Started July 14, 2001
Finished August 15,2001
Version 4

The Game: First Time
Red Horseman

There is no hunting like the hunting of
man, and those who have hunted armed men
long enough and liked it, never care for
anything else thereafter.
---Ernest Hemingway




* * * *

The cool breeze and the quiet sounds of nature did not reach
the pair of young adults dressed for a nature walk. They were too
occupied in reaching their destination. The woman of the pair was
arguing with her other half over something, which caused him to
blush and shrug his shoulders as he sat down under a tree. They sat
under the shade of a tree and took binoculars from their packs
before training them on a distance object.

A quiet country estate.

"Chiba Kimio." Asuka's binoculars moved slightly as they
followed the movement of a old man. "The guy really doesn't do a
lot for a SEELE member."

Shinji nodded in reply, not stopping his observations. This
was their fifth trip out into the country and their fifth hilltop
in a week's time. Their car was parked two hours behind them in the
parking lot of the nature reserve they were hiking through. That
Kimio had his estate on the edge of the reserve had been a plus in
their surveillance of the man. It meant they didn't gain unwanted
attention from their coming and going, as the reserve was popular.

"Cocky isn't he?" Asuka asked, as Kimio stopped and joked
with one of his workers.

Shinji saw the same event, but disagreed.

"Not at all. He's arrogant and has a large ego." He paused,
looking over at Asuka until she met his gaze, "Just like someone I
know."

"Wh...what do you mean by that?" Asuka asked.

"Oh, nothing." She was now standing in front of him; arms
crossed and foot tapping.

"Hey! I had my pride to defend." She turned her head with
nose high in the air, "I had to show a spineless boy who was
smarter and the better pilot." Asuka smiled down at him, "How else
was I going to get you to wait on me hand and foot, the most
beautiful girl... woman you know."

This time Shinji was the one trying to come up with a retort.
Finally, he thought of something to take the wind out of her sails.

"Well, I meant nothing of it but." He stressed the word. "If
you're going to make a big deal about it. Didn't you just prove me
right?"

Shinji smiled as Asuka frowned and sat back down next to him
in defeat. He had a couple reasons to being smiling. This was
another victory for him in an on going battle of wits they had from
time to time. That didn't mean he was in the lead, far from it, as
Asuka won the majority and seemed to take pleasure in keeping him
unbalanced. He took it gracefully and did the chores she wanted
done.

The other was her blush on her cheeks as she jotted down some
notes of what they had observed. It wasn't the blush in and of
itself, but what it showed him. Asuka was improving daily from her
wounding at the hands of the bounty hunter. Her color and weight
were almost back to normal from a steady diet and doing exercising
in their apartment. They had his father's bank accounts to thank
for a lot of things.

"You going to stare at me all day or get back to work," Asuka
deadpanned never looking up.

"Sorry."

Shinji blushed as he been caught staring too long at Asuka.
As he picked up his binoculars again Shinji thought he heard a sigh
come from Asuka, but her features were blank when he looked. As he
turned back to looking at the estate and how it was arranged, Shinji
couldn't help but think about what had been happening between them
since that night four months ago when they decided to act.

"Guards probably inside the house, and the servants all leave
at night." The plans of the house were lying on the ground between
them, a gift from a public servant for some quick cash. Rooms were
crossed off as they were identified for their uses and danger level.

"Of course, he's got an appearance to keep up for the public."
They had noticed this during the course of their surveillance. A
small security patrol would come in the morning do a sweep and
escort Kimio to his offices, repeating the sweeps at night.

"Everyone likes the caring businessman, so why should he have
bodyguards?" Her tone was sarcastic.

"That he also has the local and regional police in his pockets
is going to cause problems." Gendo's files on SEELE were extensive
and had provided who was in the pockets of each member. Kimio's
control of the local judicial system and the police outpost four
miles down the road could cause inconveniences to the pair.

The pair stayed in place, watching Kimio relax for hours until
the sun began setting behind the mountains. As sun reflected off of
granite Shinji found himself taking in the view of brilliant colors.
He had missed so much by being on the run that this was his first
sunset that he had watched in years.

"Not much to look at, is it?"

"What do you mean?" He turned and looked at Asuka, who despite
her words was watching the sun sink lower.

