Though self-disgust threatened to overcome him again, he repressed it long enough to utter one last noble thought.
I swear that I never will. Never.
This vow, though very ill informed and made on the spur of the moment, was as well meant as any vow ever taken by a teenage boy in a fit of angst. Though one may laugh at Shinji for his presumptions, I think no one can fault our dear perverted and oft overly emotional friend for making this heartfelt vow.
It is mildly unfortunate that Misato chose this time to stumble upon the two of them, with Shinji weeping as he knelt in front of Asuka's supine form.
"Shinji? What happened to her?" Misato cried, at first glance thinking the girl to be drowned.
Shinji sniffled embarrassedly and wiped his face. "S-She's okay," he stuttered, "She's j-just been lying in the water. She's asleep."
Misato let out a relieved breath, and then gave Shinji a slightly puzzled look. "Lying in the water? I guess that shouldn't surprise me at all..."
Shinji stood awkwardly. "She was running after another angel and she ended up here," he explained, his face slightly turned away in embarrassment, "It took me a long time to find her."
Misato nodded. "It didn't take me very long to find you two at all, though. It's kind of funny." She shrugged. "What the hell are you two doing anyway? Your father told me she kidnapped you."
Shinji blinked in confusion. "Kidnapped? But she said she asked his permission…"
Misato sighed in frustration, and then softly reprimanded him, "And you believed her? Why would your father do that?"
"Well…"
"Shinji, your father does care about you. He wouldn't have sent me after you if he didn't."
"Then…" Shinji paused in uncertainty and continued, "Then why did he let Asuka stay…? I told him she was crazy…"
Misato smiled, and placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Maybe he's just glad to see that someone wants to be your friend."
Shinji looked downward and to the side, turning away from both Misato's warm face and her comforting hand.
"Shinji?" she asked, concerned, "Is this really bothering you so much? Is this girl really that troubling to you?"
"It's not just Asuka," he admitted quietly, "I think it's… everything."
"Shinji, your father isn't trying to hurt you. He's a hard man to understand," she assured him. "But… he still has your best interests at heart."
-
Gendou was not at all pleased. "Fuyutsuki, you know what a security breach means. You know just as well as I do."
"Ikari… don't blow this out of proportion. It was just an accident. There's no reason to assume it was a security breach."
"You do not understand. I cannot underemphasize the importance of the loss of a few rudimentary designs; however, I cannot overemphasize the importance of security in this matter."
Fuyutsuki sighed. "You're taking this far too seriously. It's not as if it would mean the end of the world…"
"It would be the end of the world, I'm afraid. As we know it, anyway."
Fuyutsuki smirked, and gave his overly serious friend an odd look. "I think you like animation a bit too much. You could always make real movies, you know. It's not like anyone takes this seriously any more."
"No. My plan must not fail." Gendou firmly placed his hands on his desk, and rose to his feet. "If the script is mishandled, or if it even becomes public knowledge that a script exists, the entire project will be at risk. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."
Gendou turned and spoke one last time before exiting.
"My productions will save this genre."
-
"Shinji, are you ready to go?" Misato asked, somewhat impatiently.
Shinji, looked down at the unconscious girl, recalled her words from before, something like, 'We can't expect all the angels to come to us; some of them have to be baited.' He recalled her pained words on the 'empty' bus. He recalled the plea to her mother that had finally revealed her location in the pond. He recalled the disturbing shriek that she made bursting up from the clear water.
Coming to a decision, he spoke without lifting his eyes from the face of the insensible, unconscious girl, "Misato, can you... go without me?"
Shinji had come to a decision, and had sworn to do something. He wasn't entirely sure what it was he had sworn to do, but he didn't think it involved confronting Asuka with her lie, as his father would almost certainly do. After that, it was likely that everything would come to an end, and the two of them would be separated, one way or another.
"Shinji," Misato said somberly, "Do you know what you're saying? Don't you realize this is just like what happened with Rei? Asuka is a lost cause."
"That's so cold, Misato..."
She shrugged. "That doesn't change the fact that it's true, Shinji."
A groan from below interrupted Shinji before he could answer, as Asuka stirred from sleep.
"God, my head hurts…" she mumbled, "At least I didn't have to rely on my damned mother like you…"
Asuka opened her eyes, and blinked a few times before dragging herself to her feet. She spent a few bleary moments coming to full awareness before noticing Misato.
