Author's note -
Well guys, here it is. The second chapter. I hope you enjoy it. This chapter takes the place of episodes fifteen and sixteen.
I know some of you were unhappy with how little change there was last time, but this story is to show the effect of the Asuka and Shinji relationship on the series. And since they had little to do in episodes thirteen and fourteen, there wasn't much change that I could make. But don't worry, from here, things are going to start 'snowballing'.
Disclaimer -
All the characters contained in this story are copyright GAINAX, Project EVA, Movic, and any other company and/or division associated with the creation and/or production of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A.D.Vision holds the copyrights to the translated version of Neon Genesis Evangelion. All characters are used WITHOUT the permission of the aforementioned institutions.
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IMPACT
A sequel to "A Question Of..."
By Room3
Chapter 02 - "Within"
Professor Kouzou Fuyutski and Commander Gendo Ikari were on their way to a meeting by helicopter, which was the commander's preferred mode of transportation. Fuyutski was looking out the window, watching the scenery pass them by. Ikari was sat in his usual pose, oblivious to the beauty outside the vehicle, focused completely on the meeting he and his associate were heading to.
"Ashino Lakes two and three," Fuyutski muttered as they flew over two large, water-filled craters. "I hope we won't have any more holes to fill." He looked over at the commander. "Which reminds me," he added, "Chairman Keele came to see me yesterday. He was complaining about the delays. He was pretty steamed, even hinted at your dismissal.
"Adam is going well," Ikari said, "and work on the dummy plug for the Eva project is proceeding. What are the old men at Seele complaining about now?" he asked.
"The fact that the Instrumentality Project is behind schedule," Kouzou replied, smiling.
"The projects are all linked together," Gendo told his subordinate, forcefully. "There are no problems."
"Including Rei?" the grey-haired professor asked. "Hmm." Ikari remained quiet. "Well, I won't press you." The second in command of Nerv looked out the window again, lost in his thoughts. There was a short pause. "So how will we deal with you know who?" he eventually asked.
"Let him do as he wishes," Ikari told him, sounding rather upset. "The same with the Marduk Institute."
"I agree," Fuyutski responded. "We can make use of him...for a while." The two continued on to their meeting in silence.
--------------
"What started here...sixteen years ago?" Kaji mused as he entered the wooden building. He believed it had been some form of barn, but it had stood empty for many years. There were a lot of abandoned properties in this district of Kyoto. He wandered over to a large wooden box, which stood a couple of metres from the wall behind him. On it sat an old dial phone. The sight of it made him wonder just how long this building had been empty.
The sound of the door at the far end being opened caught his attention. As it was opened slightly, his hand instinctively reached for his gun, concealed in his shoulder holster. The door only opened a crack and then stopped. He went over to the door and put his back against the wall next to it.
"It's me," a woman's voice said. Kaji looked through the door and, seeing his contact, removed his hand from his gun.
"Ah, so it is," he replied. The woman was sat on the steps, feeding three or four stray cats. Next to her was a basket of groceries. A red scooter sat no more than two metres away.
"This is Shannon Bio Inc., a foreign chemical firm," she said, slipping a piece of paper behind her and through the door. "It's been like this for nine years. Nine years, without a single change. So for 106 corporations out of the 108 affiliated with the Marduk Institute have turned out to be dummy companies."
"And this one is the 107th," Kaji commented, picking up the paper. He scanned it quickly, then folded it and put it in his pocket. The woman reached into the basket and pulled out a magazine.
"This is the companies registration record," she told him, opening it at a particular page. Inside was a list of names.
"And you want me to take a look at the board of directors, don't you?"
"You already know about this?" she asked him, somewhat surprised. He read the record; it listed the charter members - Gendo Ikari, Kouzou Fuyutski, Lorenz Keele, Takahashi Shouichi and Chiba Kimio.
How nice of them to list Fuyutski as the company's president, Kaji thought, finishing the document. The cats had started crying for more food. "I know most of the names, yes," he said aloud. "The Marduk Institute, is supposed to be an advisory body established under the control of the Human Instrumentality Committee for the purpose of selecting Eva pilots. Something's not adding up right here."
"Your task is to investigate Nerv," she informed him. "Getting involved with the Marduk may be an ill-advised step." Kaji turned away, smiling.
"Well I can't help it," he replied cheerfully. "My nose for trouble has a penchant for getting my eyes in the wrong places." He walked away from the door. The woman sighed to herself and put the magazine away. She put the basket on the scooter and climbed on to it.
Just be careful, she thought, starting the vehicle. She drove off towards the centre of the city, to make her report.
--------------
That afternoon, in the Tokyo-3 high school attended by the three Evangelion pilots, Hikari Horaki pulled Asuka outside their classroom. Each carried a broom, having been in the middle of cleaning the room. The German leant against the wall and crossed her arms.
"Asuka, are you gonna be available tomorrow?" the class president asked her.
"Probably," the redhead replied, sighing. She knew that she and Shinji had promised to keep their relationship secret, but she really wanted to go on a date with him. The problem was, no matter where in the city they went, they'd run into someone who knew them, either from school or Nerv. And they couldn't leave Tokyo-3 in case there was an emergency.
"Great, then I've got a favour to ask," the brown-haired girl told her. The second-child looked at her friend, wondering out she was getting at. Hikari closed the distance between them so she was standing directly in front of the pilot.
"Well, you see..." Hikari said, before leaning forward and whispering the rest into Asuka's ear. The Germans eyes widened in shock as she heard what her friend said.
"What?!" Asuka cried. "A date?!" The brown-haired girl looked bemused by her friend's reaction.
"The guy's a friend of Kodamo, my big sister," Hikari informed Asuka. "And he keeps asking me and asking me to set you and him up." She put her hands together and bowed to the redhead. "Pretty please?" Asuka's mind started racing, trying to figure out how she could refuse without giving away the secret.
--------------
Inside the classroom, a sound to Shinji's left made him stop sweeping and turn towards it. The sound had been made by Rei Ayanami wringing out a wash cloth into a bucket; she was knelt in front of it. Something about her actions made the third-child think. Suddenly, a broom hit him on the head.
"Hey!" Toji Suzuhara cried, removing the broom from his friend's head. "Get back to your work." Kensuke Aida, and several other children, watched the exchange with bemused expressions.
"Sorry," Shinji replied. He returned to sweeping the floor. Hikari stepped into the room, attracted by the commotion.
"Why don't you get back to work Toji?" she asked, upset at the jock for ordering people around when he had no authority to do so. Asuka stuck her head through the door as Hikari spoke.
--------------
After school, three pilots reported to headquarters for a harmonics test. As he boarded the entry plug, Shinji Ikari worried about Asuka. The redhead had been quiet since they'd left school. He knew Hikari had pulled her out of the classroom to speak to the German about something, but he didn't know what. Whatever it was, it had had quite an affect on the usually fiery pilot. As the plug was lowered into position, the third-child shifted his focus to the test.
"Microsis operation completed," a female voice announced over the intercom. Ritsuko Akagi nodded as she concentrated on the test at hand. To the doctor's left, Maya Ibuki sat at the main control console. Major Katsuragi was stood beyond her, reading something from a clipboard.
"Inversible graph measurement completed," the male technician present announced. Ritsuko walked over and stood behind Lieutenant Ibuki.
"So, which dress are you wearing?" Akagi asked Misato, who looked up, startled by the blonde's question.
"Oh, for the wedding tomorrow?" the major asked, putting the hand holding clipboard behind her head, as if rubbing the back of her neck. "Well...I wore the pink suit for Kiyomi's wedding, and I wore the dark blue dress for Kotoko's shower."
"There's that orange one," the doctor reminded her as she began entering commands into Maya's console. "You haven't worn that lately." Misato lowered her arm and closed her eyes.
"The...the orange one," she replied, opening her eyes and looking over to her right. "Well, there's a reason I haven't worn it," the major added, slightly embarrassed.
"It's too tight?" Ritsuko asked, delighted at unsettling her friend. Katsuragi frowned at her.
"Neh, thank you!" she responded. The doctor chuckled. "Maybe I should just but a new one. Man, all these stupid weddings are killing my bank account."
"Tell me about it," Akagi replied. She was still tapping away at the console, with the lieutenant watching every keystroke. "We've been to so many showers I'm almost broke."
"Yeah, it's like everyone's in a rush to get married before they turn thirty!" Misato commented.
"And you don't want to be the last one still single, do you?" Ritsuko asked, enjoying the moment.
"Excuse me?!" the major said, sounding slightly exasperated. The doctor ignored her and activated the voice link to the pilots.
"Okay, you guys can take off now," she informed them. "Good work." In his plug, Shinji looked up.
"It's about time!" he heard Asuka reply.
At least she's back to her old self! the third-child thought. He looked to his left, at the video link to the first-child.
"These stupid experiments are really getting on my nerves," the second-child continued. The plug shut down around the boy, and the image of Rei disappeared.
I'm gonna have to ask her, Shinji thought as he got out of the plug.
--------------
"Speaking of which," Dr. Akagi said as she began correlating the data gathered from the latest test, "Shinji seems more subdued than usual." Misato was leant against the observation window. She turned to the doctor.
"Hmm. Tomorrow's the day," she reminded her friend.
"Oh yeah," Ritsuko replied, looking up. "Tomorrow."
--------------
The third-child managed to catch up with Rei Ayanami as she was about to leave. All three pilots had showered and changed, but Asuka had stayed behind to talk to Misato about something. He stepped into the elevator just as the doors were closing and stood in the back corner. The first-child was stood directly in front of the doors. For a few moments both were silent as the lift began to ascend.
"Tomorrow, I...er, have to see my father tomorrow," the boy said, unsure of how to phrase what was on his mind. He paused and looked over to Rei. "Wh...what should I talk to him about Rei?"
"I don't understand," the girl replied in her usual quiet voice, puzzled by his question. "Why are you asking me?" Shinji looked at the wall of the lift.
"Um, because I've seen you talking with my father and actually enjoying it," he told her, as a memory of his father and Rei speaking comes to mind. Both of them were smiling. "Say, my father, what's he like?" the third-child asked, looking back at her.
"I don't know," Ayanami replied. Shinji looked away.
"Oh," was all he could say.
"Have you been watching me because you wanted to ask that question?" Rei enquired.
"Uhuh," he answered, nodding. He looked at her and smiled. "Uh hey, when we were cleaning," he added, cheerfully, "that cloth... The way you wringed it. It reminded me of a mother wh...when you squeezed it," he told her.
"A mother?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," he replied. Rei's cheeks suddenly felt hot and she realised she was blushing, something she could not recall doing before. She lowered her head so that Shinji wouldn't see. "It just...reminded of a mom," he continued, unaware of her reaction. He laughed at little. "You'll make a great mother Rei. I, huh..." When she didn't appear to respond to his comment, his laughter trailed off.
"You...embarrass me," the first-child eventually said.
--------------
That evening, Asuka Langley Sohryu was lead on her back on a large cushion on the living room floor of the apartment she shared with Misato and Shinji. She had an open magazine on her chest and was snacking on potato chips as she watched the television, even though her view of it was upside down. Pen-Pen was lead next to her and was also watching.
"I'm ho-ome!" Major Katsuragi called as she opened the front door.
"What's happening?" Asuka asked flatly, not looking up. The major walked past her, carrying a large shopping bag.
"You'd better go to bed Asuka," Misato told her, going into another room and taking off her jacket. "Don't you have a date tomorrow?"
"With some med-student," the German replied, without emotion. She moved the magazine and rolled over on to her front to read it. The major changed out of her Nerv uniform and into her usual outfit.
"Is Shinji in his room?" Misato asked.
"Yeah. Ever since he got home," Asuka told her. Actually, ever since I told him about my date! she thought. "I don't think he wants to meet his father. If he hates him so much, why doesn't he just say?" she asked, reaching for the potato chips. "You Japanese are weird!"
"Well, he doesn't actually hate him," Katsuragi told the redhead. "That's the problem," she muttered.
--------------
In his room, the boy in question was lead on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Memories of his father flashed though his mind, a mixture of good and bad. His father telling him to leave. His father helping to prepare the entry plugs for manual insertion into the Eva's during the power cut. His father congratulating him after the defeat of the tenth Angel.
"Shinji!" his guardian called from the other side of his door, disturbing his thoughts. "I'm coming in, okay?" she added a moment later. The boy quickly rolled onto his side, facing away from the door and pretended to be asleep. The major slid the door open.
"You're worried. About seeing your father tomorrow, right?" Misato asked quietly. She knew he wasn't sleeping. "You mustn't run away Shinji. Nothing will ever change unless you have the courage to step forward."
"I know that Misato," he told her, his voice muffled by his pillow.
"You're going to find out the truth. You've got to keep moving forward. After each step you've got to keep taking another afterwards," she continued. "Anyway, when you see him tomorrow, you've got to keep your chin held high. Because you'll be seeing her too!" She sighed when he didn't respond. "Good night Shinji," she said, sliding is door shut. The third-child groaned and rolled on to his front, burying his face in his pillow. The voices of his roommates could be heard clearly through the thin walls.
"Hey, you bought a new dress, didn't you?" Asuka asked. "Let me see."
"Oh, you want to see it do you?" Misato replied cheerfully. "It's an expensive one."
"Price doesn't always reflect the design," the German snorted. The boy put his pillow over his head in an effort to block out their conservation.
"Tell me about it," the major replied, chuckling. There was the sound of rustling. "Well, what do you think?"
"Did you pick that one with Kaji in mind?" the second-child asked, obviously teasing the major and enjoying it.
"Grow up," Katsuragi told her, a little upset. "That was a long time ago."
--------------
Misato blew over the card that had been placed to reserve Kaji's place at the wedding reception. He'd missed the actual wedding completely, and was now almost an hour late for the reception. The space for him was to her left and Ritsuko, dressed in a conservative green dress, was sat to her right. The major picked up her glass of red wine.
"Little boy blue is late," Dr. Akagi commented, having noticed her action.
"That over-sexed idiot's never been on time in his whole lazy life," Misato told her.
"For your dates, you mean?" Ritsuko asked. "He gets to work early." Katsuragi frown and took a sip of her wine.
"Hello girls!" Kaji said as he wandered up. He was wearing a black suit, with a white shirt and tie. The collar button of his shirt was undone, and his tie was low. The sleeves of his jacket were rolled up to his elbows and his hands were in his trouser pockets. "You're looking particularly lovely today. I had a little trouble getting out of work on time," he added as he sat down.
"I find that hard to believe, seeing as you don't do anything," Misato commented, sounding slightly peeved. Kaji laughed it off. The major looked him over and frowned. "You could at least have taken the time and trouble to shave that awful stubble," she scolded him, reaching for his tie. "Your tie is crooked," she said, pushing it up into its proper place. Kaji gasped as she almost cuts off his air.
"Well, thank you," he replied, loosening it a little. Katsuragi ignored him and picked her glass up again.
"You act like your married," the blonde commented. Kaji leant against Misato, who was taking a drink.
"You're very astute Ritsu," Kaji responded, smiling.
"Who'd marry this bum," the major asked, putting her drink down. Kaji's smile faded.
--------------
Shinji squinted in the midday sun as he stood before the marker, a bouquet of flowers in his right hand. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but grave markers, all identical. He knelt down before the marker and led the bouquet at its base. The sound of footsteps made him look behind him. It was his father. Commander Ikari stopped a short distance behind him. Shinji reached up and rubbed his fingers over the name on the marker - his mother's name.
"It's been three years, since we were last here," Gendo said, watching his son.
"That's when I ran away," Shinji said, not looking up. "I haven't come back here since then. I just don't believe that my mom is really resting here. I don't even remember her face."
"Burying memories is mans way of surviving," the commander informed him, "but there are something's a man should never forget. Yui taught me that one irreplaceable thing Shinji. That is the reason I come here, to confirm that commitment." Shinji stood up
"You don't have a picture of her," the boy commented.
"No photographs," his father said, turning his head to his left. "Even this grave is an artifice. Nothing remains." Shinji looked to his right and sighed.
"It's like my teacher said, you cast everything away."
"Everything is kept in my heart. I'm satisfied with that," Gendo told him. The sound of a descending Nerv hover transport prevented any further discussion. "Our time is up. I'm leaving now."
Shinji turned and faced him, Misato's word from the night before clear in his mind. They stared at each other impassively, the wind from the descent blowing their hair and clothes. After a few moments, Gendo turned and began to walk away. As Shinji watched, he noticed Rei sat near one of the windows of the vehicle.
"Father!" Shinji cried. The commander stopped and turned his head in the direction of his son. "I'm a...erm...I'm glad that we could talk together today," he said, rather awkwardly.
"Indeed," Gendo commented, before resume his progress to the transport. Shinji watched as he boarded it and it took off. As he stood there, watching his father fly away, Shinji inwardly cursed himself. He knelt down by the marker again and sighed.
"I'll stand up to him one day mom," he said quietly. "I know I will." Shinji Ikari, the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 then stood up, and began the long trip home.
--------------
That evening, Shinji sat by the kitchen table, playing his cello. He hadn't bothered with it for some time, but tonight he felt the need to play. Playing always helped to calm him, and right now he needed that. He closed his eyes as he played, the sombre sound filling the apartment. Pen-Pen had been lulled to sleep by the music. His mind cast itself back to the previous night, to the words Asuka and he had exchanged.
----FLASHBACK--------------------------
"What do you mean you're going on a date?!" Shinji had cried, upset with the German.
"Exactly what I said," Asuka had replied. "Hikari asked me, and I couldn't figure out a way to get out of it." Seeing the look on the boy's face, she had moved from her position on the couch and sat on the floor next to the large cushion on which he was sat, carrying the magazine she had been reading. "Look," she said, sighing, "if I'd had said no, she would've bugged me until I agreed. Same if I'd said I didn't want to."
"But..." Shinji had interrupted. The redhead had placed her right hand over his mouth to silence him.
"And if I'd said I couldn't," Asuka had continued, "she'd have badgered me for the reason. And then the whole school would've found out about us," she explained. She had lowered her hand as she had felt the boy sigh. "Don't worry," she'd assured him, "I'll be thinking of you the whole time." Shinji had perked up when she had said that. "And I'll be home as quick as I can."
----END OF FLASHBACK-------------------
As the piece of music he played came to an end, the sound of clapping from behind him brought him back to the present. He looked around and saw Asuka standing in the kitchen doorway.
"That was very nice Shinji," she said, having enjoyed his performance. "I didn't know you played."
"I started when I was five, but I'm still not very good," he told her. She walked through the room and sat in one of the empty chairs at the table. "I have not talent at all." He continued to stare at the spot she had occupied.
"Perseverance wins the battle," Asuka told him. "I'm impressed." The sound of the German's voice made Pen-Pen open the door of his compartment and look out. Noticing the away the girl was looking at Shinji, he quickly closed the door again.
"I only started because my teachers told me to," the third-child informed her, "but I could've quit any time."
"So, why didn't you?" she asked, curious.
"Huh. Nobody told me to stop I guess," the boy told her, looking over at her. She smiled at him, and he felt joy rising within him.
"I should've known," she sighed.
"I didn't think you'd be back yet," he informed her, returning her smile. "I thought you'd be gone for another couple of hours at least." The second-child smile became mischievous.
"I told you I'd be back as soon as I could," she reminded him.
"How'd you get away?" Shinji asked, placing his cello in its case.
"While he was standing in line for the roller coaster, I took a train back here," Asuka related, her smile turning gentle.
"That's seems kinda cold," the boy commented.
"Well, if you're complaining," the redhead said, standing up, "I can always go back." Shinji managed to splutter a refusal and she sat down, pleased at having teased him successfully. She was about to say something else when the sound of her stomach rumbling interrupted her.
"Sounds like you're hungry," Shinji laughed. She grinned and nodded. "Then I'll just make us something to eat," he told her, closing the cello's case.