"Well, it's missing a lot of things that make a sunset
memorable." She never turned her head, but Shinji could tell she was
smiling.

"Like what?"

"I'm not going to tell you." She turned to stare at him with a
large smile. "When this is all over I'll show you the places where I
went... as a girl."

"Okay."

Neither moved after that, not wanting to disturb the quiet
around them, but with shadows lengthening and the sounds of night
life awakening they stood. Putting away the supplies and materials
they had brought, Asuka and Shinji started down the trail back to
their car. They only exchanged a couple glances as they made their
way at a quick yet careful pace. Asuka didn't want to break the
quiet around them but did anyway.

"So you ready for tonight?" Shinji smiled thinly.

"What about you?" Asuka frowned and stopped.

"I know what to do, you're the one with the dangerous part."

Shinji came to stand in front of Asuka.

"Asuka?"

"Hey diddle, diddle straight up the middle." He laughed at
Asuka's quote of a joke about Marine tactics, but that was their
plan for that night.

- - - -

"Is this going to work?"

It seemed weird to Shinji seeing Asuka all worked up when he
was the worrier. As he came out of the bathroom half dressed Shinji
watched Asuka slip her black jumpsuit on. The suit was tight and
showed off her figure as she zipped it up, but it wasn't like when
they wore plugsuits. As she flexed her hands and limbs Asuka looked
over at Shinji and smirked, causing him to blush and look away.

"Sheesh, it's not like you haven't looked at me before." She
got up and started putting regular clothes over the suit. "At least
I'm not naked under this."

"Well... I guess that's a plus." He went to the mirror to
finish dressing. "We could come up with another plan." Answering
her other question.

"No." She threw blueprints to the floor, having mesmerized her
route through the house.

Asuka sat down after putting on a pair of jeans and a loose
blue blouse hiding the black jumpsuit. It had taken Kenji two weeks
to get the right suit that would reduce a person's thermal signature.
Now that they had the necessary equipment everything was moving
quickly to completion. Shinji had decided that the two of them
working together would guarantee success after all they had beaten
Angels the same way. Her fingers drummed on the arm of the chair as
she watched him dress.

Shinji nodded as he saw her nervousness with how she drummed
her fingers on the arm of the chair. It was the only way, next to
playing with her hair, that Shinji ever knew Asuka was nervous or
worried. He didn't say anything as his own stomach was aching with
worry. Asuka came to stand behind him as he pulled on his holster
and picked up his pistol. He slowly slid in a magazine and chambered
a round before putting it in place. Turning around he looked into
Asuka's blue eyes staring into his with worry.

"Just don't do anything foolish." Asuka turned Shinji around
and helped do his tie. As her hands smoothed his collar Shinji
couldn't do anything except look at Asuka. "I don't want to see any
holes in you. Bullet wounds are hard to fix and bloody."

Shinji swallowed at how soft her voice was. "Alright."

He walked over to the door and removed his coat from the hook,
slowly putting it on. Once done with that he reached over and picked
up a large carrying case carrying his ticket into Kimio's estate. As
he opened the door a hand gently grabbed his arm stopping him from
leaving. Turning he saw Asuka looking at him differently then before
with a mixture of worry and... love? He mentally shook his head not
wanting to delude himself in trying to read Asuka's emotions.

"Shinji I just want to say..." Asuka closed her mouth
trembling slightly. Anything could happen that night and she might
never be able to tell him.

"Asuka."

"Be careful out there." Her eyes turned down as she said that,
unable to look him in the eye.

"I will, just be on time."

The door closed and Asuka squeezed her hands into fists, as
her breath became ragged in anger.

"Coward."

- - - -

Knowing Asuka was fifteen minutes behind him per the plan,
Shinji pulled into the drive of Kimio's estate. The hour-long drive
had seemed much too short as Shinji's mind was still going over what
Asuka had tried to say earlier. His feelings concerning the redhead
had been known for awhile now, but he could never truly figure out
hers. At times Asuka would act like she cared, at others being
indifferent to him.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief, as the estate was dark
except for a few lights on. Walking up to the door, he pushed
thoughts of Asuka and his feelings out of his mind as he pushed the
buzzer. When the door was completely opened Shinji tried to hide
his surprise as a young man answered the door instead of a middle-
aged male. He told himself that this did not change a single thing.