"Your name is… Katsuragi, right? What are you doing here?"
"Shinji's father sent me after you two," Misato said coldly, eyeing the girl with plain suspicion, "Shinji tells me you claimed that you were given permission to leave. His father didn't seem to be aware of anything like that."
Asuka nodded, and crossed her arms in front of her with impudence, "He approved of it. He approved the whole thing."
Shinji coughed nervously. "Um, well, now that that's cleared up…"
Misato raised her eyebrows at him, and he blushed slightly, looking away. Asuka, ignoring the exchange, shook her head vehemently. "No way. I don't have to stand for this. Not even the almighty Commander himself gets away with telling lies about Asuka Langley Sohryu."
Misato's grim expression lightened somewhat at Asuka's sincere indignation, and she smiled in amusement. "I'll give you kids a ride," she offered.
Asuka, having obtained a new objective at that point, was glad to accept.
-
"Mrs. Akagi, you are now given sole responsibility of the project, as Mrs. Katsuragi is presently indisposed." Gendou said, speaking very formally.
Ritsuko's only response was a malicious, evil grin.
"I think you understand the importance of this, Doctor," he said, "And, despite what Fuyutsuki may think, you are more than capable of handling it."
"Yes, sir," she said, eyes full of eagerness, "I won't allow any mistakes."
"See that you don't," he said, turning towards the exit, "I must leave now. I have things to attend to."
Ritsuko was well aware of the incident with the preliminary sketches, and what that would mean for her. Fuyutsuki, the one who seemed to take such pleasure in stripping her duties away from her, had made an unforgivable mistake.
This meant that the project would likely fall squarely on her shoulders, and Misato, late to arrive, would be nothing more than an aide. If Misato ever decided to show up, that is.
She suppressed an evil cackle, knowing that such a thing would be frowned upon in the office space.
-
Having arrived at the Ikari residence with the two others, Asuka strode into the Commander's dimly lit study, approaching him with the usual fast beating heart and stoic expression that she used for their short encounters.
"Yes, Sohryu?" he asked, his voice sounding casual and almost innocent.
A little put off by this strange tone, but not nearly removed from her task, she spoke brashly, "Commander, why did you send Katsuragi after us? You already approved the operation... what happened?"
A feeling of indistinct discomfort ran through her as the man, now smirking malignantly, leaned forward and bridged his hands under his nose, hiding his expression.
"I have my reasons."
"Sir. Isn't it true that defeating Angels is our highest priority?" she asked, raising her voice a little, "How can you just arbitrarily do something like this?"
"As I said, Sohryu, I have my reasons. There is more at stake here than you realize."
"But… you approved of the whole thing! Why just suddenly take it back?"
"I'm afraid you have misunderstood my intentions. My exact words were, 'I will consider it,' if I remember correctly."
Asuka gave him a confused look, then, quickly resumed her soldier-like façade, stated firmly, "When an evil, shady person like you says 'I will consider it' in that tone of voice, it's the same thing as saying 'Yes'."
There was silence for moment, broken by a short, well-mannered chuckle from Gendou.
Asuka, wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the sight of this gesture, was sure that he had something fiendish in mind. Laughter from him, something that no one could have foreseen, could only signal that he was considering some evil plan. He was not a villain given to laughter, however, not even when the grandest of his plans came to fruition, and this gave the impression that the situation was very dire indeed.
"That's why you don't care about the angels," she whispered, 'You're about to bring out those leviathans, aren't you?"
It all became suddenly clear. Rei would never be killed by the Sixteenth Angel, and would never betray Gendou. Tabris, hopelessly outmatched against both Rei and the new series, and not really a threat anyway, would be easily disposed of. Though Tabris wasn't quite their last ditch effort, Seele would not have any way of preventing Gendou from initiating the Third Impact with Rei, thus reuniting himself with Yui. Somehow, he had gained the resources to make this new series of Eva, this series that would gain him everything he desired…
"The new series is already completed, isn't it!?" she demanded.
"No." he said, his good humor vanishing in an instant, "Where did you hear this?"
"Oh, I know everything," she hissed, "You don't need me anymore, do you? It doesn't matter. I know you still need Rei."
Gendou said nothing.
"Rei is under my command," Asuka confidently informed him, "so you better watch yourself. If anything happens to me, you might find her a lot less willing to be your puppet."
A slight smile touched his taciturn visage. "I have no intention of having you killed, girl."