--------------
Meanwhile, in a cocktail bar across town, Misato was sat between Kaji and Ritsuko. She drained the drink in front of her and slowly got her feet, feeling a little unsteady.
"I know it's getting a little late," she said, her words slurred by the amount of alcohol she'd ingested, "but I've got to go powder my nose." She picked up her purse and began to walk away.
"Making a quick exit?" Kaji asked after she'd taken a couple of steps. She turned around and stuck her tongue put at him before continuing, laughing quietly to herself. High heels, he thought as he watched her. He turned to Ritsuko, pulling his tie down even lower. "It's been a while, since we went out together."
"She's drinking too much," the doctor commented. "She's losing her control."
"Sometimes you have to drink just to keep yourself under control," he replied, picking up his drink. "All of us do," he added before taking a sip.
"Well, you did used to live with her," Akagi said. "So I guess you'd know the truth." Kaji put his drink down and rested his chin on the back of his right hand, staring off into space.
"Well, that was a lifetime ago," he informed her. "She didn't even own a set of heels back then."
"That's not how we saw it back when we were in school," she replied, tidying her hair with her right hand.
"We were kids Ritsu," Kaji told her, staring off into space. "That wasn't real. We were just children playing house. It was nice." He blinked and looked over at her. "But, life's not that simple." Dr. Akagi rested her chin on the palm of her left hand and stared off into the distance as well. "Oh, I almost forgot. The cat dragged this in," he said, sliding a small, red fabric bag along the counter towards her.
"Thank you Kaji, for being honest," Ritsuko said.
"To the ladies, yes. Otherwise, err..." he trailed off, leaving unsaid whatever he had been thinking.
"I doubt that," she responded, taking hold of the bag and opening it. "And Misato?" she asked.
"I've lost that war before," Kaji informed her. "Doomed battles aren't my style." He sighed heavily, making the truth behind his words clear to the doctor.
"I think you still have a chance," the blonde told him. She took a small, boxed pendant out of the bag in front of her.
"Well what about you?" the man asked.
"Oh I don't like to talk about myself," she replied. "There's nothing much to say." Kaji looked in the direction Misato had gone.
"Why is she taking so long?" he asked, a little bothered. "How much make-up can she wear?"
"Hmm," Akagi said, looking closely at the gift she'd received. "What were you doing in Kyoto?"
"Err...it wasn't from err..." he stuttered, caught unaware by her question.
"Don't try to fool me," she told him. "You'll get your fingers burned if you get too involved in this. That's the advice of a friend."
"I'd rather be burned by the heat of my passion for you," Kaji replied, as seductively as he could.
"Well then, should I buy you some fireworks then?" Misato asked. She'd heard his last comment as she'd returned. The two looked at her as she sat down.
"Hello," Kaji said feeling a little lost for words.
"You never change, do you?" the major asked him, upset.
"Of course I change," he told her, leaning towards her. "The act of living is an embracement of change."
"Homeostasis and transistasis," Ritsuko told them, slipping the pendant into her purse.
"Homeo-what?" Katsuragi asked her friend, looking at her over her shoulder.
"One is a force to maintain the present status, and the other is a force for constant change," the blonde doctor explained. "Anything that lives is composed for these two conflicting forces."
"Like men and women," Kaji commented.
"I'll just be taking off now," Akagi said, picking up her purse. Misato and Kaji looked at her; both of them were surprised. "I've got some work to do."
"Now?" Misato asked, puzzled. It was fairly late in the evening. What work could she possibly have to do at this hour?
"That's too bad," Kaji commented.
"Have fun," Ritsuko said as she walked away. Accepting the situation as it was, the major got her phone out of her purse and called home. It was answered on the fourth ring.
"Hey, Shinji? It's me. I'm gonna be out drinking with Kaji. Don't wait up for me, okay?" she said, before finishing her drink.
--------------
"Yeah. Right. Sure," the third-child said in response to what the major said. He lowered the phone as she hung up. She sounds like she'd had quite a bit to drink already, he thought. He put the phone down on the table and began picking the dishes up off the table. He should have cleared up before changing, but he'd felt an overwhelming desire to get out the clothes he'd been wearing. He was now in a red polo shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
"Mmm. Misato?" Asuka asked, drying her hair on a red towel. She'd been just been in the shower, and felt refreshed. She was wearing her yellow T-shirt and a pair of shorts made from an old pair of jeans. Shinji looked over at her.
Man, she looks good, he thought. He nodded as he spoke. "Yeah. She'll be late. So we're not to wait up for her."
"You mean she won't be back until tomorrow morning?" the redhead asked, her hair now dry.
"I doubt it," he told her, carrying a number plates over to the sink. "She's going out with Kaji."
"Well that guarantees it!" the German snorted. "Good." She walked out of the room and returned the damp towel to the bathroom to dry. She stopped in her room to pick up a hair band before returning to the kitchen.
By the time she'd arrived, she'd tied her hair back in a simple ponytail. She picked up the remainder of the dishes, and took them over to where he was washing the others. The two of them finished washing the dishes and put them away in silence. Then Asuka took the boy by the hand, and lead him into the living room. They sat down on the couch, holding hands. Asuka picked up the television remote, and began flicking through the channels. She stopped as she recognised the opening credits to one of her favourite movies.
Let's see how he likes this, she thought, putting the remote down.
--------------
A number of hours later, Kaji was carrying a drunken Misato piggyback along a quiet city street. She carried her shoes in her left hand and her head was leant on his shoulder.
"Drinking until you throw up. How old are you?" he asked his burden.
"Old enough to regret it," the major answered, her voice slurred and her breath still smelling of vomit.
"I'm old enough as well," Kaji muttered.
"You're damn right!" she giggled.
"I can't believe you wear high heels these days," he told her as he plodded along. "Time really does fly." Misato's right wrist rubbed against his chin
"You need to shave...your sloppy face," she mumbled, drunkenly.
"Yeah."
"Okay, let me walk," she told him, her words still slurred. He put her down, but she didn't put her shoes back on. "Thank you." They continued along the street, Kaji a few steps behind her, in case she toppled backwards.
"Kaji, do you think I've changed?" she asked a few moments later.
"You're even prettier," he told her.
"Not what I mean," she grunted. "When I told you there was someone else...it wasn't true. But, you knew that, didn't you?"
"No."
"One morning I...I just realised how much like my father you were," she said, sighing. She turned to look at Kaji. He had a serious expression on his face. "I panicked. I couldn't believe that I wanted a man just like my father. I was so terrified...so I ran. I was so scared.
"I was afraid of becoming a woman. Afraid of being with you...and... I thought I hated my father." She looked ahead and sighed. "But then I fell in love with a man who was just like my father." She lowered her head. "I thought joining Nerv would be a way to sever those ties. And, then it turned out that my father was with Nerv." She looked up. "So I tried to bury all of my feelings by swearing to avenge myself against the Angels." The major sighed again, and stopped. Kaji stopped a little in front of her, bothered by her rambling.
"Choosing that path was your decision," he informed her, looking her in the face. "You don't have to apologise to anyone."
"Don't bullshit me Kaji!" she replied, shaking her head. "I just turned tail and ran. It was just an escape from the real world and...my father." She put her right hand over her face. "I'm no better than Shinji is," she continued, barely holding back the tears that threatened to flow. "I'm a coward Kaji." She lowered her hand and looked at Kaji. "Well it's just like right now," Misato added. "I had to get up the nerve to get drunk enough to even tell you the truth."
"That's enough!" Kaji said, forcefully.
"I'm just a child. I have no right to be Shinji's guardian," she continued, not hearing Kaji's objections.
"Enough!"
"Look at me!" she sobbed. "Afraid to accept a helping hand up from a man except when I'm so falling down drunk that I don't even know what I'm doing." She closed her eyes and turned her head away. "I'm an old, old woman and I've used you. Used you because...
"Cut it out!" Kaji ordered her, unwilling to allow her to continue.
"...I'm a coward. I'm pathetic," she carried on, not hearing him. Deciding on a course of action, Kaji grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her. She tried to struggle a little, then gave in to the familiar sensation. She dropped her shoes. After a few moments, her hands rose up and placed themselves on Kaji's hips.
--------------
Shinji released Asuka's hand, stood up and stretched as the end credits began to roll. The two of them had just watched three movies, one after the other, and the boy had been feeling a little stiff for the past thirty minutes.
"So...what did you think Shinji?" the German asked, switching the television off and looking over at him.
"It was good," he answered looking her in the eye. "It wasn't the kind of thing I'd normally watch, but I enjoyed it."
"And you really got into too, didn't you?" Asuka said, teasing him. "I saw you wiping the tears away when she left him." The third-child blushed.
"Well," he replied, timidly, "it was so sad. Despite how much they loved each other, they couldn't be together."
"Yeah, you're right," the redhead sighed. "It was sad. But at least they found happiness at the end," she added after a moments pause. She smiled at him. "I didn't realise you had such a sentimental side Shinji," she told the boy, impressed not only by how he'd empathised with the characters, but with how he'd been willing to let her see it. That was something most boys his age would ever do.
"Doesn't everybody?" Shinji asked, a little uncomfortable.
"I guess so," Asuka replied, getting up. "But most people are willing to show it." She reached behind her and released her hair from the entrapment of the ponytail, shaking it.
"What's wrong with showing how you feel?" he asked, puzzled. The concept of hiding one's feeling was alien to the boy.
He really is sweet, the second-child thought, a little naive, but sweet. Her heart felt as if it was filled with joy. This had been the best evening of her life. "Nothing," she assured him, "but some people are unwilling to."
"But then, how can they expect people to understand them?"
"I guess they can't," she replied, running her fingers through her hair, finger combing it back from her face.
"Oh," was the boy's response. The German closed the short distance between them and stood with her face a few centimetres from Shinji's. He blushed a little as she stared into his eyes, as if searching for something. She reached up and took his face in her hands. The boy looked a little surprised by her actions, but didn't pull away. After a short moment, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him.
Shinji's eyes almost jumped out of their sockets from shock when he felt Asuka's lip on his. The sensation, although new and unknown, was pleasurable. Gently, for fear of hurting her, he returned the pressure and kissed her back. Tentatively, Shinji put his arms around her waist.
The second-child was a little surprised by his boldness, and released his face. Her arms now free, she wrapped them around Shinji's neck, something she'd been wanting to do for sometime now. Neither noticed Pen-Pen open the door of his compartment and look at them before closing the door again, deciding it was safest not to intrude on the moment. They stood there, wrapped around each other, kissing, for what seemed to them to be an eternity.
They ended the kiss, and rested their foreheads together to regain their breath. A few moments later, Asuka pulled her head back and looked the boy in the eye, smiling. He blushed, but didn't break eye contact and smiled back at her. She felt truly alive, wrapped in his warm embrace. She ran the fingers of her left hand through his hair and sighed contentedly. A few moments later, she dropped her arms and slowly stepped backwards, breaking their embrace. Shinji's smile drops as he wonders if he's done something wrong.
"This has been a great evening," she told him softly, "and I don't want it to end, but I'm tired." As she finished speaking, Shinji was overcome by a yawn.
"I guess I am too," he said, feeling betrayed by his own body.
"Walk me to my room?" the second-child asked, holding out her hand. The Japanese boy quickly grasped it.
"I'd be delighted to," he replied. He was having trouble believing what had happened. Shinji was in a slight daze. Asuka had kissed him. Him.
Hand in hand, they walked to Asuka's bedroom door, continuously glancing at each other, as if to reassure themselves the other was there. When they reached her door, she dropped his hand and ran her hand down his cheek.
"Well, gute Nacht Shinji," she said softly.
"Good night Asuka," the third-child replied, smiling. The German slid open the door of her room and stepped inside. Sliding it closed behind her, she collapsed against it and sighed.
"Ich Liebe dich Shinji," she muttered. "Ich...Liebe...dich..."
Still stunned, the boy found himself back in the lounge, and sat down on the couch, trying to process what had happened. The sound of the front door opening distracted him.
"Hang on," Kaji said as he helped a drunken Misato into the apartment. "We're here." The major collapsed against him as she attempted to remove her shoes.
"Hey, Kaji," Shinji called as he came around the corner. He noticed the state of his guardian and sighed. Drunk again! he thought.
"There," Kaji said after they'd managed to get Katsuragi to bed. "I'll be leaving now," he said, heading towards the front door. He was so busy reviewing what the major had told him, he failed to notice the boy's state of mind. Kaji opened the door to the apartment and stepped out.
"Take care of Misato, okay," he said, looking back.
"Sure," the third-child replied. "Goodnight Kaji."
"Yeah," Kaji replied as he walked away. Shinji closed the front door, locked it and headed for bed, feeling suddenly very drained emotionally.
--------------
"Let me call the role," the elderly teacher of class 2A said next morning. He was sat at his desk, but was looking down at the list of names before him. "Ladies first. Ayanami..." There was no response. "Rei Ayanami?" Silence again. "Is she absent again?" he asked, rather upset. The amount of time that particular girl had been absent was now beginning to bother him. From his seat, Shinji looked over at Rei's empty chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.
--------------
Meanwhile, deep inside Nerv headquarters, in the area known as Central Dogma, the absentee floated is a narrow tube containing a yellow liquid. Her eyes are closed and she is naked. The tube is within a dark chamber, the floor of which is covered with diagrams and pictographs.
A sound similar to a respirator is clearly audible to the man who stood before the tube, looking at the girl inside. Metallic straps, which held the tube together, protected her modesty and saved him any potential embarrassment. Above the girl's head, the tube was connected to what appeared to be a large, metallic spinal column. Which, in turn, was connected to a giant metallic brain suspended from the ceiling.
Rei opened her eyes. Seeing the figure stood beyond the tube, she smiled at him. Commander Ikari smiled back.
--------------
Less than an hour later, even deeper below the surface, in the area known as Terminal Dogma, Ryoji Kaji was knelt before a pair of large doors. A number of electronic beeps echoed throughout the chamber that he is in as he attempted to gain access. Overhead, a neon sign informed him that behind the doors was the main LCL processing plant and warned of strict penalties for trespassers. He had chosen to ignore the warning. He knew that what lay behind these doors was more than just a processing plant. Satisfied with his work, he pulled a key-card from his pocket and was about to swipe it when the sound of a gun cocking and the feel of it's barrel pressing against the back of his head made him stop. The sound of a woman clearing her throat makes him turn his head.
"Hi. Feeling better this morning are we?" he asked Misato Katsuragi, who had a stern look on her face.
"I'm sober now, thank you," she replied.
"I'm glad to hear that," Kaji responded, lowering his head.
"Is this your real profession Kaji?" the major asked. "Or something you just do part-time?"
"What do you think?" he responded, answering her question with another question, something he knew she hated, but he needed to keep her off balance.
"It would seem to me that there must be at least two Ryoji Kaji's here," she informed him. "One works for Nerv Special Inspections, and the other would appear to be a spy for the Japanese government."
"Hmm. So you knew," the man replied, looking up.
"Don't underestimate Nerv," she told him firmly.
"Was this ordered by Ikari?" Kaji inquired
"No, my initiative," she answered forcefully. "But if you stay with this other job...you'll die!"
"Perhaps not," Ryoji responded. "Commander Ikari is using me for his own ends." He paused and took a deep breath. "But I am sorry that I kept this secret from you."
"I'll let it pass," she told him, her voice softening. "Repayment for your help yesterday."
"I appreciate that. But, you should know that the Commander and Ritsuko are hiding something from you too," he informed the major. "And this is it!" he added, quickly running the key-card through the reader before she could stop him. The locking mechanism released and the doors slid open slowly.
"Oh my God! Is that an Eva?" she asked, shocked what she saw. The chamber is immense, with what appears to be a sea of LCL ending less than a few metres from the door. At the other end of the room is a white humanoid figure nailed, by its hands, to an even larger red cross. Its facial features are hidden behind a purple mask displaying a triangle and seven eyes - the Seele coat of arms. In its upper torso is a large, red metallic two-pronged spear, which appears to be made to two separate pieces of metal twisted around each other. The figure ended at where the waist should have been, and a number of human sized legs protruded from it. A yellow liquid had stained the cross behind the figure.
"No! It can't be!" Misato gasped, as an image from her childhood flashed before her eyes, an image of a glowing giant.
"Yes," Kaji replied. He knew the major would have trouble believing what she saw. He was surprised by how much the Angel had grown since he'd delivered it to Japan almost four months ago. "The key to the Second Impact and everything that's happened since. The starting point of everything," he told her. "This is Adam."
"Adam? But why is the first Angel here?" she demanded, having trouble breathing, her mind racing in a thousand directions at once. "You're right Kaji," she told him. "I don't know Nerv. I don't know Nerv at all!"
--------------
"I saw you looking at Rei's chair during roll-call," Toji Suzuhara informed Shinji later that day as Kensuke, Toji and Shinji rested against a wall during gym class. "What's the matter? Missing her?" the jock added, teasingly.
"No!" the third-child replied. He'd been lost in his thoughts, thoughts that centred around Asuka and last night. "I was just...wondering where she was."
"Come to think of it, she's been absent an awful lot lately," Kensuke Aida added thoughtfully.
"She's always been away a lot," Suzuhara snorted dismissing the bespectacled youth's comment.
"But it's gotten a lot worse recently," Kensuke informed his two friends. "It used to be only once every couple of months. Now, she's out at least once every other week."
"Hmm," Ikari replied thoughtfully, staring out into space.
--------------
That afternoon, Kaji stood in the cage containing Evangelion Unit 01 pondering his next move. Revealing Adam to Misato had not been part of his plan, but he believed he'd done the right thing. He knew his superiors would be very upset if they knew that Nerv's Director of Operations was aware that he was a mole, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. The sound of footsteps on the metal catwalk made him look up.
"Well hello Ritsu," he greeted the blonde-haired doctor. "Did you manage to finish that work you had to do?"
"Good afternoon Kaji," Ritsuko replied. "Yes, I did."
"Good for you. You know, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate after the amount you drank," he told her.
"You know, I think Asuka seems to be over her crush on you," the doctor told him, quickly changing the subject. She didn't think you couldn't exactly call what she'd been doing work.
"Huh?" Kaji replied, caught off guard by the sudden switch. He thought her comment through. "I think you might be right," he told her after a few seconds silence, a little uncertain.
"You don't sound to happy about it," Akagi told him.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it," he informed her, confused. He turned his stare back on the Eva.
"I'm not surprised. It must be hard to go from being the centre of a persons attentions like that," Ritsuko commented. "Anyway, I've got a report to make to the commander. Bye"
"See you Ritsu," he responded absently as she walked away. He mentally kicked himself. He prized himself on his observational skills but hadn't noticed the disappearance of the German's crush. Lost in thought, he wandered out of the cage.
--------------
The second-child hummed cheerfully to herself as she headed for the shower. The night before, Misato had gone out with Kaji. Asuka had been hoping for another evening like the one before, but the two children had too much homework. By the time she'd finished, she'd been too tired to do anything but pack her books away and go to bed. But she was determined to spend some quality time with the boy today.
--------------
"Shinji, did you change the soup's flavour somehow?" Misato asked the young Ikari as she sat cross-legged on her chair in the kitchen, dressed in her usual off work outfit. The table was set for breakfast, with the normal array of foods. Shinji was stood by the cooker, stirring something in a big pot.
"Yeah. I used dried fish stock," he replied, smiling. "Ritsuko gave it to me." He was carrying a pot to the table when a cry from the bathroom made them both stop and look towards hall door.
"It's too hot!" the redhead yelled, panting. She walked towards the kitchen, obviously trying to cool off. Shinji swallowed hard. From his vantage point he could see her as she strode towards the kitchen. As far as he could tell, she was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her under her arms, and one around her hair. Both towels were the same colour as her plug-suit
Even dressed like that she still looks amazing, the third-child thought. He quickly made himself look worried, for Misato's benefit. "I'm sorry," he said as Asuka walked through the door to the kitchen.