"Mr. Akira Shimo." The man's voice was smooth and level.

"Yes." The man smiled and showed him into the house.

The pair was quiet as they started down the hall. Shinji
didn't gawk at the wealth surrounding him, but found it ironic.
Ironic that someone who wanted to elevate mankind to another level
surrounded himself in worldly items. As they walked Shinji was
rehearsing what would be happening later that evening. Where a hall
led, what a room was designed for and the location of all doors and
windows flashed through his mind. His guide interrupted his thoughts
after a minute of silence.

"I'm sorry for being rude. My name Yosuke Watabe, Mr. Kimio's
attendant."

Attendant, the same as a bodyguard Shinji thought.

"And Mr. Kimio is where?"

"In his study waiting for you."

Before Shinji could reply to that they reached the destination
on the other side of the house. As Watabe opened the door Shinji
swallowed and hoped no one noticed his nervousness. Following behind
the attendant Shinji was greeted by the sight of a large study, low
lit and hundreds of books. A large desk dominated one side of the
room and behind it sat Chiba Kimio.

"Please come in."

The door closed with a hollow thud and he found himself alone
with Kimio. The easy way would be to kill him and the attendant and
leave immediately, but he couldn't. Shinji was curious of about this
man. Shinji took the wine Kimio offered and sat down in front of the
desk. He waited until the man drank from his own glass before taking
a sip from his, finding the wine too sweet for his tastes.

"I must say that I was surprised to learn that which I have
sought for years had become available again. Can you tell me how you
came to acquire the statuette, since you're much too young to have
bought it the last time it was on the market."

The man's voice was so calm and soothing that it was causing
Shinji to lower his guard. Thinking of who the man was in front of
him and what he had done Shinji explained.

"My... father recently died and it was in his collection. He
had bought it for my mother as a wedding present but she died a few
years later and the statuette was placed in storage."

"I see, that explains why no collector has seen in it in over
twenty years." Kimio motioned to Shinji's tightly clenched fist.
"The memory of your parents deaths must still hurt."

"A little. I can't really remember my mother and my father
was always questing after an impossible dream." Shinji stared hard
at Kimio. "Now can we get on with business?"

"Of course. I get a little distracted talking about such
tragic things, such as death."

Reaching down Shinji picked up a large briefcase that held
the item. Placing the case on the desk he popped the latches to
reveal a finely crafted statuette of a female in a red kimono. A
month had been used to retrieve the statue and put rumors out that
it was for sale once again. He had waited until Kimio had quietly
replied through an intermediate that he was interested in buying it
and would like a face to face meeting. This meeting was what had
allowed them to get close to Kimio to assassinate him.

"Exquisite." Kimio pulled on a pair of gloves. "May I?"

After receiving Shinji's acknowledgment he stood and gently
removed the statuette from the case. Walking over to another table
Kimio turned on more lights so he could closely examine the
statuette. Opening a couple books he started to verify that which he
was holding was the real thing. The half-hour it took for Kimio to
look at colors, hand-crafted details and other little distinguishing
marks felt like forever to Shinji as he sat in his chair. Finally
Kimio sighed and straightened up from the table.

"Come with me please."

Shinji stood nervously and followed the man out of his study
to walk a short distance to another room. As the lights came on
Shinji saw the room filled with rare items from many countries.
Paintings, statues, rugs and tablets filled cases or hung from
walls. Standing in a corner he waited for Kanno to speak or do
something.

"You're one of a few people to ever see my collection."

"It's... very nice."

Kimio laughed lightly. "Nice you say? It's the largest of its
kind in the private sector." He walked over to a case that held
other statuettes and placed Shinji's among it. "This was the last
one to finish my collection of various emperor's wives."

"I see... and the price?"

"Impatient? I'll get to that in a moment." Kimio rested his
hands on a lower shelf. "I know you took your wife's name from
marriage, that your debts and credits were cleared under law. But
something didn't quite add up when I checked your history."

Shinji looked down at his watch as the light flashed on its
face. "What was that?"

"Your father's name was no where to be found in any records,
like you had popped into existence. The same is true from the
records of the auction house concerning the buyer of the statuette."
Kimio straightened, his voice hardening. "So let's stop this
charade, Shinji Ikari."

"Who?"