Asuka nodded grimly. "I guess you still want me to kill Angels, then. Fine."
Without another word, Asuka turned and left the room, feeling the uncomfortable press of Gendou's eyes against her back as she did so.
-
"You're just feeding her fantasy, Shinji. You have to put an end to this," Misato said sternly.
Shinji and Misato stood in the living room as Asuka confronted Gendou, and Misato took the opportunity of her absence to lecture the boy.
"I know you feel some responsibility towards her," she said, "Don't try and deny it. I saw the look on your face back at the park."
"Is it wrong to feel responsible?" he asked, "I'm just doing what seems right..."
"You're doing it for yourself, Shinji," Misato said softly, "You realize that, right?"
It was something he was all too aware of. He knew that he was taking advantage of Asuka, not the other way around.
"You might be right," he admitted.
"You're not helping her. You have to realize that."
"I know that, Misato."
"Then why are you still doing this?"
That was certainly the question, but he had no good answer.
"Well?"
Thankfully, Asuka's arrival prevented him from being forced to reply.
"That bastard!" she cursed, "He's even more devious than I thought! Shinji, we have to go out and look for Rei, right away."
"Rei?" Misato asked, curious, "Isn't she at her apartment?"
"No," she said, addressing Misato's question hurriedly before turning back to Shinji, "I sent her off to find Kaji for me."
"Shinji," she said, "We have to leave right now."
"You sent Rei wandering off too!?" Misato exclaimed, "Did you even tell her father?"
Asuka waved the question off. "She doesn't have any parents. And there's no need to worry about Rei. She can take care of herself."
Misato paled, and turned to Shinji. "You knew about this, didn't you? You let her send that girl out to wander the streets of Tokyo alone?"
"W-well, I mean... it didn't seem like a big thing..." he mumbled, avoiding her judgmental gaze.
"Good lord," she said, grabbing Shinji by the collar of his shirt, "Do you realize how likely it is that something indecent has happened to her by now?"
"One in a thousand?" Asuka guessed.
"Try flipping a coin," Misato said sickly, "I'd give her about fifty/fifty."
End Chapter Eleven
Pre read by LeperMessiah. Sexed by Rev'd.
All Criticism welcomed.
^ ^/^ ^.^ /"\- _-?s
If Shinji hadn't dragged Asuka out of the water, she probably would have drowned. Kneeling on the graveled shore, he looked on as she slept, unable to forget the sound of her tormented screaming. Shinji kept silent as he watched her, feeling an ever-growing sense of guilt as all of his conjectures and assumptions from just hours previous were wiped away.
Her insanity remained a mystery, and he knew it was more than just simple self-delusion. She was hiding something painful inside.
I'm back where I started, Asuka. I don't know you at all.
Eventually, she would wake, and there was no telling what would happen afterwards.
-
Misato didn't think that it was likely to accomplish anything but, having received the task of recovering Asuka and Shinji, and knowing that there wasn't much else to do, she decided to let her legs do what work they could. This isn't to say that she thought it would really accomplish anything. What were the chances, after all, that she would take the same precise path of travel as the two children? Furthermore, what were the chances that whomever she talked to, though they, by some miracle, were in the right spot to have seen the two wayward brats, would have actually been paying attention at the right moment? And this convenient person would, on top of that, happen to know where the children might be found, even approximately?
Gendou Ikari seemed to think that the girl's antics would draw attention to the two of them, but Asuka would have to do something extremely noticeable, and something that would come to Misato's attention even as she searched for them.
"Excuse me sir," Misato said politely, handing the hastily drawn composite sketch to the ramen stand owner, "Have you seen this girl?"
The man examined the sketch for a moment. "Yeah, I think I saw this girl. Red hair, right? She came charging past here. Everyone saw her. She looked like she was being chased by a devil or somethin'."
"Really?" Misato asked, incredulous that the reality of the situation went against her recent considerations so ironically. It was a welcome and convenient surprise.
He examined the sketch again, and nodded. "Yeah, she went down that way, by the lake. But that was hours ago. I don't have any idea where she might a' gone from there though."
Misato's sudden elation vanished as it became apparent that she wasn't all that much closer to finding them than before. Still, she knew which direction they were traveling in, hours previous. It was something.
-
Asuka…
She looked so weak. So different.
You can't hide anything now, is that it? When you sleep, you can't hide things you don't want people to see?