"You're always apologising!" Asuka commented, giving him a dirty look. "Do you really think it's your fault?" Misato picked up her morning can of beer and took a swig. It's my own fault, the redhead thought, I shouldn't have been daydreaming about him.
"Well, uh..." Shinji stuttered.
"Apologies are your conditioned reflex to any kind of confrontation aren't they Shinji?" the German all but demanded. "Don't you have any fun at all?
"I'm sorry. Uh..."
Misato swallowed her mouthful. She couldn't believe that they were arguing again. Perhaps I need to spend the night at Ritsuko's again, she thought.
"There you go again. Why do you always have to punish yourself for everything."
"There, there," the major said, trying to calm the girl down. "That's just Shinji's way, you know." The second-child turned her gaze on Katsuragi.
"It's so easy for you just to accept his pathetic habits isn't it?" Asuka asked. She knew she was ranting, but she didn't care. She would have to apologise to Shinji later, but for the moment, she enjoyed herself. "But don't you think you've been too easy on him lately?"
"Have I?" the major asked, looking at the boy. He was still stood halfway between the cooker and the table, holding the pot.
"Maybe you and Kaji have hooked up again, but the fact that you're happy doesn't mean you can just ignore the welfare of the rest of us," Asuka told her guardian, enjoying herself a little too much. Just then the phone started to ring.
"Look, there's nothing going on between me and Kaji," Misato told her charge, putting her can on the table. The answer phone chose that moment to kick in.
"Hey Katsuragi!" Kaji said cheerfully over the phone. "I've found a bar that serves a decent drink." Misato struggled to avoid a coughing fit "How about tonight? Bye!" She looked at the answer phone, feeling uncomfortable.
"I've never been around anyone who's been involved in such a totally indecent relationship," Asuka told her. "And you're supposed to be our guardian! What a hypocrite. It's disgusting." She stalked off back to the bathroom.
--------------
That afternoon, the three pilots reported to Nerv headquarters for yet another harmonics test. Despite her best efforts, Asuka had been unable to get Shinji all to herself that day. She thought she might have a chance tonight, if Misato was going to go out with Kaji.
"B-type harmonics test, all systems green," Maya informed Dr. Akagi. Ritsuko was stood behind Makato, who was manning the other station. Major Katsuragi was stood behind her, looking tired.
"Projected adjustment values have been cleared," the other technician present added. Makato Aoba looked over at the major.
"You're looking pretty worn to the bone Major Katsuragi," he said, a little concerned. He hoped he didn't sound too worried.
"There's reasons why I'm worn," she replied, smiling. "Private ones," she added, laughing softly.
"Kaji's phoned," Akagi said, writing on the clipboard in her arms.
"Shut yer face!" Misato yelled at her blonde-haired friend. Lieutenant Ibuki looked behind her as the major shouted, then returned her attention to the console before her. "Any way...how's the third-child doing?" Katsuragi asked calmly.
"Just take a look," Maya told her. The major closed the distance between them and looked over the lieutenant's shoulder.
"Ohh. Wow. I bet knowing this would boost his confidence a little," she cheerfully commented.
--------------
Shinji had his head down and his eyes closed as he sat in his test-plug. The sound of his guardian's voice brought him back to the present.
"Hey, can you hear me Shinji?" she asked over a voice link. The boy opened his eyes and looked up.
"Oh, hi Misato," he replied, smiling. He was in a good mood, having been thinking about a certain incident a couple of nights ago. "So how are my test scores looking?" A video window appeared in front of him. Misato gave him the thumbs up.
"Great! You're number one," she told him. Shinji couldn't help but be delighted.
--------------
After the test, the two female pilots changed into their school uniforms in silence. For Rei, this was normal, but not for Asuka. The first-child had expected a loud reaction to Shinji beating her from the German. She could not understand Asuka's silence, so she chose to ignore it, as she did everything she did not understand.
Having finished changing and folding her plug-suit away, Rei closed her locker door and walked to the door leading to the corridor.
"I'm leaving now," she said softly as it slid open. Without looking back to see if the redhead reacted, she stepped through the door and it slid shut behind her.
Lost in her thoughts, the second-child failed to notice Ayanami's departure. Part of her was annoyed at Shinji beating her, but another part was happy for him. She knew that being the best would do a lot for his confidence, and lord did he need help there, but a part of her resented that it came the expense of her position as the best pilot.
She put her plug-suit in her locker and closed the door, resting her forehead on the cold metal and sighed heavily. Even though she was now ready to go, she couldn't bring herself to leave. She couldn't face Shinji until she'd sorted out how she felt. A great sadness welled up within her and she felt the wetness of tears as they began to roll down her face.
"Dammit," she sobbed, turning so her back was against the locker. She kept her head lowered. "I swore I'd never cry again," she muttered, sliding down the metal door to the floor. She rested her arms on her knees, her head resting the backs of her arms. She sat there for a couple of minutes, crying quietly, as her inner turmoil raged. She looked up and was relieved to see the room was empty.
"Oh Shinji, what are you doing to me?" she asked, wiping the tears away.
--------------
Needing to think, Shinji had gone for a walk after leaving headquarters. Hours later, he found himself miles from home, tired. As it was getting dark, he decided not to risk the walk back home and caught a bus. After paying, he chose to sit at the back, despite the fact that there were only a few people on board.
"Next stop is Seisho Kabuse, Seisho Kabuse," the bus' automated voice announced. "Convenient to the Bashar, used books and video game stores." Lost in thought, the third-child didn't hear it. He still felt elated from learning he had had the best synch-ratio today. He looked down at his right hand, which he was opening and closing repeatedly. First the kiss, now this, he thought cheerfully. I can't believe this is happening. But it is.
"It is," he muttered to himself. A sound distracted him. Looking up, he noticed to small boys looking at him. The sound he had heard had been their laughter. Realising what he had been doing, Shinji felt a little foolish. He crossed his arms and looked out of the window to his left.
--------------
The next morning, Asuka sat alone in the apartment, watching television. Being a Saturday, there was no school. Misato had gone headquarters and Shinji had gone to see Toji and Kensuke. She hadn't been happy about that, but she had to admit that, if he didn't keep spending time with them, they'd get suspicious. She was debating whether or not to call Hikari when the doorbell rang. She turned off the television and went to see who it was.
"Hi Asuka," Ryoji Kaji said cheerfully as she opened the door.
"Oh. Hi Kaji," she replied, with a false smile. A few weeks ago, she'd have been ecstatic to see him, but know she felt a little uncomfortable. "Misato's not here," she added.
"That's okay," he assured her. "It's you I came to see?"
"Me?" the redhead asked, puzzled. She cocked her head to one side. "Why?"
"Well, I haven't seen much of you lately," Kaji told her.
"Things have been a little hectic lately," she commented, trying to think of an excuse. Nothing came to mind.
"That's true," he replied wistfully. "Can I come in?" Asuka was startled to realise they were still stood either side of the doorway.
"Of course," she told him, embarrassed by her gaff. They walked into the lounge in silence and Kaji sat down on the couch.
"Would you like something to drink?" the second-child asked, playing the good host.
"Tea would be nice," Ryoji answered. The girl went into the kitchen and made two cups of tea. Walking back into the living room, she passed one back to her guest and sat down opposite him. There was a few moments silence, as both tried to think of something to say. Not being able to think of anything else, Kaji tried the direct approach.
"So...who's the lucky guy?" he asked, offhand. Asuka had been taking a drink from her cup when he'd spoke, and his question resulted in her reacting with a coughing fit.
"Wha...what do you mean?" she asked after it passed, struggling to regain her composure.
"Come on Asuka, it's me," he replied, putting his tea down. "You haven't been inventing reasons to come see me lately," he added. "Heck, even Dr. Akagi's noticed," he commented. The young German's mind was racing, trying to figure a way out of the situation. Kaji took advantage of her silence. "So who is he? Anyone I know?"
Asuka nodded slowly. I know we agreed not to tell anyone, she thought, feeling an overwhelming urge to tell the man sat opposite her.
"Who?" he prompted after a second or two of silence.
"Shinji," she told him, quietly.
"What did you say?" Kaji asked. He was shocked and could not believe he'd herd her correctly.
"I said 'Shinji'," she informed him, feeling free. "It's Shinji."
"But you said he was boring," Kaji replied, reminding her of what she said to him the day she'd met the boy in question.
"I know. But..." she started, but trailed off.
"You're not playing with him up, are you?" Ryoji queried, fearing the worst.
"No!" she replied, somewhat forcefully. "I wouldn't do that to him," she added, defensively.
"And why, may I ask, not?" he enquired, curious.
"Because...because I love him," she told him in a rush, voicing her feelings to someone else for the first time. There was a few seconds silence as a stunned Kaji processed her words, and the meaning behind them.
"Have you told him?" Kaji asked eventually.
"No, not yet," Asuka replied him.
"Then you should," Ryoji told her. "And soon. He needs to hear you say those words to him as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Because you both live such dangerous lives," he explained. "The last thing you want is for either of you to die before he knows exactly how you feel."
"Oh," was all she could say. The last remnants of her smile faded. She hadn't thought of the danger they faced as pilots.
"And don't worry," he added, trying to reassure her, "I'm sure he feels the same."
--------------
Major Misato Katsuragi ran down the hall to the command centre as alarms sounded throughout the complex. She'd been in her office, trying to figure out what Adam was doing in headquarters, and what she should do next.
"...point five kilometres per hour," one of the male technicians finished saying as the door slid open in front of her.
"You're late Major!" Ritsuko told her, looking at Misato over her shoulder.
"Sorry," she apologised breathlessly. "What's going on?" she asked, turning to her left. "The Fuji observation centre...
"Never detected it," Shigeru said, interrupting her. "It just suddenly appeared right above us."
"The pattern is orange," Makato informed her. "No AT Field detected."
"What is that thing?" Misato asked, looking at the image of a giant sphere on the main display. It was mainly black, but had white lines on its surface that almost looked like waves.
"A new kind of Angel?" Ritsuko wondered aloud.
"Unknown," Maya told her superior. "The Magi are withholding their judgement on that."
"Damn!" Katsuragi cursed. "Another situation like this and Commander Ikari's not here again."
--------------
Half an hour later, Evangelion Unit 01 peered between two building at the sphere as it slowly floated through the city. In its hands the Eva carried a pistol. Shinji backed his Eva up against the side of a building, using it to shield him from the sphere.
"Can you all hear me?" Misato's voice asked over the intercom. "I've sent you all of the known target data. That's literally all we know right now." Shinji looked over the data quickly, a stern look on his face. "Approach it carefully and observe its reactions and, if possible, try to lure outside of the city," the major continued.
Several hundred metres to the west, Unit 00 had a large sniper rifle resting on the top of a building. Unit 02 had a building between itself and the sphere's expected path. It held a large axe in its hands.
"I want you all to back up each other," Katsuragi informed the pilots. "Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," Asuka replied, smiling in her cockpit. "But don't you think that Shinji ought to be taking the point position?" she asked, seeing an opportunity to help the third-child bolster his confidence. In his Eva, the boy in question looked stunned. "Well, it's only right that a job like this should go to the highest rated pilot, don't you think?" The German closed her eyes. This enemy looked an easy target and, as such, would give him the boost he needed. She felt pleased with herself. "Or could it be that you don't feel up to it Shinji?" she asked when he didn't respond.
"I can do it," the boy replied. "In fact, I'll show you how it ought to be done Asuka," he added, forcefully.
"What was that?!" Asuka demanded, surprised by his words.
"Will the two of you cut it out?" Misato asked. She was looking at video links to all three pilots on the main display of the command centre.
"Oh gee...uh...didn't you tell me, Misato, that I was number one?" the third-child asked innocently.
"Well yeah," she replied, crossing her arms, "but I..."
"And after all, combat is a man's job," he added, interrupting her. He gave a thumbs-up and closed his video link to the command centre.
"You chauvinist piglet!" the redhead snarled. She couldn't believe that Shinji was acting like this. "Unit 02 will back him up," she informed Misato, resignedly.
"Unit 00 will back up as well," Rei added. The girls closed their video links. The major and doctor looked concerned.
"Oh, I don't believe these kids!" Misato muttered.
"Shinji's hormones are kicking in, aren't they?" Ritsuko asked, amused at Misato's discomfort.
"I'm gonna have to chew him out when he gets back," Misato said to no one in particular.
"Of course. You're a model guardian," Ritsuko commented.
--------------
Hundreds of metres above, Unit 01 ran to a different position, keeping low, still using the buildings as shields.
"Ayanami, Asuka, are you in your positions yet?" Shinji Ikari asked over the intercom, sweating slightly. For some reason he was whispering.
"Not yet," Rei replied in her usual tone.
"You know an Eva can't move that fast you twit," Asuka replied quietly. She tried to take a step forward, but felt herself being held back. Looking behind her, she noticed her umbilical cable was taut. She tugged it gently, but there was no give. "Scheiße!" she muttered and jettisoned it. The umbilical plug fell to the ground and had its impact cushioned by jets incorporated into it to prevent it from receiving damage. She quickly removed another cable from a supply building behind her.
"Are you there?" Shinji asked again, getting impatient. He was opening and closing his right fist like he had been the night before, listening to the sound made by the plug-suit as he did so. Alright, I'll stop it myself, he thought, clenching his fist.
Leaning around the building it was behind, Unit 01 fired at the sphere three times. As the shells neared their target, the sphere vanished, turning red as it did so.
--------------
"It vanished?!" Ritsuko cried as the personnel manning the command centre watched. For a moment, no one moved.
"Status?" the major asked, trying to figure out what the next move should be.
"Pattern blue. Angel confirmed," Makato informed her. His eyes widened as he read the information displayed on his screen. "It's right beneath Unit 01!"
--------------
Above ground, the street beneath Unit 01 turned pitch black and the Eva began slowly sinking into it.
"A shadow!" Shinji gasped, struggling to come to terms with what was going on. He pointed his gun at it and emptied his ammo into it with no effect. "What the hell is this?! This can't be happening!" he cried. He looked overhead and was frozen by what he saw. The sphere had reappeared directly over him.
"Shinji get out of there! Shinji?!" Misato cried over the intercom.
"Ikari!" the first-child called.
"You idiot! Get your ass in gear!" Asuka shouted at him. She couldn't believe he hadn't gotten away. By now, the Eva had sunk to its waist.
--------------
In the Command Centre, everyone watched, frozen by fear. Shinji's voice is coming over the intercom as he panicked.
"Mis...Misato, what's...what's going on? HELP ME! Misato! Misato!"
"Eject the plug!" she ordered, turning to Lieutenant Ibuki. "Get him out of there!"
"No response. It's not working!" Maya informed the major, typing furiously at her console, trying to make it happen. On the main screen, the Eva's head was now beginning to disappear into the pitch-black shadow.
"Can't you hear me Misato? Misato!" Shinji cried, becoming hysterical. Any further cries are cut off by static as the Eva disappeared completely.
"Shinji!" the major called, horrified at what she saw, but helpless to prevent it.
--------------
"Asuka! Rei! Rescue Unit 01. Hurry!" Misato ordered as the second-child raced through the deserted city streets towards the shadow.
"If anything happens to him it'll all be my fault!" Asuka said to herself as her Evangelion neared the shadow. She was horrified at the thought of loosing Shinji. Kaji's words from earlier haunted her. I'll tell him, she thought, I'll tell him as soon as this is over! Please be okay Shinji!
Unit 00 braced itself between two buildings and opened fire at the sphere. Again it disappeared as the shells neared it and Rei's shots blew the top off the building behind where it had been.
"It disappeared again!" Maya announced over the intercom."
"Asuka! Watch the streets!" Ritsuko ordered her, almost panicking. Unit 02 stopped running and looked down.
"The shadow!" Asuka muttered, searching the ground beneath her. As is began to turn black, she leapt onto the side of a nearby building. Below her, cars, railing and street signs began to sink into the shadow. The German cried out in fear as the building she clung to began to sink. She pushed her axe deep into the structure and used as a step to get higher. Then she pulled out her progressive knife and did the same with it. She managed to reach the top this time.
"The whole city is sinking!" she gasped as she looked out from her vantage point.
"Asuka, Rei, pull back! Get out of there!" Misato ordered over the intercom.
"Huh? What?" Asuka asked, surprised. A video link appeared to her left. She looked at it and was surprised to see the first-child looking worried.
"Wait! Unit 01 and Shinji are still in there," Rei told the major, her voice betraying her concern. Asuka was surprised by the tone of her voice.
"This is an order," Misato told them firmly. Her eyes were closed and she was gritting her teeth, holding back the tears that threatened to flow. "Withdraw now!"
--------------
Several hours later, Lieutenant Ibuki sat at her console in the Command Centre, monitoring the situation. Doctor Akagi was stood behind her, reading a report from her clipboard.
"Major Katsuragi must feel terrible," Maya commented.
"They reeled Shinji's umbilical cable back in, but the other end us missing," Ritsuko informed her assistant.
"Then, without power..."
"There's not much energy left in the internal batteries. If Shinji doesn't waste it groping blindly in the dark, if he stays in the most minimal life-support mode, then he can survive for sixteen hours," the doctor told her. Maya sighed heavily. She had grown quite fond of all three pilots and was immensely saddened by the day's events.
--------------
Above them, Makato Hyugo and Major Katsuragi flew over the shadow in a Nerv helicopter. It was twilight, which was making a visual inspection of the area difficult. The pitch-black shadow continued to grow, at a rate of a metre a minute, according the information the bespectacled technician had gathered. The major frowned, then ordered the pilot to return to base.
--------------
Seven hours later, a Mobile Command Position had been set up three kilometres from the edge of the shadow. The two remaining Eva's were on stand-by, crouching within a cluster of UN tanks, entry-plugs partially removed, to allow the pilots to exit them. The area was filled with activity.
Misato listened to the sound of the nearby church bell ringing as she looked through the binoculars she had trained on the shadow. She was stood outside the mobile command vehicle, with the door still open behind her.
"The UN forces have surrounded the shadow," Shigeru told the major, looking at her through the open door.
"Movement?" she asked, not averting her gaze.
"It hasn't moved," Makato informed her, leaning back from his console. "It stopped spreading after it passed a diameter of 600 metres." He paused, feeling foolish about what he felt he had to ask. "Err, speaking of which, is there a reason for moving all those ground troops in there?"
"They're there to help us apply pressure," Katsuragi told him, lowering the binoculars, "theoretically."
--------------
From her position leaning on the railing surrounding the area, the second-child looked at the sphere as it hung over the city. How she had avoided collapsing during the several hours since Shinji had disappeared into the shadow she did not know. She felt as if there was a gaping hole in her chest where her heart should be. She blamed herself for what had happened. It had been her idea for the third-child to take point after all. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, forcing back the tears which welled up within her once more.
Rei Ayanami had been watching the German for the last few hours, and was confused. From what she had observed of the second-child, Rei had expected her to be happy that Shinji had been lost. But instead, Asuka appeared devastated and lost. The first-child walked over to the railing and stood next to the redhead. She stood alongside her for a few moments. If Asuka had noticed her, she didn't show it.
"You are worried about Ikari, are you not?" the blue-haired girl asked the German, interrupting her morbid and depressing thoughts.
"What?! Of course I am!" Asuka replied, surprised. She stood up straight and stared at the first-child.
"I did not expect you to react in this manner," Rei informed her.
"Oh. And just how did you expect me to react Wonder-girl?" the second-child enquired, staring at her. Shinji would have shrunk away from her had she spoken to him in that tone of voice or looked at him with that expression on her face. Asuka was livid. She didn't know why, but she was.
"I had thought you would be pleased," the pilot of Unit 01 answered calmly.
"Why the hell would I be pleased with that?" Asuka demanded loudly, flinging her arm out towards the sphere. "What kind of heartless bitch do you take me for?!"