"Oh, come now don't play dumb. A screen lowered and a split
image was projected, one of him during NERV and the present. Symbols
flashed over his facial structure before turning green. "An amazing
machine in its ability to match the facial structure of anyone in
its data banks."

"Quite stupid of you to come to me when running would have
been the easiest. I thank you for the gift of the statuette and
yourself" The grin of success was evident on Kimio's face as he
turned. "Let me guess, you were going to be my executioner? Your
father tried so many times to take us, failing in all his attempts."

"So why don't you be good boy and not struggle."

Shinji's knuckles turned white as he squeezed his hands in
fists. Staring down at his at his Shinji didn't relax as he watched
the time countdown on his watch. Two large men dressed in suits came
in and shoved him against the wall searching him for weapons. As
they found the pistol under his left arm he started squirming
causing them to shove him harder. Smiling to himself as they let
him go, he was forcefully turned around and brought to stand in
front of Kimio.

"Were you able to find the girl?" Kimio asked the guards.

"Not yet, sir. The trace was to a public phone and no one has
seen a person matching Ms. Soryu's description."

"What a pity."

Shinji barely had time to see the man move before a fist
slammed into his stomach. Trying to roll with the punch failed, his
breath forced out of him. Still standing, feeling sick, Shinji
eceived another punch, this time to the face. Stars flashed in
front of his eyes as the fist split open the skin of his cheek. His
arm was twisted up and behind him, causing him to go up on the tips
of his toes.

'Asuka?'

Tensing he waited for the next punch, hoping not to be too
injured.

"Stop." At that moment his watch face flashed, having reached
the end of the countdown. As soon as he was released he flexed his
muscles, loosening them up for the coming fight.

Shinji raised his eyes and saw Kimio standing there as another
agent reported. Kimio's grin grew and Shinji felt sick to his
stomach as the door opened. In flew a female with auburn hair and
wearing a jumpsuit. The agent who had shoved her picked her up by
the hair and didn't let go. He was covered in blood and Asuka had
bruises on her face from struggling. In his hand was the submachine
gun Asuka was to have used later.

"Ms. Soryu, so good of you to join us." Shinji stared wide-eyed
at Asuka; this was not part of the plan. She flashed him a quick
smile and tensed as the agent fondled her. Shinji moved in to stop
him, anger clouding his mind and a fist connected with the side of
his head, stunning him.

"Stop that Jubei." The agent quickly removed his hand. "I hope
you did a detailed search of where you found her." The agent shook
his head in embarrassment. "Go search."

That was all Kimio was able to say before the estate shook from
the concussion of explosives going off. Shinji lashed out at one of
his captor's knees, hearing a satisfying crunch as the joint was
destroyed. In a smooth motion he spun to his left towards the other
agent, arm aiming for the bottom of his chest. A shake of his wrist
and the bang stick slid into his palm. The swollen tip of the stick
struck the agent just under the sternum at a steep angle. When it
did the combined push of Shinji's arm and the inertial mass of his
body pushed the chamber backwards, jamming the primer on to the
fixed firing pin causing the shotgun shell to fire into the man's
chest.

"Oomph." The man simply crumpled to the floor like a rag doll,
dead.

Grabbing his pistol off the floor Shinji turned back to the
first target finger already tightening on the trigger. A flaash of
light and harsh impact threw off his first shots before he centered
on the target's chest. Four red spots appeared on the agent's chest
as he looked down in surprise and shock. His head jerked back and
the wall behind him was covered in crimson as Shinji fired one last
shot before ejecting the partial magazine and replacing it. The
sound of a submachine gun drew his attention back to Asuka.

He saw a flash of black go out the door over a dead body as she
ran into the hall. The guard that had fondled her was lying on the
ground in a puddle of blood from a knife thrust to the throat. The
other had sprayed his brains over Kimio as the hollow points had
blown his face off. Shinji sucked in a breath as the rush of
adrenaline coursed through his body. Seemingly calm he fired until
hitting Kimio in the leg, causing him to fall to his knees. He
walked up to the man and stopping a couple feet away aiming for his
head.

"You can't shoot me. I can tell you where to find the others
or who is working for them." Even facing death the man still
thought he could control the situation. Screams came through the
open door as people died, causing Kimio to look frantically at the
door.