She was shivering from the cold, curled up on the ground in front of him. Her fingertips were wrinkled from the water.
It didn't seem right. The fact that she would betray weakness, even in sleep, seemed very wrong somehow.
If she was awake, she wouldn't stay in the water long enough for her skin to wrinkle, and she would mask her shivers. And she didn't do it just because she was a pilot... that could only be an excuse, right?
A chill wind blew from across the pond, causing Asuka to curl up further into a fetal position.
She's afraid of weakness, and in the end she's... just a child. She kills these 'Angels', but it doesn't mean anything to anyone besides herself. She talks about all this stuff like it's real, and she's got all the details worked out. But why is she always talking about 'Kaji'?
'Kaji' probably didn't even exist.
She talks about how cool he is, but her parents… she hardly talks about them at all.
'Mama', she said before. Asuka called for her mother when she thought she was going to die. Her mother killed herself, but she talks about it so casually... as if it's not a big deal at all. But that can't be true. That's the reason she acts like this. It must be. That's when this whole thing must've started.
He reached out and stroked her cheek, overcome with emotion and not particularly worried of what would happen if she woke up.
I think I understand you now, Asuka. You run away from reality, because you know you can't really trust anyone. They'll always leave you, just like your mother left you.
He leaned forward, bringing his face close to hers, as if to whisper something in her ear.
I'm sorry, Asuka. I had no right to want to get rid of you. Maybe... maybe you can help me, once I've helped you. I think I want to kiss you again. Your breasts are so...
Shinji had a sudden spasm in a fit of sexual repression, driving all perverse thoughts from his mind. He closed his eyes tightly, shedding tears of helplessness.
Even at a time like this, I'm so weak. Every day, you deal with this harsh reality so bravely, fighting it off like it's one of those imaginary angels. When it comes down to it, only you can defeat reality itself.
A single tear dripped down his face, and he clutched at it, as if hiding it; as if wanting it to disappear. Crying in self-pity wouldn't help him, not if he wanted to make some sort of personal breakthrough with his internal emotional ramblings.
Your mother left you of her own free will, and abandoned you. I may be weak, in so many ways, but I can't leave you like she did.
Though self-disgust threatened to overcome him again, he repressed it long enough to utter one last noble thought.
I swear that I never will. Never.
This vow, though very ill informed and made on the spur of the moment, was as well meant as any vow ever taken by a teenage boy in a fit of angst. Though one may laugh at Shinji for his presumptions, I think no one can fault our dear perverted and oft overly emotional friend for making this heartfelt vow.
It is mildly unfortunate that Misato chose this time to stumble upon the two of them, with Shinji weeping as he knelt in front of Asuka's supine form.
"Shinji? What happened to her?" Misato cried, at first glance thinking the girl to be drowned.
Shinji sniffled embarrassedly and wiped his face. "S-She's okay," he stuttered, "She's j-just been lying in the water. She's asleep."
Misato let out a relieved breath, and then gave Shinji a slightly puzzled look. "Lying in the water? I guess that shouldn't surprise me at all..."
Shinji stood awkwardly. "She was running after another angel and she ended up here," he explained, his face slightly turned away in embarrassment, "It took me a long time to find her."
Misato nodded. "It didn't take me very long to find you two at all, though. It's kind of funny." She shrugged. "What the hell are you two doing anyway? Your father told me she kidnapped you."
Shinji blinked in confusion. "Kidnapped? But she said she asked his permission…"
Misato sighed in frustration, and then softly reprimanded him, "And you believed her? Why would your father do that?"
"Well…"
"Shinji, your father does care about you. He wouldn't have sent me after you if he didn't."
"Then…" Shinji paused in uncertainty and continued, "Then why did he let Asuka stay…? I told him she was crazy…"
Misato smiled, and placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Maybe he's just glad to see that someone wants to be your friend."
Shinji looked downward and to the side, turning away from both Misato's warm face and her comforting hand.
"Shinji?" she asked, concerned, "Is this really bothering you so much? Is this girl really that troubling to you?"
"It's not just Asuka," he admitted quietly, "I think it's… everything."
"Shinji, your father isn't trying to hurt you. He's a hard man to understand," she assured him. "But… he still has your best interests at heart."
-
Gendou was not at all pleased. "Fuyutsuki, you know what a security breach means. You know just as well as I do."