"That's enough!" Misato told them. She'd been attracted by the German's raised voice and had come over to investigate. She hadn't heard everything they'd said, but she had heard enough to understand the gist of it. The two girls looked at her as she stared past them into the city. "We're all worried about Shinji," she added.
--------------
"I never thought that doing nothing could be this exhausting," Shinji sighed, looking around the interior of his darkened entry-plug. He was slouched in his seat, trying to get as comfortable as he could. He depressed a button on the right control grip and the plug powered up. But the display showed nothing but pure white, and a strange sound filled the cockpit.
"Still nothing but white noise," he muttered sitting upright. "No radar data or sonar reflections," he sighed. He pressed the button again and set the plug back to life-support mode. Curious, he looked at the chronometer on the back of his left hand. Shinji watched it for a few moments as the seconds ticked by.
"It's been twelve hours since I switched to life-support mode," the third-child muttered sadly and sighed, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. "My life will end in four or five hours."
Again he replayed the events that had brought him here. He sighed heavily as he realised he'd have to apologise to Asuka for being obnoxious. Why he'd said what he had, he didn't know. But he'd said it. His stomach rumbled.
"I'm hungry."
--------------
Ritsuko looked at the crowd assembled before her as she explained the situation to them. She knew they expected her to give them the answer to all their questions. Questions she knew would revolve around what had happened to Unit 01. The white board behind her held the results of the last ten hours work of intense investigation and deliberation, with a hefty chunk of guesswork thrown in.
"So that shadow is actually the Angel's body?" Misato asked, summing up the doctor's science heavy explanations.
"Correct," Ritsuko answered. "It's six hundred eighty metres in diameter, with a thickness of three nano-metres," she continued. "Sustained within that ultra-thin space is an inverted AT Field. Inside of that field is a region of space that can only be defined by abstract mathematics. A sea of Dirac. It could be another universe." Akagi paused as she noticed her friend raise her hand.
"What about the sphere?" the major asked.
"It disappears when the imaginary circuit of the body closes," Ritsuko told her. "This implies that the object in the sky is a kind of shadow." Katsuragi and several of the technicians looked behind them, at the sphere.
"So the black shadow that swallowed Unit 01 is the real target," Misato muttered, her mind racing to come up with a solution to the problem they faced.
"Then there's no way we can fight it," Asuka whispered, her tone demonstrating her concern. She was sat on a crate to one side. She hadn't really been listening, as the doctor's explanations had made little sense to her. What have I done? she wondered, terrified for Shinji.
--------------
Shinji opened his eyes slightly as he forced away the fatigue which threatened to over take him. They snapped open fully as he realised what was happening.
"Uh, the water's getting cloudy! The purification system is breaking down," he said, beginning to panic. A stream of bubbles came out of his mouth and he covered his nose as a vile stench filled his nasal passages. "It smells in here," he commented, closing his eyes. The aroma had a familiar metallic tang to it.
"Blood!" he cried, recognising the scent. "This place smells like blood!" He reached up to the emergency door overhead and tried in vain to open it as his fear took over. "I hate this place! Let me out." When the release wouldn't work, he began smashing his fist into the door, trying to force it open.
"Why can't I open the door? Open up! Let me out!" he pleaded. "Misato, tell me what's going on. Please." No one answered. "Asuka. Misato. Ayanami. Ritsuko. Father..." his voice trailed off as the burst of strength faded. His arms hang limply from the door. "Please...someone help me," he begged, fighting back tears.
--------------
"You're gonna blow the shadow up?" Major Katsuragi asked her friend in shock after the doctor outlined her plan.
"I'm afraid it's the only possibility that might work," Ritsuko replied calmly. "The plan is to drop all 992 existing N2 mines into the target's centre whilst simultaneously activating the AT Fields of both the remaining Eva's in such a way as to disrupt the hypothetical circuit that encloses the Angel's pocket interior," she explained. "If we concentrate enough explosive power during that same micro-second we could destroy the Angel along with the Dirac sea that makes up its body."
"But the damage to Eva would be... Shinji wouldn't... What the hell kind of rescue operation is this?!" Misato asked, exasperated.
"Our priority is to get the Eva back," the doctor informed her. "Even if it has to be destroyed in the process."
"Now wait a second!" Katsuragi said, taking a step forward. Her temper was rearing its head, which meant trouble.
"Under these conditions the pilot's life irrelevant," Akagi told her. The major snapped. She closed the distance between them and smacked the blonde doctor as hard as she could across her left cheek. A helicopter flew low overhead as Ritsuko's glasses flew to the concrete.
"It's your responsibility if Shinji's lost Misato!" the doctor yelled at her friend, clutching her stinging cheek. "You seem to have forgotten that." Katsuragi glared at her.
"And why in the hell are you and Commander Ikari so worried about recovering Unit 01?" Misato demanded. She grabbed the doctor's lab coat and pulled her so their faces were centimetres apart. "What's so special about it?"
"You've been given all the information Major!" Akagi told her.
"That's bull!" Katsuragi replied. She stared the doctor in the eye for a moment, then released her. Ritsuko took a step back as she regained her balance.
"Misato, just trust me," she said, failing to notice that the major's fist were balled. After a few moments pause she added, "I'm taking command of this entire operation effective immediately." The blonde bent down and picked up her glasses. Seeing them undamaged, she slips them in her pocket.
"Forward all flights to Kansai International Airport," Ritsuko ordered through her cell phone as she walked past the major. Contact air control and the air transport division..." Misato, lost in her thoughts frowned.
Second Impact, the instrumentality project, Adam, Katsuragi mused. There's so many secrets that I'm in the dark about.
--------------
Becoming aware of a sensation of movement, Shinji opened his eye to find himself sat in a dark train car. A red light was coming through the windows opposite him. He had no idea how he came to be there, or where he was headed. A few moments later, he became aware of the presence of another.
Who...who's that? he asked. A loud beeping sound seemed to approach and pass him by. Who? he repeated.
Who. Shinji Ikari. a voice replied. It sounded like his, but more confident. He couldn't tell where it was coming from.
That...that's me, the third-child said.
I am you, the voice informed him. This self incorporates another self. The self has always been composed of two selves.
Two? Shinji asked, confused by the other's words.
Yes. The self which is observed and the self which observes itself, the other explained. To expound, there is the Shinji Ikari that exists in your mind, the Shinji Ikari in Misato Katsuragi's mind, the Shinji Ikari is Asuka Sohryu's mind, the Shinji Ikari in Rei Ayanami's mind and the Shinji Ikari in Gendo Ikari's mind. All are different Shinji Ikari's but each of them is a true Shinji Ikari. What you fear is the Shinji Ikari's who exist in the minds of others.
I'm just afraid of being hated, the boy told the other.
You are afraid of being hurt. the other rebutted. The car was suddenly filled with light from the setting sun, which was visible in the window before Shinji. Sat opposite him was a small boy, whose face was hidden by shadow.
Wh...who is bad? Ikari asked.
Father is, the other informed him.The father who deserted us.
No, I'm the one who's bad, Shinji replied, closing his eyes and lowering his head. He suddenly found himself sat in the living room of Misato's apartment. Asuka was sat on the couch in front of him.
"You apologise even when you've done nothing wrong, don't you?" she asked angrily. Before he could say anything, the he found himself stood in the kitchen, a pot in his hands. Asuka was now stood in the doorway, wearing only a pair of towels, as she had been that morning. "Do you really think it's your fault?" she asked, giving him a dirty look.
Shinji suddenly found himself stood in front of Misato. He wasn't sure where they were, and he was confused by what was going on.
I'm worthless, he told her, turning away from her.
"No," Misato responded, "you just believe that you're worthless Shinji." He was about to tell her something, when he found himself on one of the many elevators in headquarters. Rei was stood on the step in front of him, facing him. She slapped him, hard.
"Don't you trust your own father?" she asked him. Before he could answer, he was stood staring into the face of his father. They were in the graveyard.
I thought I hated my father, but now I'm not sure, he thought. It took all of his effort not to break eye contact with his father.
"That was good work Shinji," he heard Gendo say, even though the mouth of the figure before him didn't move. Again his locale shifted. He couldn't tell where he was, but his father was walking away from him, hands in his pockets.
My father call me by my name, Shinji said, remembering how pleased he had been by his fathers words. I was praised by my father! He found himself back in the train car.
Will you live the rest of your life regurgitating and re-digesting those few pleasant memories? the other asked him.
If I trust their words, it's enough, the boy told the other. Enough to keep me alive.
Even though you know you're deceiving yourself? the other asked calmly.
Everybody does it! the third-child replied. That's how everyone survives.
If you will not accept that you are capable of initiating change within yourself, you will be unable to continue, the other informed him.
This world is filled with too much pain and suffering to keep going on, Shinji told the other.
For example, you can't swim, the other continued, ignoring the boy's comment
Humans aren't made to float! Shinji replied defensively.
This is self-deception.
I don't care what you wanna call it! the third-child replied.
You have been shutting your eyes and covering your ears making yourself blind and deaf to that which you wish to avoid, the other told him. Shinji was about to say something, when he suddenly felt himself hit the ground. Stunned, he saw Toji in front of him, rubbing his fist. His friend grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.
"His sister was injured during the incident," he heard Kensuke say. The memory of how Unit 01 had looked after the battle with the third Angel, when it had lost it's cranial armour flashed before his eyes. It made him cringe, as it had when he'd first seen it. Then a silhouette of Misato's head appeared before him.
"Who cares what the others say?" it asked the boy. Shinji groaned. Next to appear was a close up of his fathers face, staring at him coldly.
"Leave!" he heard his father say. A number of images flashed through his mind, too fast for him to take them in. He bent forward and covered his ears.
No I don't wanna hear this! he cried.
See? You're running away from the reality again, the other informed him No one can justify their existence by linking their happiest moments into a kind of rosary. In particular, I cannot. The last two words seemed to echo throughout the train car.
What's wrong with doing something I want to do? he demanded to know. Shinji lifted his head, his hands covering his ears and his eyes still closed. "Why won't you leave me alone?" he yelled.
--------------
"The entry-plug's energy reserves should be reaching their expiration point about now," Makato told sadly Doctor Akagi as his console in the mobile command vehicle indicated that the missing Evangelion would now be losing the last of it's power.
"The plug-suit life support system will be getting closer to redline," Maya muttered. She was so weighed down by how she felt, she had come close to quitting and just walking away.
"We'll advance by twelve minutes," Ritsuko told them. "Let's do it while there's a possibility that Shinji's still alive," she added in a quieter tone.
--------------
Shinji found himself reliving the day his father abandoned him. He felt the tears he had cried then running down his cheek. Father, don't you want me? he asked, fighting the emotions that had overcome him that day so long ago.
"Father!" he cried. In his mind, he replaces his younger self in the memory. His head was down, and his fists clenched. Suddenly the bright day turned black.
It was yourself that you ran away from, the other told him, sounding as if it was stood behind him. Memories of pages from newspapers flashed through his mind, too fast to read or recognise.
"That's right! He may be guilty of killing his own wife," as voice said. Shinji couldn't tell whose it was, but it sounded familiar.
"He killed his own wife," another voice said, as familiar as the first.
No! Shinji cried, denying them M...mother was... he said, as the image of a framed photograph appeared to him. In it, his mother was carrying him on her back. Smiling... he finished.
He found himself looking at Misato as she stood in an open doorway, lit from behind so only her silhouette was visible.
"Shinji, you did something very important today," the major told him. The image of his father walking away from him reappeared.
"Shinji, you must not run away," Gendo informed his son. The image shifted back to Katsuragi.
"You've got to do your best," she told the third-child. Everything turned black. There was no sensation of sight, sound, smell or touch. Total sensory depravation.
I hate this place, Shinji thought, sighing deeply. I hate this loneliness.
--------------
"N..no," Shinji muttered. His eyes were closed and he had curled himself up, almost to a foetal position. He opened his eyes. "Oh, the heat system and the oxygen are giving out," he added, sighing. He closed his eyes again and drew his legs up tighter against him, trying to get warmer.
"I'm cold!" he murmured, shivering. He noticed a red light on the back of his right hand was flashing. "The suit is giving out too. S...so cold. This is the end. So tired...of everything. He closed his eyes, trying to think himself warmer. A few moments later, his knotted brow relaxed as he passed out.
A few moments later, a glow appeared at the front of the entry-plug and moved towards him. A ghostly hand stroked his left cheek. Feeling the contact, he opened his eyes wide in shock. He found himself floating naked, with the spectral figure of a woman floating before him. He relaxed from the foetal position as the figure wrapped its arms around him. As it did, he felt a warmth emanating from it.
"Mo...mother?" he asked. The scene shifted. All he could see was a bright white light. Overhead, the silhouette of a few leaves were visible. His mother's silhouette appeared before him. For some reason, he felt younger.
"Is this enough?" his mother whispered to him. In his mind, a younger version of himself stood before his mother, presenting a small red ball to her. His eyes were closed and he was saying something. "Oh, you're in love," Yui continued. Shinji felt a peace he had never known deep within himself. "Well, that's good for you." The silhouette of Yui Ikari faded into the bright light.
--------------
As the sun began to rise over he horizon, Evangelion Units 00 and 02 stood at the edge of the black target. How Asuka had found the strength to make it through the dark night, she didn't know. She was tired, not only physically from lack of sleep, but emotionally as well. She couldn't think straight. If she had, she would have realised that there was little chance of Shinji surviving what they were about to attempt.
"Both Eva's are in position and standing by," Shigeru's voice announced over the intercom. The German only half-listened to what was going on in the mobile command vehicle.
"AT Field's are ready to generate," Maya added. The second-child sighed.
Why can't they just get on with it, she thought, exhausted.
"Roger." That was Dr. Akagi's voice. She'd taken over from Misato for some reason. Asuka intended to ask the major about that when this was over.
"T minus sixty seconds to mine drop," Shigeru declared. Overhead, dozens of military jets flew in close formation. Asuka knew that they each carried a number of N2 mines within their holds.
Suddenly, the black ground that made up the target began to rupture and break, a red glow visible through the cracks. Asuka looked on, shocked as the fissures grew larger and spread.
"What the hell is that?" she asked. The ground began to buck as if there was something beneath it trying to get out.
--------------
"What's going on?" Misato asked from her position next to Ritsuko. The sound of alarms filled the mobile command vehicle.
"We don't know!" Makato told her, trying to make sense of the data his console was displaying.
"All our meters and gauges are going off the scale," Maya announced.
"But we haven't done anything yet," Akagi cried, puzzled. Misato turned the blonde doctor.
"You think it could be Shinji?" she asked, a flicker of hope within her becoming stronger.
"It's impossible!" Ritsuko told her friend, turning to face her. "Unit 01's power level must be at zero."
--------------
Asuka had listened to every word said over the open comm link. A bright hope shone clear within her. It WAS Shinji. It had to be. It must be. Movement above the ground caught her eye. She looked at the sphere and was surprised to see the pattern on its surface shifting. The sound of something breaking filled her cockpit. Slowly the pattern faded, leaving the sphere completely black.
A moment later, Unit 01's forearm burst out of the side of the sphere, blood spurting from the hole. The German held her breath and heard a combined gasp through the intercom. Despite the blood obscuring things, she could just about see what was happening. The hand was joined by the other one. They gripped the sides of the hole and forced it open further, splitting the sphere even more.
Once the hole was large enough, the Evangelions head and upper torso appeared in the hole, covered in blood. The sphere began to break up around it. Unit 01 threw back its head and roared as the Angel's blood flew all around it.
"Mein Gott. Is that what I'm piloting?" Asuka asked, stunned.
--------------
"God in heaven. What kind of monster have we made this from?" Ritsuko asked, shocked by what she was seeing on the command vehicle's monitors. Misato looked at the doctor suspiciously.
I know that the Eva's are more than just copies of the first Angel, she thought, turning away. But what is Nerv going to do with them? What it Nerv going to do with the Eva's once all the Angels have been destroyed.
--------------
The sphere broke up completely and the Eva dropped to the ground, landing almost cat-like. It stood upright, looking like a feral monster, covered in blood. It stood there, silent and not moving.
Within Asuka, fear fought with relief. She was terrified by what she had just witnessed, but she was joyfully relieved that Shinji had returned to her.
--------------
Major Katsuragi ran over to the third-child's entry plug as soon as it was removed and opened it. The LCL that came flowing out of the opened hatch forced her backwards. Once the flow had stopped she returned to the hatch and flung it wide open.
"Shinji? Shinji?!" she cried tearfully as she looked inside. Her breath caught for a moment, until she saw his chest rising and falling. She'd feared they'd got him back too late. That he was dead. But he was alive. He looked completely wasted, but he was alive. Misato collapsed onto him, hugging him with all her strength. "Shinji?! Are you alright?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.
"I just wanted to see her again, one more time," he muttered.
A few metres away, Asuka stood watching. It was taking all of her self-control not to run over and push her guardian out of the way and hold Shinji in her arms, and tell him she loved him. She was so relieved that he lived, tears of joy ran down her face, though she did her best to stem the flow.
--------------
Later that day, Unit 01 had been returned to Nerv headquarters and was stood in its cage, having the Angel's blood washed off. A number of technicians in haz-mat suits were assisting the automated jets. Doctor Akagi and Commander Ikari stood on the catwalk, watching as the work progressed. They were wearing waterproof jackets.
"I've never seen the Eva looking as horrifying as it did today," Ritsuko commented. "Are the Eva's really on our side, or do they hate us? There's something else." She turned and looked at her superior. "I think that Major Katsuragi may suspect something."
"Let her be. At least for now," Gendo told her, his eyes glued to the Eva. Akagi looked back at the robot.
"If Rei or Shinji were to learn about the Eva's secrets, they'd never forgive us," she told him.
--------------
The sound of birds singing greeted Shinji as he awoke. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was once again in the infirmary. He could hear a television in another room. It sounded to him like an aerobics workout was being shown. Sitting up, he noticed Rei was sat in a chair to his left. He sighed, grateful to be alive.
"You can rest today," the first-child told him. She stood up. "We'll take care of everything."
"But I'm...I'm feeling just fine now," Shinji told her. He looked down at the bed sheets and then closed his eyes.
"Well, that's good for you," she replied and began to walk past his bed towards the door on the other side of the room. The boy's eye shot open at her words. She'd spoken the exact same words as the vision of his mother had. He watched as she opened the door, feeling confused.
--------------
Come on, come on. What's taking so long? Asuka wondered, tapping her foot as she stood in the hall outside Shinji's room. She was impatient to get in there and see him, but she knew she had to wait until Rei left. She looked through the door's window just as the first-child opened the door.
"He is awake," Rei told her as the German jumped backwards. Before Asuka could respond, Ayanami had walked off down the corridor. The second-child shot her a dirty look and went into the room.
"It's about time you woke up, you lazy bum," Asuka said as she closed the door. Shinji looked at her and smiled. He was so glad to see her. She noticed his smile and returned it, walking around the bed to the chair Rei had vacated.
"How are you Asuka?" the third-child asked her as she sat down.
"That was my question Shinji," she replied, looking at his face, relieved the fatigue she had seen when he had been loaded into the ambulance was gone.
"I'm fine, really," he assured her. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers.
"There...there's something I need to tell you," she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Something I should have told you before now."
"What?" Shinji asked, cocking his head to one side, puzzled. A feeling of dread welled up within him, but he didn't let it show. She looked down at her lap.
"I...I love you," she told him, rushing the words out. "I love you Shinji," she repeated, slower and more calmly. He squeezed her hand and she looked back to him. His smile threatened to out shine the sun.
"I love you too Asuka," he told her. "I love you too." Overjoyed by his words, she threw her arms around the boy and hugged him with all her might and heart.
To be continued...
Next Chapter -
A new pilot and a rebellion.
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Well, what do you think? Please contact me with your comments. I'll try to answer any questions in the author notes for the next chapter.
If you want to discuss something with me, please send me an e-mail. My address is CEO_Room3@Hotmail.com. I'll do my best to respond to all correspondence.