"Shut up." Shinji felt completely calm and devoid of emotion
as he looked at the man. Closing his eyes briefly faces of friends
that had been killed appeared. The blood and pain of Asuka being
wounded from the bounty hunter. All steeled his resolve as he opened
his eyes and stared Kimio in the eyes, aiming for the man's chest.
He felt calm and empty of all emotion.

"How did it feel to give the order to kill so many people?
Rei, Misato,... my father."

Worry and surprise came to Kimio's eyes before he tried to
move. The narrowing of his eyes and tensing of muscles was all
Shinji needed to act. What happened next, Shinji would remember for
the rest of his life. As his finger pulled smoothly back on to the
break point on the trigger Shinji knew what he had been waiting for.
The chance to snatch the man's dreams of power at the moment they
were finally realized.

The sharp report sounded muted to his ears as the gun fired
the first round into Kimio's torso. He could see the man's eyes
widen in shock and surprise as the round entered his body, only to
exit in a crimson spray. The sharp exhalation of breath from impact
and the jerking of the body back against a display case followed.
The kick of the recoil and the automatic realigning of the gun onto
the target all felt naturally smooth to Shinji. Two arcs of bright
brass joined the first as he fired two more rounds, the sound of
them hitting the floor returned everything back to normal.

Shinji found the estate eerily quiet except for the sounds
Kimio's body was making as he lowered the gun shaking. Walking over
to the corpse Shinji stared into empty eyes as he confirmed he was
dead. Taking deep shallow breaths Shinji slowed his breathing,
surprised at how little time had elapsed and how worked up he was.
Ejecting his old magazine Shinji slipped in a full clip and slowly
walked out the door of collection room, wanting to find Asuka. What
he saw surprised him.

Besides the corpses in the room there were four dead agents
in the hall. A couple had wounds in the back indicating they had
not come from Asuka. The floor was covered in gore as he walked down
the hall despite the smoke and flames he reached an open door.
Stepping in he saw two agents sitting in front of television
monitors. His gun came up automatically before he could that they
were dead from shots to the head. None of the recording devices were
in one piece.

"I found them like that."

Shinji jumped and was turning around as the voice whispered
in his ear. A slender arm wrapped around his and held him fast as
the person giggled in his ear. The person holding him released his
arm and Shinji turned around to see Asuka staring at him, laughing
lightly. Despite the situation Shinji joined in the sudden release
causing him to become light-headed. Her face was covered in sweat
and soot from the growing fire.

"Asuka?" She stopped laughing and looked own at her body.

"I'm going to have an interesting set of bruises tomorrow."
Her body armor had been hit by a multitude of bullets and her
breathing was labored.

"Let's get out of here."

Stepping out of the room the pair counted their blessings.
Returning to the collection and as he reached for the statuette
Shinji couldn't help but look into Kimio's eyes. A sickening
feeling and coldness invaded Shinji as what he had just done sank
into his mind. Latching the case he left the house and got into the
car, knowing the feeling in his gut would only get worse with time.

- - - -

"Shinji, what's wrong?"

That was the first thing Asuka said as they stepped through
the door to the apartment but her voice wasn't angry, instead it
sounded worried in its quietness. The ride back from the burning
estate had been quiet despite all the feelings of tension in their
bodies. Shinji had not answered any of her questions as he stared
straight ahead, determined to reach some destination in his mind.
The flat hard look in his eyes scared her as they also held pain.

"Nothing." Shinji stumbled against a wall, leaving a bloody
mark.

Asuka was next to him in a flash as she saw the blood and his
body sag. Shock and blood loss had over taken the pain numbing
effects of adrenaline. Placing one of his arms around her shoulders
she carried him into the bedroom and put him in the bed. Quick
nimble fingers had his jacket and shirt off in a flash.

"Idiot I told you not to get any holes." She smiled faintly.

The ever ready emergency kit was soon opened and next to
Asuka as she went to work to stop the blood. The bullet had punched
a clean hole through his side, it was luck that it had not hit any
organs. Disinfecting the wound Asuka watched for any reaction from
Shinji but he remained unconscious. She kept changing bandages
until blood no longer soaked through, wrapping gauze around two
clean bandages. Asuka looked at the blood on her hands and sighed
as she remembered the blood on Shinji as he had treated her months
ago.