"Ikari… don't blow this out of proportion. It was just an accident. There's no reason to assume it was a security breach."
"You do not understand. I cannot underemphasize the importance of the loss of a few rudimentary designs; however, I cannot overemphasize the importance of security in this matter."
Fuyutsuki sighed. "You're taking this far too seriously. It's not as if it would mean the end of the world…"
"It would be the end of the world, I'm afraid. As we know it, anyway."
Fuyutsuki smirked, and gave his overly serious friend an odd look. "I think you like animation a bit too much. You could always make real movies, you know. It's not like anyone takes this seriously any more."
"No. My plan must not fail." Gendou firmly placed his hands on his desk, and rose to his feet. "If the script is mishandled, or if it even becomes public knowledge that a script exists, the entire project will be at risk. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."
Gendou turned and spoke one last time before exiting.
"My productions will save this genre."
-
"Shinji, are you ready to go?" Misato asked, somewhat impatiently.
Shinji, looked down at the unconscious girl, recalled her words from before, something like, 'We can't expect all the angels to come to us; some of them have to be baited.' He recalled her pained words on the 'empty' bus. He recalled the plea to her mother that had finally revealed her location in the pond. He recalled the disturbing shriek that she made bursting up from the clear water.
Coming to a decision, he spoke without lifting his eyes from the face of the insensible, unconscious girl, "Misato, can you... go without me?"
Shinji had come to a decision, and had sworn to do something. He wasn't entirely sure what it was he had sworn to do, but he didn't think it involved confronting Asuka with her lie, as his father would almost certainly do. After that, it was likely that everything would come to an end, and the two of them would be separated, one way or another.
"Shinji," Misato said somberly, "Do you know what you're saying? Don't you realize this is just like what happened with Rei? Asuka is a lost cause."
"That's so cold, Misato..."
She shrugged. "That doesn't change the fact that it's true, Shinji."
A groan from below interrupted Shinji before he could answer, as Asuka stirred from sleep.
"God, my head hurts…" she mumbled, "At least I didn't have to rely on my damned mother like you…"
Asuka opened her eyes, and blinked a few times before dragging herself to her feet. She spent a few bleary moments coming to full awareness before noticing Misato.
"Your name is… Katsuragi, right? What are you doing here?"
"Shinji's father sent me after you two," Misato said coldly, eyeing the girl with plain suspicion, "Shinji tells me you claimed that you were given permission to leave. His father didn't seem to be aware of anything like that."
Asuka nodded, and crossed her arms in front of her with impudence, "He approved of it. He approved the whole thing."
Shinji coughed nervously. "Um, well, now that that's cleared up…"
Misato raised her eyebrows at him, and he blushed slightly, looking away. Asuka, ignoring the exchange, shook her head vehemently. "No way. I don't have to stand for this. Not even the almighty Commander himself gets away with telling lies about Asuka Langley Sohryu."
Misato's grim expression lightened somewhat at Asuka's sincere indignation, and she smiled in amusement. "I'll give you kids a ride," she offered.
Asuka, having obtained a new objective at that point, was glad to accept.
-
"Mrs. Akagi, you are now given sole responsibility of the project, as Mrs. Katsuragi is presently indisposed." Gendou said, speaking very formally.
Ritsuko's only response was a malicious, evil grin.
"I think you understand the importance of this, Doctor," he said, "And, despite what Fuyutsuki may think, you are more than capable of handling it."
"Yes, sir," she said, eyes full of eagerness, "I won't allow any mistakes."
"See that you don't," he said, turning towards the exit, "I must leave now. I have things to attend to."
Ritsuko was well aware of the incident with the preliminary sketches, and what that would mean for her. Fuyutsuki, the one who seemed to take such pleasure in stripping her duties away from her, had made an unforgivable mistake.
This meant that the project would likely fall squarely on her shoulders, and Misato, late to arrive, would be nothing more than an aide. If Misato ever decided to show up, that is.
She suppressed an evil cackle, knowing that such a thing would be frowned upon in the office space.
-
Having arrived at the Ikari residence with the two others, Asuka strode into the Commander's dimly lit study, approaching him with the usual fast beating heart and stoic expression that she used for their short encounters.
"Yes, Sohryu?" he asked, his voice sounding casual and almost innocent.
A little put off by this strange tone, but not nearly removed from her task, she spoke brashly, "Commander, why did you send Katsuragi after us? You already approved the operation... what happened?"