I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, but it could take a while. Please be patient.
Well guys, here it is. The second chapter. I hope you enjoy it. This chapter takes the place of episodes fifteen and sixteen.
I know some of you were unhappy with how little change there was last time, but this story is to show the effect of the Asuka and Shinji relationship on the series. And since they had little to do in episodes thirteen and fourteen, there wasn't much change that I could make. But don't worry, from here, things are going to start 'snowballing'.
Disclaimer -
All the characters contained in this story are copyright GAINAX, Project EVA, Movic, and any other company and/or division associated with the creation and/or production of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A.D.Vision holds the copyrights to the translated version of Neon Genesis Evangelion. All characters are used WITHOUT the permission of the aforementioned institutions.
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IMPACT
A sequel to "A Question Of..."
By Room3
Chapter 02 - "Within"
Professor Kouzou Fuyutski and Commander Gendo Ikari were on their way to a meeting by helicopter, which was the commander's preferred mode of transportation. Fuyutski was looking out the window, watching the scenery pass them by. Ikari was sat in his usual pose, oblivious to the beauty outside the vehicle, focused completely on the meeting he and his associate were heading to.
"Ashino Lakes two and three," Fuyutski muttered as they flew over two large, water-filled craters. "I hope we won't have any more holes to fill." He looked over at the commander. "Which reminds me," he added, "Chairman Keele came to see me yesterday. He was complaining about the delays. He was pretty steamed, even hinted at your dismissal.
"Adam is going well," Ikari said, "and work on the dummy plug for the Eva project is proceeding. What are the old men at Seele complaining about now?" he asked.
"The fact that the Instrumentality Project is behind schedule," Kouzou replied, smiling.
"The projects are all linked together," Gendo told his subordinate, forcefully. "There are no problems."
"Including Rei?" the grey-haired professor asked. "Hmm." Ikari remained quiet. "Well, I won't press you." The second in command of Nerv looked out the window again, lost in his thoughts. There was a short pause. "So how will we deal with you know who?" he eventually asked.
"Let him do as he wishes," Ikari told him, sounding rather upset. "The same with the Marduk Institute."
"I agree," Fuyutski responded. "We can make use of him...for a while." The two continued on to their meeting in silence.
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"What started here...sixteen years ago?" Kaji mused as he entered the wooden building. He believed it had been some form of barn, but it had stood empty for many years. There were a lot of abandoned properties in this district of Kyoto. He wandered over to a large wooden box, which stood a couple of metres from the wall behind him. On it sat an old dial phone. The sight of it made him wonder just how long this building had been empty.
The sound of the door at the far end being opened caught his attention. As it was opened slightly, his hand instinctively reached for his gun, concealed in his shoulder holster. The door only opened a crack and then stopped. He went over to the door and put his back against the wall next to it.
"It's me," a woman's voice said. Kaji looked through the door and, seeing his contact, removed his hand from his gun.
"Ah, so it is," he replied. The woman was sat on the steps, feeding three or four stray cats. Next to her was a basket of groceries. A red scooter sat no more than two metres away.
"This is Shannon Bio Inc., a foreign chemical firm," she said, slipping a piece of paper behind her and through the door. "It's been like this for nine years. Nine years, without a single change. So for 106 corporations out of the 108 affiliated with the Marduk Institute have turned out to be dummy companies."
"And this one is the 107th," Kaji commented, picking up the paper. He scanned it quickly, then folded it and put it in his pocket. The woman reached into the basket and pulled out a magazine.
"This is the companies registration record," she told him, opening it at a particular page. Inside was a list of names.
"And you want me to take a look at the board of directors, don't you?"
"You already know about this?" she asked him, somewhat surprised. He read the record; it listed the charter members - Gendo Ikari, Kouzou Fuyutski, Lorenz Keele, Takahashi Shouichi and Chiba Kimio.
How nice of them to list Fuyutski as the company's president, Kaji thought, finishing the document. The cats had started crying for more food. "I know most of the names, yes," he said aloud. "The Marduk Institute, is supposed to be an advisory body established under the control of the Human Instrumentality Committee for the purpose of selecting Eva pilots. Something's not adding up right here."
"Your task is to investigate Nerv," she informed him. "Getting involved with the Marduk may be an ill-advised step." Kaji turned away, smiling.
"Well I can't help it," he replied cheerfully. "My nose for trouble has a penchant for getting my eyes in the wrong places." He walked away from the door. The woman sighed to herself and put the magazine away. She put the basket on the scooter and climbed on to it.
Just be careful, she thought, starting the vehicle. She drove off towards the centre of the city, to make her report.
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That afternoon, in the Tokyo-3 high school attended by the three Evangelion pilots, Hikari Horaki pulled Asuka outside their classroom. Each carried a broom, having been in the middle of cleaning the room. The German leant against the wall and crossed her arms.
"Asuka, are you gonna be available tomorrow?" the class president asked her.
"Probably," the redhead replied, sighing. She knew that she and Shinji had promised to keep their relationship secret, but she really wanted to go on a date with him. The problem was, no matter where in the city they went, they'd run into someone who knew them, either from school or Nerv. And they couldn't leave Tokyo-3 in case there was an emergency.
"Great, then I've got a favour to ask," the brown-haired girl told her. The second-child looked at her friend, wondering out she was getting at. Hikari closed the distance between them so she was standing directly in front of the pilot.
"Well, you see..." Hikari said, before leaning forward and whispering the rest into Asuka's ear. The Germans eyes widened in shock as she heard what her friend said.
"What?!" Asuka cried. "A date?!" The brown-haired girl looked bemused by her friend's reaction.
"The guy's a friend of Kodamo, my big sister," Hikari informed Asuka. "And he keeps asking me and asking me to set you and him up." She put her hands together and bowed to the redhead. "Pretty please?" Asuka's mind started racing, trying to figure out how she could refuse without giving away the secret.
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Inside the classroom, a sound to Shinji's left made him stop sweeping and turn towards it. The sound had been made by Rei Ayanami wringing out a wash cloth into a bucket; she was knelt in front of it. Something about her actions made the third-child think. Suddenly, a broom hit him on the head.
"Hey!" Toji Suzuhara cried, removing the broom from his friend's head. "Get back to your work." Kensuke Aida, and several other children, watched the exchange with bemused expressions.
"Sorry," Shinji replied. He returned to sweeping the floor. Hikari stepped into the room, attracted by the commotion.
"Why don't you get back to work Toji?" she asked, upset at the jock for ordering people around when he had no authority to do so. Asuka stuck her head through the door as Hikari spoke.
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After school, three pilots reported to headquarters for a harmonics test. As he boarded the entry plug, Shinji Ikari worried about Asuka. The redhead had been quiet since they'd left school. He knew Hikari had pulled her out of the classroom to speak to the German about something, but he didn't know what. Whatever it was, it had had quite an affect on the usually fiery pilot. As the plug was lowered into position, the third-child shifted his focus to the test.
"Microsis operation completed," a female voice announced over the intercom. Ritsuko Akagi nodded as she concentrated on the test at hand. To the doctor's left, Maya Ibuki sat at the main control console. Major Katsuragi was stood beyond her, reading something from a clipboard.
"Inversible graph measurement completed," the male technician present announced. Ritsuko walked over and stood behind Lieutenant Ibuki.
"So, which dress are you wearing?" Akagi asked Misato, who looked up, startled by the blonde's question.
"Oh, for the wedding tomorrow?" the major asked, putting the hand holding clipboard behind her head, as if rubbing the back of her neck. "Well...I wore the pink suit for Kiyomi's wedding, and I wore the dark blue dress for Kotoko's shower."
"There's that orange one," the doctor reminded her as she began entering commands into Maya's console. "You haven't worn that lately." Misato lowered her arm and closed her eyes.
"The...the orange one," she replied, opening her eyes and looking over to her right. "Well, there's a reason I haven't worn it," the major added, slightly embarrassed.
"It's too tight?" Ritsuko asked, delighted at unsettling her friend. Katsuragi frowned at her.
"Neh, thank you!" she responded. The doctor chuckled. "Maybe I should just but a new one. Man, all these stupid weddings are killing my bank account."
"Tell me about it," Akagi replied. She was still tapping away at the console, with the lieutenant watching every keystroke. "We've been to so many showers I'm almost broke."
"Yeah, it's like everyone's in a rush to get married before they turn thirty!" Misato commented.
"And you don't want to be the last one still single, do you?" Ritsuko asked, enjoying the moment.
"Excuse me?!" the major said, sounding slightly exasperated. The doctor ignored her and activated the voice link to the pilots.
"Okay, you guys can take off now," she informed them. "Good work." In his plug, Shinji looked up.
"It's about time!" he heard Asuka reply.
At least she's back to her old self! the third-child thought. He looked to his left, at the video link to the first-child.
"These stupid experiments are really getting on my nerves," the second-child continued. The plug shut down around the boy, and the image of Rei disappeared.
I'm gonna have to ask her, Shinji thought as he got out of the plug.
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"Speaking of which," Dr. Akagi said as she began correlating the data gathered from the latest test, "Shinji seems more subdued than usual." Misato was leant against the observation window. She turned to the doctor.
"Hmm. Tomorrow's the day," she reminded her friend.
"Oh yeah," Ritsuko replied, looking up. "Tomorrow."
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The third-child managed to catch up with Rei Ayanami as she was about to leave. All three pilots had showered and changed, but Asuka had stayed behind to talk to Misato about something. He stepped into the elevator just as the doors were closing and stood in the back corner. The first-child was stood directly in front of the doors. For a few moments both were silent as the lift began to ascend.
"Tomorrow, I...er, have to see my father tomorrow," the boy said, unsure of how to phrase what was on his mind. He paused and looked over to Rei. "Wh...what should I talk to him about Rei?"
"I don't understand," the girl replied in her usual quiet voice, puzzled by his question. "Why are you asking me?" Shinji looked at the wall of the lift.
"Um, because I've seen you talking with my father and actually enjoying it," he told her, as a memory of his father and Rei speaking comes to mind. Both of them were smiling. "Say, my father, what's he like?" the third-child asked, looking back at her.
"I don't know," Ayanami replied. Shinji looked away.
"Oh," was all he could say.
"Have you been watching me because you wanted to ask that question?" Rei enquired.
"Uhuh," he answered, nodding. He looked at her and smiled. "Uh hey, when we were cleaning," he added, cheerfully, "that cloth... The way you wringed it. It reminded me of a mother wh...when you squeezed it," he told her.
"A mother?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," he replied. Rei's cheeks suddenly felt hot and she realised she was blushing, something she could not recall doing before. She lowered her head so that Shinji wouldn't see. "It just...reminded of a mom," he continued, unaware of her reaction. He laughed at little. "You'll make a great mother Rei. I, huh..." When she didn't appear to respond to his comment, his laughter trailed off.
"You...embarrass me," the first-child eventually said.
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That evening, Asuka Langley Sohryu was lead on her back on a large cushion on the living room floor of the apartment she shared with Misato and Shinji. She had an open magazine on her chest and was snacking on potato chips as she watched the television, even though her view of it was upside down. Pen-Pen was lead next to her and was also watching.
"I'm ho-ome!" Major Katsuragi called as she opened the front door.
"What's happening?" Asuka asked flatly, not looking up. The major walked past her, carrying a large shopping bag.
"You'd better go to bed Asuka," Misato told her, going into another room and taking off her jacket. "Don't you have a date tomorrow?"
"With some med-student," the German replied, without emotion. She moved the magazine and rolled over on to her front to read it. The major changed out of her Nerv uniform and into her usual outfit.
"Is Shinji in his room?" Misato asked.
"Yeah. Ever since he got home," Asuka told her. Actually, ever since I told him about my date! she thought. "I don't think he wants to meet his father. If he hates him so much, why doesn't he just say?" she asked, reaching for the potato chips. "You Japanese are weird!"
"Well, he doesn't actually hate him," Katsuragi told the redhead. "That's the problem," she muttered.
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In his room, the boy in question was lead on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Memories of his father flashed though his mind, a mixture of good and bad. His father telling him to leave. His father helping to prepare the entry plugs for manual insertion into the Eva's during the power cut. His father congratulating him after the defeat of the tenth Angel.
"Shinji!" his guardian called from the other side of his door, disturbing his thoughts. "I'm coming in, okay?" she added a moment later. The boy quickly rolled onto his side, facing away from the door and pretended to be asleep. The major slid the door open.
"You're worried. About seeing your father tomorrow, right?" Misato asked quietly. She knew he wasn't sleeping. "You mustn't run away Shinji. Nothing will ever change unless you have the courage to step forward."
"I know that Misato," he told her, his voice muffled by his pillow.
"You're going to find out the truth. You've got to keep moving forward. After each step you've got to keep taking another afterwards," she continued. "Anyway, when you see him tomorrow, you've got to keep your chin held high. Because you'll be seeing her too!" She sighed when he didn't respond. "Good night Shinji," she said, sliding is door shut. The third-child groaned and rolled on to his front, burying his face in his pillow. The voices of his roommates could be heard clearly through the thin walls.
"Hey, you bought a new dress, didn't you?" Asuka asked. "Let me see."
"Oh, you want to see it do you?" Misato replied cheerfully. "It's an expensive one."
"Price doesn't always reflect the design," the German snorted. The boy put his pillow over his head in an effort to block out their conservation.
"Tell me about it," the major replied, chuckling. There was the sound of rustling. "Well, what do you think?"
"Did you pick that one with Kaji in mind?" the second-child asked, obviously teasing the major and enjoying it.
"Grow up," Katsuragi told her, a little upset. "That was a long time ago."
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Misato blew over the card that had been placed to reserve Kaji's place at the wedding reception. He'd missed the actual wedding completely, and was now almost an hour late for the reception. The space for him was to her left and Ritsuko, dressed in a conservative green dress, was sat to her right. The major picked up her glass of red wine.
"Little boy blue is late," Dr. Akagi commented, having noticed her action.
"That over-sexed idiot's never been on time in his whole lazy life," Misato told her.
"For your dates, you mean?" Ritsuko asked. "He gets to work early." Katsuragi frown and took a sip of her wine.
"Hello girls!" Kaji said as he wandered up. He was wearing a black suit, with a white shirt and tie. The collar button of his shirt was undone, and his tie was low. The sleeves of his jacket were rolled up to his elbows and his hands were in his trouser pockets. "You're looking particularly lovely today. I had a little trouble getting out of work on time," he added as he sat down.
"I find that hard to believe, seeing as you don't do anything," Misato commented, sounding slightly peeved. Kaji laughed it off. The major looked him over and frowned. "You could at least have taken the time and trouble to shave that awful stubble," she scolded him, reaching for his tie. "Your tie is crooked," she said, pushing it up into its proper place. Kaji gasped as she almost cuts off his air.
"Well, thank you," he replied, loosening it a little. Katsuragi ignored him and picked her glass up again.
"You act like your married," the blonde commented. Kaji leant against Misato, who was taking a drink.
"You're very astute Ritsu," Kaji responded, smiling.
"Who'd marry this bum," the major asked, putting her drink down. Kaji's smile faded.
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Shinji squinted in the midday sun as he stood before the marker, a bouquet of flowers in his right hand. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but grave markers, all identical. He knelt down before the marker and led the bouquet at its base. The sound of footsteps made him look behind him. It was his father. Commander Ikari stopped a short distance behind him. Shinji reached up and rubbed his fingers over the name on the marker - his mother's name.
"It's been three years, since we were last here," Gendo said, watching his son.
"That's when I ran away," Shinji said, not looking up. "I haven't come back here since then. I just don't believe that my mom is really resting here. I don't even remember her face."
"Burying memories is mans way of surviving," the commander informed him, "but there are something's a man should never forget. Yui taught me that one irreplaceable thing Shinji. That is the reason I come here, to confirm that commitment." Shinji stood up
"You don't have a picture of her," the boy commented.
"No photographs," his father said, turning his head to his left. "Even this grave is an artifice. Nothing remains." Shinji looked to his right and sighed.
"It's like my teacher said, you cast everything away."
"Everything is kept in my heart. I'm satisfied with that," Gendo told him. The sound of a descending Nerv hover transport prevented any further discussion. "Our time is up. I'm leaving now."
Shinji turned and faced him, Misato's word from the night before clear in his mind. They stared at each other impassively, the wind from the descent blowing their hair and clothes. After a few moments, Gendo turned and began to walk away. As Shinji watched, he noticed Rei sat near one of the windows of the vehicle.
"Father!" Shinji cried. The commander stopped and turned his head in the direction of his son. "I'm a...erm...I'm glad that we could talk together today," he said, rather awkwardly.
"Indeed," Gendo commented, before resume his progress to the transport. Shinji watched as he boarded it and it took off. As he stood there, watching his father fly away, Shinji inwardly cursed himself. He knelt down by the marker again and sighed.
"I'll stand up to him one day mom," he said quietly. "I know I will." Shinji Ikari, the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 then stood up, and began the long trip home.
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That evening, Shinji sat by the kitchen table, playing his cello. He hadn't bothered with it for some time, but tonight he felt the need to play. Playing always helped to calm him, and right now he needed that. He closed his eyes as he played, the sombre sound filling the apartment. Pen-Pen had been lulled to sleep by the music. His mind cast itself back to the previous night, to the words Asuka and he had exchanged.
----FLASHBACK--------------------------
"What do you mean you're going on a date?!" Shinji had cried, upset with the German.
"Exactly what I said," Asuka had replied. "Hikari asked me, and I couldn't figure out a way to get out of it." Seeing the look on the boy's face, she had moved from her position on the couch and sat on the floor next to the large cushion on which he was sat, carrying the magazine she had been reading. "Look," she said, sighing, "if I'd had said no, she would've bugged me until I agreed. Same if I'd said I didn't want to."
"But..." Shinji had interrupted. The redhead had placed her right hand over his mouth to silence him.
"And if I'd said I couldn't," Asuka had continued, "she'd have badgered me for the reason. And then the whole school would've found out about us," she explained. She had lowered her hand as she had felt the boy sigh. "Don't worry," she'd assured him, "I'll be thinking of you the whole time." Shinji had perked up when she had said that. "And I'll be home as quick as I can."
----END OF FLASHBACK-------------------
As the piece of music he played came to an end, the sound of clapping from behind him brought him back to the present. He looked around and saw Asuka standing in the kitchen doorway.
"That was very nice Shinji," she said, having enjoyed his performance. "I didn't know you played."
"I started when I was five, but I'm still not very good," he told her. She walked through the room and sat in one of the empty chairs at the table. "I have not talent at all." He continued to stare at the spot she had occupied.
"Perseverance wins the battle," Asuka told him. "I'm impressed." The sound of the German's voice made Pen-Pen open the door of his compartment and look out. Noticing the away the girl was looking at Shinji, he quickly closed the door again.
"I only started because my teachers told me to," the third-child informed her, "but I could've quit any time."
"So, why didn't you?" she asked, curious.
"Huh. Nobody told me to stop I guess," the boy told her, looking over at her. She smiled at him, and he felt joy rising within him.
"I should've known," she sighed.
"I didn't think you'd be back yet," he informed her, returning her smile. "I thought you'd be gone for another couple of hours at least." The second-child smile became mischievous.
"I told you I'd be back as soon as I could," she reminded him.
"How'd you get away?" Shinji asked, placing his cello in its case.
"While he was standing in line for the roller coaster, I took a train back here," Asuka related, her smile turning gentle.
"That's seems kinda cold," the boy commented.
"Well, if you're complaining," the redhead said, standing up, "I can always go back." Shinji managed to splutter a refusal and she sat down, pleased at having teased him successfully. She was about to say something else when the sound of her stomach rumbling interrupted her.
"Sounds like you're hungry," Shinji laughed. She grinned and nodded. "Then I'll just make us something to eat," he told her, closing the cello's case.
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Meanwhile, in a cocktail bar across town, Misato was sat between Kaji and Ritsuko. She drained the drink in front of her and slowly got her feet, feeling a little unsteady.