"Man you're heavy." Asuka grunted as she picked him up, her
own body protesting. Setting Shinji on the floor she pulled the
bloody sheets off the bed and flipped the mattress. Going to the
closet she remade the bed with clean sheets before stripping Shinji
down to his underwear and putting him under the covers.

Unzipping the suit Asuka took a sniff.

"Sorry Shinji, ladies first." She had the jumpsuit off even
before reaching the door to the washroom. Soon the sound of a
shower running was heard from the open door but Shinji remained
oblivious to his surroundings.

Shinji watched in horror as the execution replayed in his
head as he watched off to the side, a spectator. His other self had
a cruel smile that kept growing as he shot the person in front of
him. At first Kimio and guards appeared but soon others were
kneeling on the floor. Shinji watched in horror as his other self
trying to turn away as he gunned down Rei and Misato, before Touji
and Kensuke appeared. He screamed when Asuka showed up pleading with
him to stop that she loved him. Time slowed as the other Shinji's
grin grew and his finger pulled back slowly.

"No!"

His entire body convulsed as he woke from the nightmare,
sweaty and shaking. The gray surface of the ceiling met his eyes as
he calmed to a slight trembling. Shinji knew the nightmare was a
reflection of the crime he had committed just hours ago or days. He
couldn't tell, as his body was weak and hot from something. A hand
ran along his side reaching the bandaged wound and Shinji remembered
the jarring impact from the guard. His eyes closed and a ragged cry
escaped his lips trying to forget the nightmare and guilt it
brought.

All this was witnessed by Asuka as she sat in a chair in the
corner watching over Shinji as he had done so many times with her.
She had sat there in semi-darkness with only a full moon to keep
her company as sirens screamed through the night. As silver streaks
slid down Shinji's cheeks Asuka couldn't understand what he was
feeling. She didn't feel any guilt over the killings but Shinji
wasn't her.

Shinji's eyes flew open when he felt something-warm join him
under the sheets, an arm wrapping around his waist. He turned his
head and saw Asuka next to him wearing only a T-shirt and with
worry in her eyes. He couldn't help but again notice how beautiful
she was as she rested her head on his shoulder. His body couldn't
help but tremble at the feeling of her body leaning against his.

"When I woke up from my self imposed exile I asked you why
you were there." She pre-empted. "Why you had waited for a bitch
like me to wake up after the way I had treated you."

"Asuka..."

"Or why you continued to patch me up. You do so much for me
at risk to yourself." She rolled onto Shinji, her arms on either
side of his head. "And you always give one answer."

"Because I care." He smiled.

"Yes." Her lips brushed his. "You care so much even for those
that have hurt you, like me and your father."

Shinji's body tensed as her lips met his inn a gentle kiss. He
lay there stunned before wrapping his arms around her and enjoying
it. It had been years since they had given each other a true first
kiss on his eighteenth birthday, both treasuring it. Shinji felt
disappointed as she pulled back and looked at him, a small smile
evident. Asuka's body groaned in pain as Shinji hugged her but she
ignored the pain, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I don't want to lose you Shinji. Not to bullets or to
depression and guilt." A tear slid down her cheek. "Please, let it
go."

He couldn't meet her gaze, sadly. "I can't Asuka. I don't know
if something is wrong with me or what but I can't forget their
faces."

"I can't understand you but.." A sigh. "Don't do anything
stupid."

She leaned down at his nod, unable to find the courage to tell
him anything more.

- - - -

Shinji slowly woke the next day as the sun shone into the
apartment as it rose farther into the sky. Reaching over he was
going to wake Asuka but was disappointed, as she was no longer next
to him. The sheets didn't hold any heat from her body but the pillow
still held the scent of strawberries from Asuka's shampoo. Sitting
up Shinji groaned as cramps took hold of his body for a moment. He
enjoyed sharing a bed, no matter how infrequent it happened, with
Asuka feeling calm and at peace in being able to feel her warmth and
heartbeat next to him. That he wasn't alone in the world.

The smell of breakfast caused his stomach to grumble and he
stood to walk to the small kitchen. As he walked the faces of the
men he killed flashed in front of him and Shinji put a hand to his
face to block the images. Cracked eyes allowed him to reach the door
of kitchen. What he saw lightened his mood of the images in his
mind.

"Good morning sleepy head." Asuka's voice was light and
cheerful as she cooked.