A feeling of indistinct discomfort ran through her as the man, now smirking malignantly, leaned forward and bridged his hands under his nose, hiding his expression.
"I have my reasons."
"Sir. Isn't it true that defeating Angels is our highest priority?" she asked, raising her voice a little, "How can you just arbitrarily do something like this?"
"As I said, Sohryu, I have my reasons. There is more at stake here than you realize."
"But… you approved of the whole thing! Why just suddenly take it back?"
"I'm afraid you have misunderstood my intentions. My exact words were, 'I will consider it,' if I remember correctly."
Asuka gave him a confused look, then, quickly resumed her soldier-like façade, stated firmly, "When an evil, shady person like you says 'I will consider it' in that tone of voice, it's the same thing as saying 'Yes'."
There was silence for moment, broken by a short, well-mannered chuckle from Gendou.
Asuka, wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the sight of this gesture, was sure that he had something fiendish in mind. Laughter from him, something that no one could have foreseen, could only signal that he was considering some evil plan. He was not a villain given to laughter, however, not even when the grandest of his plans came to fruition, and this gave the impression that the situation was very dire indeed.
"That's why you don't care about the angels," she whispered, 'You're about to bring out those leviathans, aren't you?"
It all became suddenly clear. Rei would never be killed by the Sixteenth Angel, and would never betray Gendou. Tabris, hopelessly outmatched against both Rei and the new series, and not really a threat anyway, would be easily disposed of. Though Tabris wasn't quite their last ditch effort, Seele would not have any way of preventing Gendou from initiating the Third Impact with Rei, thus reuniting himself with Yui. Somehow, he had gained the resources to make this new series of Eva, this series that would gain him everything he desired…
"The new series is already completed, isn't it!?" she demanded.
"No." he said, his good humor vanishing in an instant, "Where did you hear this?"
"Oh, I know everything," she hissed, "You don't need me anymore, do you? It doesn't matter. I know you still need Rei."
Gendou said nothing.
"Rei is under my command," Asuka confidently informed him, "so you better watch yourself. If anything happens to me, you might find her a lot less willing to be your puppet."
A slight smile touched his taciturn visage. "I have no intention of having you killed, girl."
Asuka nodded grimly. "I guess you still want me to kill Angels, then. Fine."
Without another word, Asuka turned and left the room, feeling the uncomfortable press of Gendou's eyes against her back as she did so.
-
"You're just feeding her fantasy, Shinji. You have to put an end to this," Misato said sternly.
Shinji and Misato stood in the living room as Asuka confronted Gendou, and Misato took the opportunity of her absence to lecture the boy.
"I know you feel some responsibility towards her," she said, "Don't try and deny it. I saw the look on your face back at the park."
"Is it wrong to feel responsible?" he asked, "I'm just doing what seems right..."
"You're doing it for yourself, Shinji," Misato said softly, "You realize that, right?"
It was something he was all too aware of. He knew that he was taking advantage of Asuka, not the other way around.
"You might be right," he admitted.
"You're not helping her. You have to realize that."
"I know that, Misato."
"Then why are you still doing this?"
That was certainly the question, but he had no good answer.
"Well?"
Thankfully, Asuka's arrival prevented him from being forced to reply.
"That bastard!" she cursed, "He's even more devious than I thought! Shinji, we have to go out and look for Rei, right away."
"Rei?" Misato asked, curious, "Isn't she at her apartment?"
"No," she said, addressing Misato's question hurriedly before turning back to Shinji, "I sent her off to find Kaji for me."
"Shinji," she said, "We have to leave right now."
"You sent Rei wandering off too!?" Misato exclaimed, "Did you even tell her father?"
Asuka waved the question off. "She doesn't have any parents. And there's no need to worry about Rei. She can take care of herself."
Misato paled, and turned to Shinji. "You knew about this, didn't you? You let her send that girl out to wander the streets of Tokyo alone?"
"W-well, I mean... it didn't seem like a big thing..." he mumbled, avoiding her judgmental gaze.
"Good lord," she said, grabbing Shinji by the collar of his shirt, "Do you realize how likely it is that something indecent has happened to her by now?"
"One in a thousand?" Asuka guessed.
"Try flipping a coin," Misato said sickly, "I'd give her about fifty/fifty."
End Chapter Eleven
Pre read by LeperMessiah. Sexed by Rev'd.
All Criticism welcomed.
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