"I know it's getting a little late," she said, her words slurred by the amount of alcohol she'd ingested, "but I've got to go powder my nose." She picked up her purse and began to walk away.
"Making a quick exit?" Kaji asked after she'd taken a couple of steps. She turned around and stuck her tongue put at him before continuing, laughing quietly to herself. High heels, he thought as he watched her. He turned to Ritsuko, pulling his tie down even lower. "It's been a while, since we went out together."
"She's drinking too much," the doctor commented. "She's losing her control."
"Sometimes you have to drink just to keep yourself under control," he replied, picking up his drink. "All of us do," he added before taking a sip.
"Well, you did used to live with her," Akagi said. "So I guess you'd know the truth." Kaji put his drink down and rested his chin on the back of his right hand, staring off into space.
"Well, that was a lifetime ago," he informed her. "She didn't even own a set of heels back then."
"That's not how we saw it back when we were in school," she replied, tidying her hair with her right hand.
"We were kids Ritsu," Kaji told her, staring off into space. "That wasn't real. We were just children playing house. It was nice." He blinked and looked over at her. "But, life's not that simple." Dr. Akagi rested her chin on the palm of her left hand and stared off into the distance as well. "Oh, I almost forgot. The cat dragged this in," he said, sliding a small, red fabric bag along the counter towards her.
"Thank you Kaji, for being honest," Ritsuko said.
"To the ladies, yes. Otherwise, err..." he trailed off, leaving unsaid whatever he had been thinking.
"I doubt that," she responded, taking hold of the bag and opening it. "And Misato?" she asked.
"I've lost that war before," Kaji informed her. "Doomed battles aren't my style." He sighed heavily, making the truth behind his words clear to the doctor.
"I think you still have a chance," the blonde told him. She took a small, boxed pendant out of the bag in front of her.
"Well what about you?" the man asked.
"Oh I don't like to talk about myself," she replied. "There's nothing much to say." Kaji looked in the direction Misato had gone.
"Why is she taking so long?" he asked, a little bothered. "How much make-up can she wear?"
"Hmm," Akagi said, looking closely at the gift she'd received. "What were you doing in Kyoto?"
"Err...it wasn't from err..." he stuttered, caught unaware by her question.
"Don't try to fool me," she told him. "You'll get your fingers burned if you get too involved in this. That's the advice of a friend."
"I'd rather be burned by the heat of my passion for you," Kaji replied, as seductively as he could.
"Well then, should I buy you some fireworks then?" Misato asked. She'd heard his last comment as she'd returned. The two looked at her as she sat down.
"Hello," Kaji said feeling a little lost for words.
"You never change, do you?" the major asked him, upset.
"Of course I change," he told her, leaning towards her. "The act of living is an embracement of change."
"Homeostasis and transistasis," Ritsuko told them, slipping the pendant into her purse.
"Homeo-what?" Katsuragi asked her friend, looking at her over her shoulder.
"One is a force to maintain the present status, and the other is a force for constant change," the blonde doctor explained. "Anything that lives is composed for these two conflicting forces."
"Like men and women," Kaji commented.
"I'll just be taking off now," Akagi said, picking up her purse. Misato and Kaji looked at her; both of them were surprised. "I've got some work to do."
"Now?" Misato asked, puzzled. It was fairly late in the evening. What work could she possibly have to do at this hour?
"That's too bad," Kaji commented.
"Have fun," Ritsuko said as she walked away. Accepting the situation as it was, the major got her phone out of her purse and called home. It was answered on the fourth ring.
"Hey, Shinji? It's me. I'm gonna be out drinking with Kaji. Don't wait up for me, okay?" she said, before finishing her drink.
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"Yeah. Right. Sure," the third-child said in response to what the major said. He lowered the phone as she hung up. She sounds like she'd had quite a bit to drink already, he thought. He put the phone down on the table and began picking the dishes up off the table. He should have cleared up before changing, but he'd felt an overwhelming desire to get out the clothes he'd been wearing. He was now in a red polo shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
"Mmm. Misato?" Asuka asked, drying her hair on a red towel. She'd been just been in the shower, and felt refreshed. She was wearing her yellow T-shirt and a pair of shorts made from an old pair of jeans. Shinji looked over at her.
Man, she looks good, he thought. He nodded as he spoke. "Yeah. She'll be late. So we're not to wait up for her."
"You mean she won't be back until tomorrow morning?" the redhead asked, her hair now dry.
"I doubt it," he told her, carrying a number plates over to the sink. "She's going out with Kaji."
"Well that guarantees it!" the German snorted. "Good." She walked out of the room and returned the damp towel to the bathroom to dry. She stopped in her room to pick up a hair band before returning to the kitchen.
By the time she'd arrived, she'd tied her hair back in a simple ponytail. She picked up the remainder of the dishes, and took them over to where he was washing the others. The two of them finished washing the dishes and put them away in silence. Then Asuka took the boy by the hand, and lead him into the living room. They sat down on the couch, holding hands. Asuka picked up the television remote, and began flicking through the channels. She stopped as she recognised the opening credits to one of her favourite movies.
Let's see how he likes this, she thought, putting the remote down.
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A number of hours later, Kaji was carrying a drunken Misato piggyback along a quiet city street. She carried her shoes in her left hand and her head was leant on his shoulder.
"Drinking until you throw up. How old are you?" he asked his burden.
"Old enough to regret it," the major answered, her voice slurred and her breath still smelling of vomit.
"I'm old enough as well," Kaji muttered.
"You're damn right!" she giggled.
"I can't believe you wear high heels these days," he told her as he plodded along. "Time really does fly." Misato's right wrist rubbed against his chin
"You need to shave...your sloppy face," she mumbled, drunkenly.
"Yeah."
"Okay, let me walk," she told him, her words still slurred. He put her down, but she didn't put her shoes back on. "Thank you." They continued along the street, Kaji a few steps behind her, in case she toppled backwards.
"Kaji, do you think I've changed?" she asked a few moments later.
"You're even prettier," he told her.
"Not what I mean," she grunted. "When I told you there was someone else...it wasn't true. But, you knew that, didn't you?"
"No."
"One morning I...I just realised how much like my father you were," she said, sighing. She turned to look at Kaji. He had a serious expression on his face. "I panicked. I couldn't believe that I wanted a man just like my father. I was so terrified...so I ran. I was so scared.
"I was afraid of becoming a woman. Afraid of being with you...and... I thought I hated my father." She looked ahead and sighed. "But then I fell in love with a man who was just like my father." She lowered her head. "I thought joining Nerv would be a way to sever those ties. And, then it turned out that my father was with Nerv." She looked up. "So I tried to bury all of my feelings by swearing to avenge myself against the Angels." The major sighed again, and stopped. Kaji stopped a little in front of her, bothered by her rambling.
"Choosing that path was your decision," he informed her, looking her in the face. "You don't have to apologise to anyone."
"Don't bullshit me Kaji!" she replied, shaking her head. "I just turned tail and ran. It was just an escape from the real world and...my father." She put her right hand over her face. "I'm no better than Shinji is," she continued, barely holding back the tears that threatened to flow. "I'm a coward Kaji." She lowered her hand and looked at Kaji. "Well it's just like right now," Misato added. "I had to get up the nerve to get drunk enough to even tell you the truth."
"That's enough!" Kaji said, forcefully.
"I'm just a child. I have no right to be Shinji's guardian," she continued, not hearing Kaji's objections.
"Enough!"
"Look at me!" she sobbed. "Afraid to accept a helping hand up from a man except when I'm so falling down drunk that I don't even know what I'm doing." She closed her eyes and turned her head away. "I'm an old, old woman and I've used you. Used you because...
"Cut it out!" Kaji ordered her, unwilling to allow her to continue.
"...I'm a coward. I'm pathetic," she carried on, not hearing him. Deciding on a course of action, Kaji grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her. She tried to struggle a little, then gave in to the familiar sensation. She dropped her shoes. After a few moments, her hands rose up and placed themselves on Kaji's hips.
--------------
Shinji released Asuka's hand, stood up and stretched as the end credits began to roll. The two of them had just watched three movies, one after the other, and the boy had been feeling a little stiff for the past thirty minutes.
"So...what did you think Shinji?" the German asked, switching the television off and looking over at him.
"It was good," he answered looking her in the eye. "It wasn't the kind of thing I'd normally watch, but I enjoyed it."
"And you really got into too, didn't you?" Asuka said, teasing him. "I saw you wiping the tears away when she left him." The third-child blushed.
"Well," he replied, timidly, "it was so sad. Despite how much they loved each other, they couldn't be together."
"Yeah, you're right," the redhead sighed. "It was sad. But at least they found happiness at the end," she added after a moments pause. She smiled at him. "I didn't realise you had such a sentimental side Shinji," she told the boy, impressed not only by how he'd empathised with the characters, but with how he'd been willing to let her see it. That was something most boys his age would ever do.
"Doesn't everybody?" Shinji asked, a little uncomfortable.
"I guess so," Asuka replied, getting up. "But most people are willing to show it." She reached behind her and released her hair from the entrapment of the ponytail, shaking it.
"What's wrong with showing how you feel?" he asked, puzzled. The concept of hiding one's feeling was alien to the boy.
He really is sweet, the second-child thought, a little naive, but sweet. Her heart felt as if it was filled with joy. This had been the best evening of her life. "Nothing," she assured him, "but some people are unwilling to."
"But then, how can they expect people to understand them?"
"I guess they can't," she replied, running her fingers through her hair, finger combing it back from her face.
"Oh," was the boy's response. The German closed the short distance between them and stood with her face a few centimetres from Shinji's. He blushed a little as she stared into his eyes, as if searching for something. She reached up and took his face in her hands. The boy looked a little surprised by her actions, but didn't pull away. After a short moment, she pulled his face to hers and kissed him.
Shinji's eyes almost jumped out of their sockets from shock when he felt Asuka's lip on his. The sensation, although new and unknown, was pleasurable. Gently, for fear of hurting her, he returned the pressure and kissed her back. Tentatively, Shinji put his arms around her waist.
The second-child was a little surprised by his boldness, and released his face. Her arms now free, she wrapped them around Shinji's neck, something she'd been wanting to do for sometime now. Neither noticed Pen-Pen open the door of his compartment and look at them before closing the door again, deciding it was safest not to intrude on the moment. They stood there, wrapped around each other, kissing, for what seemed to them to be an eternity.
They ended the kiss, and rested their foreheads together to regain their breath. A few moments later, Asuka pulled her head back and looked the boy in the eye, smiling. He blushed, but didn't break eye contact and smiled back at her. She felt truly alive, wrapped in his warm embrace. She ran the fingers of her left hand through his hair and sighed contentedly. A few moments later, she dropped her arms and slowly stepped backwards, breaking their embrace. Shinji's smile drops as he wonders if he's done something wrong.
"This has been a great evening," she told him softly, "and I don't want it to end, but I'm tired." As she finished speaking, Shinji was overcome by a yawn.
"I guess I am too," he said, feeling betrayed by his own body.
"Walk me to my room?" the second-child asked, holding out her hand. The Japanese boy quickly grasped it.
"I'd be delighted to," he replied. He was having trouble believing what had happened. Shinji was in a slight daze. Asuka had kissed him. Him.
Hand in hand, they walked to Asuka's bedroom door, continuously glancing at each other, as if to reassure themselves the other was there. When they reached her door, she dropped his hand and ran her hand down his cheek.
"Well, gute Nacht Shinji," she said softly.
"Good night Asuka," the third-child replied, smiling. The German slid open the door of her room and stepped inside. Sliding it closed behind her, she collapsed against it and sighed.
"Ich Liebe dich Shinji," she muttered. "Ich...Liebe...dich..."
Still stunned, the boy found himself back in the lounge, and sat down on the couch, trying to process what had happened. The sound of the front door opening distracted him.
"Hang on," Kaji said as he helped a drunken Misato into the apartment. "We're here." The major collapsed against him as she attempted to remove her shoes.
"Hey, Kaji," Shinji called as he came around the corner. He noticed the state of his guardian and sighed. Drunk again! he thought.
"There," Kaji said after they'd managed to get Katsuragi to bed. "I'll be leaving now," he said, heading towards the front door. He was so busy reviewing what the major had told him, he failed to notice the boy's state of mind. Kaji opened the door to the apartment and stepped out.
"Take care of Misato, okay," he said, looking back.
"Sure," the third-child replied. "Goodnight Kaji."
"Yeah," Kaji replied as he walked away. Shinji closed the front door, locked it and headed for bed, feeling suddenly very drained emotionally.
--------------
"Let me call the role," the elderly teacher of class 2A said next morning. He was sat at his desk, but was looking down at the list of names before him. "Ladies first. Ayanami..." There was no response. "Rei Ayanami?" Silence again. "Is she absent again?" he asked, rather upset. The amount of time that particular girl had been absent was now beginning to bother him. From his seat, Shinji looked over at Rei's empty chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.
--------------
Meanwhile, deep inside Nerv headquarters, in the area known as Central Dogma, the absentee floated is a narrow tube containing a yellow liquid. Her eyes are closed and she is naked. The tube is within a dark chamber, the floor of which is covered with diagrams and pictographs.
A sound similar to a respirator is clearly audible to the man who stood before the tube, looking at the girl inside. Metallic straps, which held the tube together, protected her modesty and saved him any potential embarrassment. Above the girl's head, the tube was connected to what appeared to be a large, metallic spinal column. Which, in turn, was connected to a giant metallic brain suspended from the ceiling.
Rei opened her eyes. Seeing the figure stood beyond the tube, she smiled at him. Commander Ikari smiled back.
--------------
Less than an hour later, even deeper below the surface, in the area known as Terminal Dogma, Ryoji Kaji was knelt before a pair of large doors. A number of electronic beeps echoed throughout the chamber that he is in as he attempted to gain access. Overhead, a neon sign informed him that behind the doors was the main LCL processing plant and warned of strict penalties for trespassers. He had chosen to ignore the warning. He knew that what lay behind these doors was more than just a processing plant. Satisfied with his work, he pulled a key-card from his pocket and was about to swipe it when the sound of a gun cocking and the feel of it's barrel pressing against the back of his head made him stop. The sound of a woman clearing her throat makes him turn his head.
"Hi. Feeling better this morning are we?" he asked Misato Katsuragi, who had a stern look on her face.
"I'm sober now, thank you," she replied.
"I'm glad to hear that," Kaji responded, lowering his head.
"Is this your real profession Kaji?" the major asked. "Or something you just do part-time?"
"What do you think?" he responded, answering her question with another question, something he knew she hated, but he needed to keep her off balance.
"It would seem to me that there must be at least two Ryoji Kaji's here," she informed him. "One works for Nerv Special Inspections, and the other would appear to be a spy for the Japanese government."
"Hmm. So you knew," the man replied, looking up.
"Don't underestimate Nerv," she told him firmly.
"Was this ordered by Ikari?" Kaji inquired
"No, my initiative," she answered forcefully. "But if you stay with this other job...you'll die!"
"Perhaps not," Ryoji responded. "Commander Ikari is using me for his own ends." He paused and took a deep breath. "But I am sorry that I kept this secret from you."
"I'll let it pass," she told him, her voice softening. "Repayment for your help yesterday."
"I appreciate that. But, you should know that the Commander and Ritsuko are hiding something from you too," he informed the major. "And this is it!" he added, quickly running the key-card through the reader before she could stop him. The locking mechanism released and the doors slid open slowly.
"Oh my God! Is that an Eva?" she asked, shocked what she saw. The chamber is immense, with what appears to be a sea of LCL ending less than a few metres from the door. At the other end of the room is a white humanoid figure nailed, by its hands, to an even larger red cross. Its facial features are hidden behind a purple mask displaying a triangle and seven eyes - the Seele coat of arms. In its upper torso is a large, red metallic two-pronged spear, which appears to be made to two separate pieces of metal twisted around each other. The figure ended at where the waist should have been, and a number of human sized legs protruded from it. A yellow liquid had stained the cross behind the figure.
"No! It can't be!" Misato gasped, as an image from her childhood flashed before her eyes, an image of a glowing giant.
"Yes," Kaji replied. He knew the major would have trouble believing what she saw. He was surprised by how much the Angel had grown since he'd delivered it to Japan almost four months ago. "The key to the Second Impact and everything that's happened since. The starting point of everything," he told her. "This is Adam."
"Adam? But why is the first Angel here?" she demanded, having trouble breathing, her mind racing in a thousand directions at once. "You're right Kaji," she told him. "I don't know Nerv. I don't know Nerv at all!"
--------------
"I saw you looking at Rei's chair during roll-call," Toji Suzuhara informed Shinji later that day as Kensuke, Toji and Shinji rested against a wall during gym class. "What's the matter? Missing her?" the jock added, teasingly.
"No!" the third-child replied. He'd been lost in his thoughts, thoughts that centred around Asuka and last night. "I was just...wondering where she was."
"Come to think of it, she's been absent an awful lot lately," Kensuke Aida added thoughtfully.
"She's always been away a lot," Suzuhara snorted dismissing the bespectacled youth's comment.
"But it's gotten a lot worse recently," Kensuke informed his two friends. "It used to be only once every couple of months. Now, she's out at least once every other week."
"Hmm," Ikari replied thoughtfully, staring out into space.
--------------
That afternoon, Kaji stood in the cage containing Evangelion Unit 01 pondering his next move. Revealing Adam to Misato had not been part of his plan, but he believed he'd done the right thing. He knew his superiors would be very upset if they knew that Nerv's Director of Operations was aware that he was a mole, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. The sound of footsteps on the metal catwalk made him look up.
"Well hello Ritsu," he greeted the blonde-haired doctor. "Did you manage to finish that work you had to do?"
"Good afternoon Kaji," Ritsuko replied. "Yes, I did."
"Good for you. You know, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate after the amount you drank," he told her.
"You know, I think Asuka seems to be over her crush on you," the doctor told him, quickly changing the subject. She didn't think you couldn't exactly call what she'd been doing work.
"Huh?" Kaji replied, caught off guard by the sudden switch. He thought her comment through. "I think you might be right," he told her after a few seconds silence, a little uncertain.
"You don't sound to happy about it," Akagi told him.
"To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it," he informed her, confused. He turned his stare back on the Eva.
"I'm not surprised. It must be hard to go from being the centre of a persons attentions like that," Ritsuko commented. "Anyway, I've got a report to make to the commander. Bye"
"See you Ritsu," he responded absently as she walked away. He mentally kicked himself. He prized himself on his observational skills but hadn't noticed the disappearance of the German's crush. Lost in thought, he wandered out of the cage.
--------------
The second-child hummed cheerfully to herself as she headed for the shower. The night before, Misato had gone out with Kaji. Asuka had been hoping for another evening like the one before, but the two children had too much homework. By the time she'd finished, she'd been too tired to do anything but pack her books away and go to bed. But she was determined to spend some quality time with the boy today.
--------------
"Shinji, did you change the soup's flavour somehow?" Misato asked the young Ikari as she sat cross-legged on her chair in the kitchen, dressed in her usual off work outfit. The table was set for breakfast, with the normal array of foods. Shinji was stood by the cooker, stirring something in a big pot.
"Yeah. I used dried fish stock," he replied, smiling. "Ritsuko gave it to me." He was carrying a pot to the table when a cry from the bathroom made them both stop and look towards hall door.
"It's too hot!" the redhead yelled, panting. She walked towards the kitchen, obviously trying to cool off. Shinji swallowed hard. From his vantage point he could see her as she strode towards the kitchen. As far as he could tell, she was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her under her arms, and one around her hair. Both towels were the same colour as her plug-suit
Even dressed like that she still looks amazing, the third-child thought. He quickly made himself look worried, for Misato's benefit. "I'm sorry," he said as Asuka walked through the door to the kitchen.