"Morning."

Shinji sat down at the table as Asuka finished her
preparations for breakfast. She looked refreshed as she brought
over what she had cooked. Shinji couldn't help but smile as she
wore clean shorts and a T-shirt obviously after taking a shower
while he smelled like sweat and was pale from blood loss. As they
dug into omelets and toast they stared at each other.

"You feeling better?"

"A little."

"That's nice."

Silence reigned in the small room after the little exchange.
Asuka was hoping that Shinji would talk to her about the night
before but she wouldn't push him. Like Shinji she had enjoyed
sharing a bed with him. She looked at him and she thought he didn't
look better but then again he had lost blood and guilt ate at him.
Asuka didn't know why she blushed as Shinji caught her staring, it
wasn't like she hadn't done it before.
"How can you be so calm about last night?" Shinji thought she
wouldn't answer but Asuka paused, her blush fading.

"I guess because I don't see them as people, just objects in
my way."

"What!" Shinji just looked at her, shocked.

"Look, Shinji." She stared him in the eyes. "It may seem cold
but it's our survival and the world's at stake. What happens if you
freeze and one of us is wounded and captured. Or killed because you
hesitated?" Shinji looked down at the table taking in her words.
Standing Asuka moved to get another cup of tea.

"You want any sugar in you tea?"

Shinji nodded at her question and continued eating, thinking.
As Asuka placed the cup in front of him Shinji grabbed her hand,
gently holding it. "About last night, thank you."

"You're welcome." She squeezed his hand before he let go.

Asuka rubbed her hand as Shinji got up and went to wash up. It
disappointed her that after the night before he wouldn't go any
further then holding her hand. Getting over it she started cleaning
up the dirty dishes from breakfast as the shower started up. By the
time Shinji was done everything was cleaned and she was sitting in
the couch drinking more tea. The television was on and the local
broadcasters were airing a breaking story.

"I thought the deaths would be covered up by everyone." Asuka
was a little pale as the reporters told the details of how the men
were killed. Everything had been a blur to her last night, as she
hadn't seen people but objects.

"Shinji." She waited for him to join her on the couch. "You
know I didn't kill everyone. Some were already dead."

"Yeah."

"What do you think?" She stretched out looking at the ceiling.

"I don't know, but I think that our freedom for the last six
years hasn't been from just luck or our abilities."

The room grew quiet as the pair thought about that. That
someone was watching over them was scary. "So now what do we do?"

"We stay here for a couple more days." That had been the plan
as the apartment they were staying was located in one of five towns
surrounding Kimio's estate. The amount of people and traffic in each
town would mask their movements when they finally left.

- - - -

"Lucky bastard." This came from a man who was watching Asuka
wrestle Shinji onto to the floor. "We do all the work and he gets
the girl."

"Well they deserve to have some fun." His partner replied,
sounding humored at his friend's mood. He looked up from computer
screen to see Shinji pin Asuka.

"Anyway the boss is going to be pissed. They just destroyed
twelve years of work with their stunt."

"It can't be helped. Now drive." Their replacements were
already on the scene and updated so they could leave.



* * * *

Not my best chapter I do believe. Four versions to get a
decent story out that was reasonably believable. The other two were
just too ridiculous to be believed and I had to start over. And one
of my pre-readers thought the last version was boring.

For SEELE I'm going to make them human. That means they are
going to have faults, make mistakes and other things that can be
exploited. As a group they are strong and able to pull strings and
control countries but their power has to weaken when they work
individually. Also no matter how united a group is there is always
internal politics.

As for the part of recognizing Shinji. There is technology
that can scan the facial structure of people and match them to a
database. Make up and disguise is useless against this and plastic
surgery is also no guarantee. The only way to defeat is to alter
the bones that make up a person's face, very painful and risky.
Given that the meeting took a month to set up getting the technology
would be no problem. And why go after Shinji when he will come to
you.

You have to love anti-personnel mines in their ability to kill
large groups of people at once. People lose their edge if they never
use their skills, no matter how much training they receive. So you
take people who have little experience against veterans and throw in
a large distraction. Well victory goes to the veterans.

C&C is always welcome.

Red Horseman: eva_pilot9@secondimpact.com

Pre-readers

TommyRude tommyrude@hotmail.com

Binh Tran vash0006@hotmail.com