"You're always apologising!" Asuka commented, giving him a dirty look. "Do you really think it's your fault?" Misato picked up her morning can of beer and took a swig. It's my own fault, the redhead thought, I shouldn't have been daydreaming about him.
"Well, uh..." Shinji stuttered.
"Apologies are your conditioned reflex to any kind of confrontation aren't they Shinji?" the German all but demanded. "Don't you have any fun at all?
"I'm sorry. Uh..."
Misato swallowed her mouthful. She couldn't believe that they were arguing again. Perhaps I need to spend the night at Ritsuko's again, she thought.
"There you go again. Why do you always have to punish yourself for everything."
"There, there," the major said, trying to calm the girl down. "That's just Shinji's way, you know." The second-child turned her gaze on Katsuragi.
"It's so easy for you just to accept his pathetic habits isn't it?" Asuka asked. She knew she was ranting, but she didn't care. She would have to apologise to Shinji later, but for the moment, she enjoyed herself. "But don't you think you've been too easy on him lately?"
"Have I?" the major asked, looking at the boy. He was still stood halfway between the cooker and the table, holding the pot.
"Maybe you and Kaji have hooked up again, but the fact that you're happy doesn't mean you can just ignore the welfare of the rest of us," Asuka told her guardian, enjoying herself a little too much. Just then the phone started to ring.
"Look, there's nothing going on between me and Kaji," Misato told her charge, putting her can on the table. The answer phone chose that moment to kick in.
"Hey Katsuragi!" Kaji said cheerfully over the phone. "I've found a bar that serves a decent drink." Misato struggled to avoid a coughing fit "How about tonight? Bye!" She looked at the answer phone, feeling uncomfortable.
"I've never been around anyone who's been involved in such a totally indecent relationship," Asuka told her. "And you're supposed to be our guardian! What a hypocrite. It's disgusting." She stalked off back to the bathroom.
--------------
That afternoon, the three pilots reported to Nerv headquarters for yet another harmonics test. Despite her best efforts, Asuka had been unable to get Shinji all to herself that day. She thought she might have a chance tonight, if Misato was going to go out with Kaji.
"B-type harmonics test, all systems green," Maya informed Dr. Akagi. Ritsuko was stood behind Makato, who was manning the other station. Major Katsuragi was stood behind her, looking tired.
"Projected adjustment values have been cleared," the other technician present added. Makato Aoba looked over at the major.
"You're looking pretty worn to the bone Major Katsuragi," he said, a little concerned. He hoped he didn't sound too worried.
"There's reasons why I'm worn," she replied, smiling. "Private ones," she added, laughing softly.
"Kaji's phoned," Akagi said, writing on the clipboard in her arms.
"Shut yer face!" Misato yelled at her blonde-haired friend. Lieutenant Ibuki looked behind her as the major shouted, then returned her attention to the console before her. "Any way...how's the third-child doing?" Katsuragi asked calmly.
"Just take a look," Maya told her. The major closed the distance between them and looked over the lieutenant's shoulder.
"Ohh. Wow. I bet knowing this would boost his confidence a little," she cheerfully commented.
--------------
Shinji had his head down and his eyes closed as he sat in his test-plug. The sound of his guardian's voice brought him back to the present.
"Hey, can you hear me Shinji?" she asked over a voice link. The boy opened his eyes and looked up.
"Oh, hi Misato," he replied, smiling. He was in a good mood, having been thinking about a certain incident a couple of nights ago. "So how are my test scores looking?" A video window appeared in front of him. Misato gave him the thumbs up.
"Great! You're number one," she told him. Shinji couldn't help but be delighted.
--------------
After the test, the two female pilots changed into their school uniforms in silence. For Rei, this was normal, but not for Asuka. The first-child had expected a loud reaction to Shinji beating her from the German. She could not understand Asuka's silence, so she chose to ignore it, as she did everything she did not understand.
Having finished changing and folding her plug-suit away, Rei closed her locker door and walked to the door leading to the corridor.
"I'm leaving now," she said softly as it slid open. Without looking back to see if the redhead reacted, she stepped through the door and it slid shut behind her.
Lost in her thoughts, the second-child failed to notice Ayanami's departure. Part of her was annoyed at Shinji beating her, but another part was happy for him. She knew that being the best would do a lot for his confidence, and lord did he need help there, but a part of her resented that it came the expense of her position as the best pilot.
She put her plug-suit in her locker and closed the door, resting her forehead on the cold metal and sighed heavily. Even though she was now ready to go, she couldn't bring herself to leave. She couldn't face Shinji until she'd sorted out how she felt. A great sadness welled up within her and she felt the wetness of tears as they began to roll down her face.
"Dammit," she sobbed, turning so her back was against the locker. She kept her head lowered. "I swore I'd never cry again," she muttered, sliding down the metal door to the floor. She rested her arms on her knees, her head resting the backs of her arms. She sat there for a couple of minutes, crying quietly, as her inner turmoil raged. She looked up and was relieved to see the room was empty.
"Oh Shinji, what are you doing to me?" she asked, wiping the tears away.
--------------
Needing to think, Shinji had gone for a walk after leaving headquarters. Hours later, he found himself miles from home, tired. As it was getting dark, he decided not to risk the walk back home and caught a bus. After paying, he chose to sit at the back, despite the fact that there were only a few people on board.
"Next stop is Seisho Kabuse, Seisho Kabuse," the bus' automated voice announced. "Convenient to the Bashar, used books and video game stores." Lost in thought, the third-child didn't hear it. He still felt elated from learning he had had the best synch-ratio today. He looked down at his right hand, which he was opening and closing repeatedly. First the kiss, now this, he thought cheerfully. I can't believe this is happening. But it is.
"It is," he muttered to himself. A sound distracted him. Looking up, he noticed to small boys looking at him. The sound he had heard had been their laughter. Realising what he had been doing, Shinji felt a little foolish. He crossed his arms and looked out of the window to his left.
--------------
The next morning, Asuka sat alone in the apartment, watching television. Being a Saturday, there was no school. Misato had gone headquarters and Shinji had gone to see Toji and Kensuke. She hadn't been happy about that, but she had to admit that, if he didn't keep spending time with them, they'd get suspicious. She was debating whether or not to call Hikari when the doorbell rang. She turned off the television and went to see who it was.
"Hi Asuka," Ryoji Kaji said cheerfully as she opened the door.
"Oh. Hi Kaji," she replied, with a false smile. A few weeks ago, she'd have been ecstatic to see him, but know she felt a little uncomfortable. "Misato's not here," she added.
"That's okay," he assured her. "It's you I came to see?"
"Me?" the redhead asked, puzzled. She cocked her head to one side. "Why?"
"Well, I haven't seen much of you lately," Kaji told her.
"Things have been a little hectic lately," she commented, trying to think of an excuse. Nothing came to mind.
"That's true," he replied wistfully. "Can I come in?" Asuka was startled to realise they were still stood either side of the doorway.
"Of course," she told him, embarrassed by her gaff. They walked into the lounge in silence and Kaji sat down on the couch.
"Would you like something to drink?" the second-child asked, playing the good host.
"Tea would be nice," Ryoji answered. The girl went into the kitchen and made two cups of tea. Walking back into the living room, she passed one back to her guest and sat down opposite him. There was a few moments silence, as both tried to think of something to say. Not being able to think of anything else, Kaji tried the direct approach.
"So...who's the lucky guy?" he asked, offhand. Asuka had been taking a drink from her cup when he'd spoke, and his question resulted in her reacting with a coughing fit.
"Wha...what do you mean?" she asked after it passed, struggling to regain her composure.
"Come on Asuka, it's me," he replied, putting his tea down. "You haven't been inventing reasons to come see me lately," he added. "Heck, even Dr. Akagi's noticed," he commented. The young German's mind was racing, trying to figure a way out of the situation. Kaji took advantage of her silence. "So who is he? Anyone I know?"
Asuka nodded slowly. I know we agreed not to tell anyone, she thought, feeling an overwhelming urge to tell the man sat opposite her.
"Who?" he prompted after a second or two of silence.
"Shinji," she told him, quietly.
"What did you say?" Kaji asked. He was shocked and could not believe he'd herd her correctly.
"I said 'Shinji'," she informed him, feeling free. "It's Shinji."
"But you said he was boring," Kaji replied, reminding her of what she said to him the day she'd met the boy in question.
"I know. But..." she started, but trailed off.
"You're not playing with him up, are you?" Ryoji queried, fearing the worst.
"No!" she replied, somewhat forcefully. "I wouldn't do that to him," she added, defensively.
"And why, may I ask, not?" he enquired, curious.
"Because...because I love him," she told him in a rush, voicing her feelings to someone else for the first time. There was a few seconds silence as a stunned Kaji processed her words, and the meaning behind them.
"Have you told him?" Kaji asked eventually.
"No, not yet," Asuka replied him.
"Then you should," Ryoji told her. "And soon. He needs to hear you say those words to him as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Because you both live such dangerous lives," he explained. "The last thing you want is for either of you to die before he knows exactly how you feel."
"Oh," was all she could say. The last remnants of her smile faded. She hadn't thought of the danger they faced as pilots.
"And don't worry," he added, trying to reassure her, "I'm sure he feels the same."
--------------
Major Misato Katsuragi ran down the hall to the command centre as alarms sounded throughout the complex. She'd been in her office, trying to figure out what Adam was doing in headquarters, and what she should do next.
"...point five kilometres per hour," one of the male technicians finished saying as the door slid open in front of her.
"You're late Major!" Ritsuko told her, looking at Misato over her shoulder.
"Sorry," she apologised breathlessly. "What's going on?" she asked, turning to her left. "The Fuji observation centre...
"Never detected it," Shigeru said, interrupting her. "It just suddenly appeared right above us."
"The pattern is orange," Makato informed her. "No AT Field detected."
"What is that thing?" Misato asked, looking at the image of a giant sphere on the main display. It was mainly black, but had white lines on its surface that almost looked like waves.
"A new kind of Angel?" Ritsuko wondered aloud.
"Unknown," Maya told her superior. "The Magi are withholding their judgement on that."
"Damn!" Katsuragi cursed. "Another situation like this and Commander Ikari's not here again."
--------------
Half an hour later, Evangelion Unit 01 peered between two building at the sphere as it slowly floated through the city. In its hands the Eva carried a pistol. Shinji backed his Eva up against the side of a building, using it to shield him from the sphere.
"Can you all hear me?" Misato's voice asked over the intercom. "I've sent you all of the known target data. That's literally all we know right now." Shinji looked over the data quickly, a stern look on his face. "Approach it carefully and observe its reactions and, if possible, try to lure outside of the city," the major continued.
Several hundred metres to the west, Unit 00 had a large sniper rifle resting on the top of a building. Unit 02 had a building between itself and the sphere's expected path. It held a large axe in its hands.
"I want you all to back up each other," Katsuragi informed the pilots. "Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," Asuka replied, smiling in her cockpit. "But don't you think that Shinji ought to be taking the point position?" she asked, seeing an opportunity to help the third-child bolster his confidence. In his Eva, the boy in question looked stunned. "Well, it's only right that a job like this should go to the highest rated pilot, don't you think?" The German closed her eyes. This enemy looked an easy target and, as such, would give him the boost he needed. She felt pleased with herself. "Or could it be that you don't feel up to it Shinji?" she asked when he didn't respond.
"I can do it," the boy replied. "In fact, I'll show you how it ought to be done Asuka," he added, forcefully.
"What was that?!" Asuka demanded, surprised by his words.
"Will the two of you cut it out?" Misato asked. She was looking at video links to all three pilots on the main display of the command centre.
"Oh gee...uh...didn't you tell me, Misato, that I was number one?" the third-child asked innocently.
"Well yeah," she replied, crossing her arms, "but I..."
"And after all, combat is a man's job," he added, interrupting her. He gave a thumbs-up and closed his video link to the command centre.
"You chauvinist piglet!" the redhead snarled. She couldn't believe that Shinji was acting like this. "Unit 02 will back him up," she informed Misato, resignedly.
"Unit 00 will back up as well," Rei added. The girls closed their video links. The major and doctor looked concerned.
"Oh, I don't believe these kids!" Misato muttered.
"Shinji's hormones are kicking in, aren't they?" Ritsuko asked, amused at Misato's discomfort.
"I'm gonna have to chew him out when he gets back," Misato said to no one in particular.
"Of course. You're a model guardian," Ritsuko commented.
--------------
Hundreds of metres above, Unit 01 ran to a different position, keeping low, still using the buildings as shields.
"Ayanami, Asuka, are you in your positions yet?" Shinji Ikari asked over the intercom, sweating slightly. For some reason he was whispering.
"Not yet," Rei replied in her usual tone.
"You know an Eva can't move that fast you twit," Asuka replied quietly. She tried to take a step forward, but felt herself being held back. Looking behind her, she noticed her umbilical cable was taut. She tugged it gently, but there was no give. "Scheiße!" she muttered and jettisoned it. The umbilical plug fell to the ground and had its impact cushioned by jets incorporated into it to prevent it from receiving damage. She quickly removed another cable from a supply building behind her.
"Are you there?" Shinji asked again, getting impatient. He was opening and closing his right fist like he had been the night before, listening to the sound made by the plug-suit as he did so. Alright, I'll stop it myself, he thought, clenching his fist.
Leaning around the building it was behind, Unit 01 fired at the sphere three times. As the shells neared their target, the sphere vanished, turning red as it did so.
--------------
"It vanished?!" Ritsuko cried as the personnel manning the command centre watched. For a moment, no one moved.
"Status?" the major asked, trying to figure out what the next move should be.
"Pattern blue. Angel confirmed," Makato informed her. His eyes widened as he read the information displayed on his screen. "It's right beneath Unit 01!"
--------------
Above ground, the street beneath Unit 01 turned pitch black and the Eva began slowly sinking into it.
"A shadow!" Shinji gasped, struggling to come to terms with what was going on. He pointed his gun at it and emptied his ammo into it with no effect. "What the hell is this?! This can't be happening!" he cried. He looked overhead and was frozen by what he saw. The sphere had reappeared directly over him.
"Shinji get out of there! Shinji?!" Misato cried over the intercom.
"Ikari!" the first-child called.
"You idiot! Get your ass in gear!" Asuka shouted at him. She couldn't believe he hadn't gotten away. By now, the Eva had sunk to its waist.
--------------
In the Command Centre, everyone watched, frozen by fear. Shinji's voice is coming over the intercom as he panicked.
"Mis...Misato, what's...what's going on? HELP ME! Misato! Misato!"
"Eject the plug!" she ordered, turning to Lieutenant Ibuki. "Get him out of there!"
"No response. It's not working!" Maya informed the major, typing furiously at her console, trying to make it happen. On the main screen, the Eva's head was now beginning to disappear into the pitch-black shadow.
"Can't you hear me Misato? Misato!" Shinji cried, becoming hysterical. Any further cries are cut off by static as the Eva disappeared completely.
"Shinji!" the major called, horrified at what she saw, but helpless to prevent it.
--------------
"Asuka! Rei! Rescue Unit 01. Hurry!" Misato ordered as the second-child raced through the deserted city streets towards the shadow.
"If anything happens to him it'll all be my fault!" Asuka said to herself as her Evangelion neared the shadow. She was horrified at the thought of loosing Shinji. Kaji's words from earlier haunted her. I'll tell him, she thought, I'll tell him as soon as this is over! Please be okay Shinji!
Unit 00 braced itself between two buildings and opened fire at the sphere. Again it disappeared as the shells neared it and Rei's shots blew the top off the building behind where it had been.
"It disappeared again!" Maya announced over the intercom."
"Asuka! Watch the streets!" Ritsuko ordered her, almost panicking. Unit 02 stopped running and looked down.
"The shadow!" Asuka muttered, searching the ground beneath her. As is began to turn black, she leapt onto the side of a nearby building. Below her, cars, railing and street signs began to sink into the shadow. The German cried out in fear as the building she clung to began to sink. She pushed her axe deep into the structure and used as a step to get higher. Then she pulled out her progressive knife and did the same with it. She managed to reach the top this time.
"The whole city is sinking!" she gasped as she looked out from her vantage point.
"Asuka, Rei, pull back! Get out of there!" Misato ordered over the intercom.
"Huh? What?" Asuka asked, surprised. A video link appeared to her left. She looked at it and was surprised to see the first-child looking worried.
"Wait! Unit 01 and Shinji are still in there," Rei told the major, her voice betraying her concern. Asuka was surprised by the tone of her voice.
"This is an order," Misato told them firmly. Her eyes were closed and she was gritting her teeth, holding back the tears that threatened to flow. "Withdraw now!"
--------------
Several hours later, Lieutenant Ibuki sat at her console in the Command Centre, monitoring the situation. Doctor Akagi was stood behind her, reading a report from her clipboard.
"Major Katsuragi must feel terrible," Maya commented.
"They reeled Shinji's umbilical cable back in, but the other end us missing," Ritsuko informed her assistant.
"Then, without power..."
"There's not much energy left in the internal batteries. If Shinji doesn't waste it groping blindly in the dark, if he stays in the most minimal life-support mode, then he can survive for sixteen hours," the doctor told her. Maya sighed heavily. She had grown quite fond of all three pilots and was immensely saddened by the day's events.
--------------
Above them, Makato Hyugo and Major Katsuragi flew over the shadow in a Nerv helicopter. It was twilight, which was making a visual inspection of the area difficult. The pitch-black shadow continued to grow, at a rate of a metre a minute, according the information the bespectacled technician had gathered. The major frowned, then ordered the pilot to return to base.
--------------
Seven hours later, a Mobile Command Position had been set up three kilometres from the edge of the shadow. The two remaining Eva's were on stand-by, crouching within a cluster of UN tanks, entry-plugs partially removed, to allow the pilots to exit them. The area was filled with activity.
Misato listened to the sound of the nearby church bell ringing as she looked through the binoculars she had trained on the shadow. She was stood outside the mobile command vehicle, with the door still open behind her.
"The UN forces have surrounded the shadow," Shigeru told the major, looking at her through the open door.
"Movement?" she asked, not averting her gaze.
"It hasn't moved," Makato informed her, leaning back from his console. "It stopped spreading after it passed a diameter of 600 metres." He paused, feeling foolish about what he felt he had to ask. "Err, speaking of which, is there a reason for moving all those ground troops in there?"
"They're there to help us apply pressure," Katsuragi told him, lowering the binoculars, "theoretically."
--------------
From her position leaning on the railing surrounding the area, the second-child looked at the sphere as it hung over the city. How she had avoided collapsing during the several hours since Shinji had disappeared into the shadow she did not know. She felt as if there was a gaping hole in her chest where her heart should be. She blamed herself for what had happened. It had been her idea for the third-child to take point after all. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, forcing back the tears which welled up within her once more.
Rei Ayanami had been watching the German for the last few hours, and was confused. From what she had observed of the second-child, Rei had expected her to be happy that Shinji had been lost. But instead, Asuka appeared devastated and lost. The first-child walked over to the railing and stood next to the redhead. She stood alongside her for a few moments. If Asuka had noticed her, she didn't show it.
"You are worried about Ikari, are you not?" the blue-haired girl asked the German, interrupting her morbid and depressing thoughts.
"What?! Of course I am!" Asuka replied, surprised. She stood up straight and stared at the first-child.
"I did not expect you to react in this manner," Rei informed her.
"Oh. And just how did you expect me to react Wonder-girl?" the second-child enquired, staring at her. Shinji would have shrunk away from her had she spoken to him in that tone of voice or looked at him with that expression on her face. Asuka was livid. She didn't know why, but she was.
"I had thought you would be pleased," the pilot of Unit 01 answered calmly.
"Why the hell would I be pleased with that?" Asuka demanded loudly, flinging her arm out towards the sphere. "What kind of heartless bitch do you take me for?!"
"That's enough!" Misato told them. She'd been attracted by the German's raised voice and had come over to investigate. She hadn't heard everything they'd said, but she had heard enough to understand the gist of it. The two girls looked at her as she stared past them into the city. "We're all worried about Shinji," she added.
--------------
"I never thought that doing nothing could be this exhausting," Shinji sighed, looking around the interior of his darkened entry-plug. He was slouched in his seat, trying to get as comfortable as he could. He depressed a button on the right control grip and the plug powered up. But the display showed nothing but pure white, and a strange sound filled the cockpit.
"Still nothing but white noise," he muttered sitting upright. "No radar data or sonar reflections," he sighed. He pressed the button again and set the plug back to life-support mode. Curious, he looked at the chronometer on the back of his left hand. Shinji watched it for a few moments as the seconds ticked by.
"It's been twelve hours since I switched to life-support mode," the third-child muttered sadly and sighed, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. "My life will end in four or five hours."
Again he replayed the events that had brought him here. He sighed heavily as he realised he'd have to apologise to Asuka for being obnoxious. Why he'd said what he had, he didn't know. But he'd said it. His stomach rumbled.
"I'm hungry."
--------------
Ritsuko looked at the crowd assembled before her as she explained the situation to them. She knew they expected her to give them the answer to all their questions. Questions she knew would revolve around what had happened to Unit 01. The white board behind her held the results of the last ten hours work of intense investigation and deliberation, with a hefty chunk of guesswork thrown in.
"So that shadow is actually the Angel's body?" Misato asked, summing up the doctor's science heavy explanations.
"Correct," Ritsuko answered. "It's six hundred eighty metres in diameter, with a thickness of three nano-metres," she continued. "Sustained within that ultra-thin space is an inverted AT Field. Inside of that field is a region of space that can only be defined by abstract mathematics. A sea of Dirac. It could be another universe." Akagi paused as she noticed her friend raise her hand.
"What about the sphere?" the major asked.
"It disappears when the imaginary circuit of the body closes," Ritsuko told her. "This implies that the object in the sky is a kind of shadow." Katsuragi and several of the technicians looked behind them, at the sphere.
"So the black shadow that swallowed Unit 01 is the real target," Misato muttered, her mind racing to come up with a solution to the problem they faced.
"Then there's no way we can fight it," Asuka whispered, her tone demonstrating her concern. She was sat on a crate to one side. She hadn't really been listening, as the doctor's explanations had made little sense to her. What have I done? she wondered, terrified for Shinji.
--------------
Shinji opened his eyes slightly as he forced away the fatigue which threatened to over take him. They snapped open fully as he realised what was happening.
"Uh, the water's getting cloudy! The purification system is breaking down," he said, beginning to panic. A stream of bubbles came out of his mouth and he covered his nose as a vile stench filled his nasal passages. "It smells in here," he commented, closing his eyes. The aroma had a familiar metallic tang to it.
"Blood!" he cried, recognising the scent. "This place smells like blood!" He reached up to the emergency door overhead and tried in vain to open it as his fear took over. "I hate this place! Let me out." When the release wouldn't work, he began smashing his fist into the door, trying to force it open.
"Why can't I open the door? Open up! Let me out!" he pleaded. "Misato, tell me what's going on. Please." No one answered. "Asuka. Misato. Ayanami. Ritsuko. Father..." his voice trailed off as the burst of strength faded. His arms hang limply from the door. "Please...someone help me," he begged, fighting back tears.
--------------
"You're gonna blow the shadow up?" Major Katsuragi asked her friend in shock after the doctor outlined her plan.
"I'm afraid it's the only possibility that might work," Ritsuko replied calmly. "The plan is to drop all 992 existing N2 mines into the target's centre whilst simultaneously activating the AT Fields of both the remaining Eva's in such a way as to disrupt the hypothetical circuit that encloses the Angel's pocket interior," she explained. "If we concentrate enough explosive power during that same micro-second we could destroy the Angel along with the Dirac sea that makes up its body."
"But the damage to Eva would be... Shinji wouldn't... What the hell kind of rescue operation is this?!" Misato asked, exasperated.
"Our priority is to get the Eva back," the doctor informed her. "Even if it has to be destroyed in the process."
"Now wait a second!" Katsuragi said, taking a step forward. Her temper was rearing its head, which meant trouble.
"Under these conditions the pilot's life irrelevant," Akagi told her. The major snapped. She closed the distance between them and smacked the blonde doctor as hard as she could across her left cheek. A helicopter flew low overhead as Ritsuko's glasses flew to the concrete.
"It's your responsibility if Shinji's lost Misato!" the doctor yelled at her friend, clutching her stinging cheek. "You seem to have forgotten that." Katsuragi glared at her.
"And why in the hell are you and Commander Ikari so worried about recovering Unit 01?" Misato demanded. She grabbed the doctor's lab coat and pulled her so their faces were centimetres apart. "What's so special about it?"
"You've been given all the information Major!" Akagi told her.
"That's bull!" Katsuragi replied. She stared the doctor in the eye for a moment, then released her. Ritsuko took a step back as she regained her balance.
"Misato, just trust me," she said, failing to notice that the major's fist were balled. After a few moments pause she added, "I'm taking command of this entire operation effective immediately." The blonde bent down and picked up her glasses. Seeing them undamaged, she slips them in her pocket.
"Forward all flights to Kansai International Airport," Ritsuko ordered through her cell phone as she walked past the major. Contact air control and the air transport division..." Misato, lost in her thoughts frowned.
Second Impact, the instrumentality project, Adam, Katsuragi mused. There's so many secrets that I'm in the dark about.
--------------
Becoming aware of a sensation of movement, Shinji opened his eye to find himself sat in a dark train car. A red light was coming through the windows opposite him. He had no idea how he came to be there, or where he was headed. A few moments later, he became aware of the presence of another.
Who...who's that? he asked. A loud beeping sound seemed to approach and pass him by. Who? he repeated.
Who. Shinji Ikari. a voice replied. It sounded like his, but more confident. He couldn't tell where it was coming from.
That...that's me, the third-child said.
I am you, the voice informed him. This self incorporates another self. The self has always been composed of two selves.
Two? Shinji asked, confused by the other's words.
Yes. The self which is observed and the self which observes itself, the other explained. To expound, there is the Shinji Ikari that exists in your mind, the Shinji Ikari in Misato Katsuragi's mind, the Shinji Ikari is Asuka Sohryu's mind, the Shinji Ikari in Rei Ayanami's mind and the Shinji Ikari in Gendo Ikari's mind. All are different Shinji Ikari's but each of them is a true Shinji Ikari. What you fear is the Shinji Ikari's who exist in the minds of others.
I'm just afraid of being hated, the boy told the other.
You are afraid of being hurt. the other rebutted. The car was suddenly filled with light from the setting sun, which was visible in the window before Shinji. Sat opposite him was a small boy, whose face was hidden by shadow.
Wh...who is bad? Ikari asked.
Father is, the other informed him.The father who deserted us.
No, I'm the one who's bad, Shinji replied, closing his eyes and lowering his head. He suddenly found himself sat in the living room of Misato's apartment. Asuka was sat on the couch in front of him.
"You apologise even when you've done nothing wrong, don't you?" she asked angrily. Before he could say anything, the he found himself stood in the kitchen, a pot in his hands. Asuka was now stood in the doorway, wearing only a pair of towels, as she had been that morning. "Do you really think it's your fault?" she asked, giving him a dirty look.
Shinji suddenly found himself stood in front of Misato. He wasn't sure where they were, and he was confused by what was going on.
I'm worthless, he told her, turning away from her.
"No," Misato responded, "you just believe that you're worthless Shinji." He was about to tell her something, when he found himself on one of the many elevators in headquarters. Rei was stood on the step in front of him, facing him. She slapped him, hard.
"Don't you trust your own father?" she asked him. Before he could answer, he was stood staring into the face of his father. They were in the graveyard.
I thought I hated my father, but now I'm not sure, he thought. It took all of his effort not to break eye contact with his father.
"That was good work Shinji," he heard Gendo say, even though the mouth of the figure before him didn't move. Again his locale shifted. He couldn't tell where he was, but his father was walking away from him, hands in his pockets.
My father call me by my name, Shinji said, remembering how pleased he had been by his fathers words. I was praised by my father! He found himself back in the train car.
Will you live the rest of your life regurgitating and re-digesting those few pleasant memories? the other asked him.
If I trust their words, it's enough, the boy told the other. Enough to keep me alive.
Even though you know you're deceiving yourself? the other asked calmly.
Everybody does it! the third-child replied. That's how everyone survives.
If you will not accept that you are capable of initiating change within yourself, you will be unable to continue, the other informed him.
This world is filled with too much pain and suffering to keep going on, Shinji told the other.
For example, you can't swim, the other continued, ignoring the boy's comment
Humans aren't made to float! Shinji replied defensively.
This is self-deception.
I don't care what you wanna call it! the third-child replied.
You have been shutting your eyes and covering your ears making yourself blind and deaf to that which you wish to avoid, the other told him. Shinji was about to say something, when he suddenly felt himself hit the ground. Stunned, he saw Toji in front of him, rubbing his fist. His friend grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.
"His sister was injured during the incident," he heard Kensuke say. The memory of how Unit 01 had looked after the battle with the third Angel, when it had lost it's cranial armour flashed before his eyes. It made him cringe, as it had when he'd first seen it. Then a silhouette of Misato's head appeared before him.
"Who cares what the others say?" it asked the boy. Shinji groaned. Next to appear was a close up of his fathers face, staring at him coldly.
"Leave!" he heard his father say. A number of images flashed through his mind, too fast for him to take them in. He bent forward and covered his ears.
No I don't wanna hear this! he cried.
See? You're running away from the reality again, the other informed him No one can justify their existence by linking their happiest moments into a kind of rosary. In particular, I cannot. The last two words seemed to echo throughout the train car.
What's wrong with doing something I want to do? he demanded to know. Shinji lifted his head, his hands covering his ears and his eyes still closed. "Why won't you leave me alone?" he yelled.
--------------
"The entry-plug's energy reserves should be reaching their expiration point about now," Makato told sadly Doctor Akagi as his console in the mobile command vehicle indicated that the missing Evangelion would now be losing the last of it's power.
"The plug-suit life support system will be getting closer to redline," Maya muttered. She was so weighed down by how she felt, she had come close to quitting and just walking away.
"We'll advance by twelve minutes," Ritsuko told them. "Let's do it while there's a possibility that Shinji's still alive," she added in a quieter tone.
--------------
Shinji found himself reliving the day his father abandoned him. He felt the tears he had cried then running down his cheek. Father, don't you want me? he asked, fighting the emotions that had overcome him that day so long ago.
"Father!" he cried. In his mind, he replaces his younger self in the memory. His head was down, and his fists clenched. Suddenly the bright day turned black.
It was yourself that you ran away from, the other told him, sounding as if it was stood behind him. Memories of pages from newspapers flashed through his mind, too fast to read or recognise.
"That's right! He may be guilty of killing his own wife," as voice said. Shinji couldn't tell whose it was, but it sounded familiar.
"He killed his own wife," another voice said, as familiar as the first.
No! Shinji cried, denying them M...mother was... he said, as the image of a framed photograph appeared to him. In it, his mother was carrying him on her back. Smiling... he finished.
He found himself looking at Misato as she stood in an open doorway, lit from behind so only her silhouette was visible.
"Shinji, you did something very important today," the major told him. The image of his father walking away from him reappeared.
"Shinji, you must not run away," Gendo informed his son. The image shifted back to Katsuragi.
"You've got to do your best," she told the third-child. Everything turned black. There was no sensation of sight, sound, smell or touch. Total sensory depravation.
I hate this place, Shinji thought, sighing deeply. I hate this loneliness.
--------------
"N..no," Shinji muttered. His eyes were closed and he had curled himself up, almost to a foetal position. He opened his eyes. "Oh, the heat system and the oxygen are giving out," he added, sighing. He closed his eyes again and drew his legs up tighter against him, trying to get warmer.
"I'm cold!" he murmured, shivering. He noticed a red light on the back of his right hand was flashing. "The suit is giving out too. S...so cold. This is the end. So tired...of everything. He closed his eyes, trying to think himself warmer. A few moments later, his knotted brow relaxed as he passed out.
A few moments later, a glow appeared at the front of the entry-plug and moved towards him. A ghostly hand stroked his left cheek. Feeling the contact, he opened his eyes wide in shock. He found himself floating naked, with the spectral figure of a woman floating before him. He relaxed from the foetal position as the figure wrapped its arms around him. As it did, he felt a warmth emanating from it.
"Mo...mother?" he asked. The scene shifted. All he could see was a bright white light. Overhead, the silhouette of a few leaves were visible. His mother's silhouette appeared before him. For some reason, he felt younger.
"Is this enough?" his mother whispered to him. In his mind, a younger version of himself stood before his mother, presenting a small red ball to her. His eyes were closed and he was saying something. "Oh, you're in love," Yui continued. Shinji felt a peace he had never known deep within himself. "Well, that's good for you." The silhouette of Yui Ikari faded into the bright light.
--------------
As the sun began to rise over he horizon, Evangelion Units 00 and 02 stood at the edge of the black target. How Asuka had found the strength to make it through the dark night, she didn't know. She was tired, not only physically from lack of sleep, but emotionally as well. She couldn't think straight. If she had, she would have realised that there was little chance of Shinji surviving what they were about to attempt.
"Both Eva's are in position and standing by," Shigeru's voice announced over the intercom. The German only half-listened to what was going on in the mobile command vehicle.
"AT Field's are ready to generate," Maya added. The second-child sighed.
Why can't they just get on with it, she thought, exhausted.
"Roger." That was Dr. Akagi's voice. She'd taken over from Misato for some reason. Asuka intended to ask the major about that when this was over.
"T minus sixty seconds to mine drop," Shigeru declared. Overhead, dozens of military jets flew in close formation. Asuka knew that they each carried a number of N2 mines within their holds.
Suddenly, the black ground that made up the target began to rupture and break, a red glow visible through the cracks. Asuka looked on, shocked as the fissures grew larger and spread.
"What the hell is that?" she asked. The ground began to buck as if there was something beneath it trying to get out.
--------------
"What's going on?" Misato asked from her position next to Ritsuko. The sound of alarms filled the mobile command vehicle.
"We don't know!" Makato told her, trying to make sense of the data his console was displaying.
"All our meters and gauges are going off the scale," Maya announced.
"But we haven't done anything yet," Akagi cried, puzzled. Misato turned the blonde doctor.
"You think it could be Shinji?" she asked, a flicker of hope within her becoming stronger.
"It's impossible!" Ritsuko told her friend, turning to face her. "Unit 01's power level must be at zero."
--------------
Asuka had listened to every word said over the open comm link. A bright hope shone clear within her. It WAS Shinji. It had to be. It must be. Movement above the ground caught her eye. She looked at the sphere and was surprised to see the pattern on its surface shifting. The sound of something breaking filled her cockpit. Slowly the pattern faded, leaving the sphere completely black.
A moment later, Unit 01's forearm burst out of the side of the sphere, blood spurting from the hole. The German held her breath and heard a combined gasp through the intercom. Despite the blood obscuring things, she could just about see what was happening. The hand was joined by the other one. They gripped the sides of the hole and forced it open further, splitting the sphere even more.
Once the hole was large enough, the Evangelions head and upper torso appeared in the hole, covered in blood. The sphere began to break up around it. Unit 01 threw back its head and roared as the Angel's blood flew all around it.
"Mein Gott. Is that what I'm piloting?" Asuka asked, stunned.
--------------
"God in heaven. What kind of monster have we made this from?" Ritsuko asked, shocked by what she was seeing on the command vehicle's monitors. Misato looked at the doctor suspiciously.
I know that the Eva's are more than just copies of the first Angel, she thought, turning away. But what is Nerv going to do with them? What it Nerv going to do with the Eva's once all the Angels have been destroyed.
--------------
The sphere broke up completely and the Eva dropped to the ground, landing almost cat-like. It stood upright, looking like a feral monster, covered in blood. It stood there, silent and not moving.
Within Asuka, fear fought with relief. She was terrified by what she had just witnessed, but she was joyfully relieved that Shinji had returned to her.
--------------
Major Katsuragi ran over to the third-child's entry plug as soon as it was removed and opened it. The LCL that came flowing out of the opened hatch forced her backwards. Once the flow had stopped she returned to the hatch and flung it wide open.
"Shinji? Shinji?!" she cried tearfully as she looked inside. Her breath caught for a moment, until she saw his chest rising and falling. She'd feared they'd got him back too late. That he was dead. But he was alive. He looked completely wasted, but he was alive. Misato collapsed onto him, hugging him with all her strength. "Shinji?! Are you alright?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.
"I just wanted to see her again, one more time," he muttered.
A few metres away, Asuka stood watching. It was taking all of her self-control not to run over and push her guardian out of the way and hold Shinji in her arms, and tell him she loved him. She was so relieved that he lived, tears of joy ran down her face, though she did her best to stem the flow.
--------------
Later that day, Unit 01 had been returned to Nerv headquarters and was stood in its cage, having the Angel's blood washed off. A number of technicians in haz-mat suits were assisting the automated jets. Doctor Akagi and Commander Ikari stood on the catwalk, watching as the work progressed. They were wearing waterproof jackets.
"I've never seen the Eva looking as horrifying as it did today," Ritsuko commented. "Are the Eva's really on our side, or do they hate us? There's something else." She turned and looked at her superior. "I think that Major Katsuragi may suspect something."
"Let her be. At least for now," Gendo told her, his eyes glued to the Eva. Akagi looked back at the robot.
"If Rei or Shinji were to learn about the Eva's secrets, they'd never forgive us," she told him.
--------------
The sound of birds singing greeted Shinji as he awoke. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was once again in the infirmary. He could hear a television in another room. It sounded to him like an aerobics workout was being shown. Sitting up, he noticed Rei was sat in a chair to his left. He sighed, grateful to be alive.
"You can rest today," the first-child told him. She stood up. "We'll take care of everything."
"But I'm...I'm feeling just fine now," Shinji told her. He looked down at the bed sheets and then closed his eyes.
"Well, that's good for you," she replied and began to walk past his bed towards the door on the other side of the room. The boy's eye shot open at her words. She'd spoken the exact same words as the vision of his mother had. He watched as she opened the door, feeling confused.
--------------
Come on, come on. What's taking so long? Asuka wondered, tapping her foot as she stood in the hall outside Shinji's room. She was impatient to get in there and see him, but she knew she had to wait until Rei left. She looked through the door's window just as the first-child opened the door.
"He is awake," Rei told her as the German jumped backwards. Before Asuka could respond, Ayanami had walked off down the corridor. The second-child shot her a dirty look and went into the room.
"It's about time you woke up, you lazy bum," Asuka said as she closed the door. Shinji looked at her and smiled. He was so glad to see her. She noticed his smile and returned it, walking around the bed to the chair Rei had vacated.
"How are you Asuka?" the third-child asked her as she sat down.
"That was my question Shinji," she replied, looking at his face, relieved the fatigue she had seen when he had been loaded into the ambulance was gone.
"I'm fine, really," he assured her. She reached out and took one of his hands in hers.
"There...there's something I need to tell you," she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Something I should have told you before now."
"What?" Shinji asked, cocking his head to one side, puzzled. A feeling of dread welled up within him, but he didn't let it show. She looked down at her lap.
"I...I love you," she told him, rushing the words out. "I love you Shinji," she repeated, slower and more calmly. He squeezed her hand and she looked back to him. His smile threatened to out shine the sun.
"I love you too Asuka," he told her. "I love you too." Overjoyed by his words, she threw her arms around the boy and hugged him with all her might and heart.
To be continued...
Next Chapter -
A new pilot and a rebellion.
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Well, what do you think? Please contact me with your comments. I'll try to answer any questions in the author notes for the next chapter.
If you want to discuss something with me, please send me an e-mail. My address is CEO_Room3@Hotmail.com. I'll do my best to respond to all correspondence.
I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, but it could take a while. Please be patient.