Started on February 11, 2002 and finished on March 15, 2002.
The Game: Loss v3.0
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 forest appeared to be a dream or maybe even a painting as the ground had
a thin cover of snow, while fog floated between the trunks. Ancient trees reached
for the blue sky as younger saplings staked out their own territory. A stream
gurgled as it tumbled over rocks in its bed as it had done for many centuries.
The sounds of wildlife could be heard as birds sung, and the sounds of both
predator and prey broke the silence. But the sounds of nature were rudely
interrupted as human voices echoed through the forest. What had once shown signs
of life was now dead.
Two shadows moved silently and quickly from tree to tree, only stopping
intermittently to listen for any sounds of pursuit. Despite their apparent need
for speed the pair chose where they stepped carefully and expertly, leaving a
minimum of tracks on the forest floor. Neither spoke as they stopped next to the
stream, with the sun on their faces, and stopped to catch their breath. Without
any signal both of them started up the rocky incline in front of them. As they
crested the top of small elevation both dropped to their stomachs and faced the
way they had come from.
"Think we lost them?" asked Shinji as he took slow breaths to slow his
heartbeat down. He ignored the burning sensation on his left hand as he scanned
the trees.
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Of course not! They're too determined for us to
lose or haven't the last two hours convinced you of that?" Asuka clenched her
fist and frowned in anger. "I'm going to kill Kenji when this is all over. This
is the second time this has happened to us to be coincidence."
"It's not his fault," Shinji replied quietly. "Since they doubled the bounty on
our heads I'm sure that finding reliable people has been a problem." He slowly
reached into one of his pockets for his handkerchief, hoping Asuka wouldn't
notice.
"That is no excuse. It's our lives that are on the line here, not his." With
a grab she snatched the cloth out of his hand. "And what's the matter with you?"
Not saying anything he raised his left hand that had a bloody streak where a
bullet had grazed. He wouldn't have done anything since it was one of most minor
injuries he had received in years, but it burned and itched like crazy. Shinji
followed Asuka as she motioned for him to move behind a dead tree so that they
both could sit up. Using quick precise movements she cleaned the wound of dried
blood and other material before wrapping the cloth around the wound. Asuka didn't
remove her hand for a few moments, but when she did the both of them locked eyes.
Slowly Shinji traced a small scar on her cheek. He stopped when she flinched at
the light touch. "What's wrong Asuka?"
"Nothing," She averted her eyes, then sighed at his expression. "Just memories,
okay." Asuka stopped and studied the trees. "They're here."
Slowly they both went prone again and crawled to the crest to survey what was
in front of them. Asuka felt the tension in her body grow as the seconds turned
into minutes and the silence of the forest deepened. But still she did nothing
except study what was in front of her hoping that Shinji or herself caught some
sign of their pursuers before it was too late. Swallowing to keep her throat
moist she placed the submachine gun's sling over her head and shoulder. Out of
the corner of her eye she saw Shinji reach under his coat and pull out his
combat knife. Following his example she placed her knife in front of her,
flexing her hands to work the tension and cold out of them. Just as Asuka was
going to signal a retreat their patience was rewarded.
Out of the trees six shadows advanced with guns drawn and heads in continual
motion as the worked their way towards the stream. All were dressed in battle
dress uniforms of forest design and had goggles covering their eyes. One member
of the group studied the ground where Asuka and Shinji had crossed before
standing and looking up the hill. With quiet commands the hunters split into two
groups with one advancing straight ahead while the other group moved into a
flanking position. The first group advanced one at a time while the other two
covered the first soldier, while the second section advanced in a triangle to
maximize coverage.
Asuka did not miss any of this as she gripped Shinji's shoulder, getting his
attention. With a motion of her head, she signaled a retreat from the edge of
the elevation. As they retreated backwards Shinji angled towards the flanking
group, which drew a curious look from Asuka. Moving closer to the woman Shinji
positioned himself so he could talk to her.
"They're more spread out," he explained in a whisper. "If we keep retreating
we'll lose."
"I know that, idiot!" Asuka blushed as her voice rose. Sighing she reached
down and held his hand for a moment. "Remember to aim high. They're probably
wearing body armor."
Shinji didn't say anything, only giving her a smile as he rose up and waited
for her. As soon she was parallel to him, but a few feet away, he started forward
at a fast pace weaving in and out of the trees. His course moved them away from
the advancing group and across the front of the flanking section, but Shinji
didn't stop. Keeping the flanking hunters in his peripheral vision he started
down the hill wanting to come at them from the same elevation. A flash of auburn
told him that Asuka had figured out his plan and started her attack.
Picking up his pace he picked out the person on lower on the hill as his
target. Gripping the knife tighter, Shinji half slid and ran towards the man
while trying to keep his profile low to the ground. The man's head whipped
towards Shinji as he gave up any attempts at stealth. Eyes widened in shock
but training took over as the man pivoted and brought up his gun. Shinji went
flat and slid in the mud as a bullet cracked over his head. Coming to his feet
Shinji sprinted as fast as he could, reaching the man as another shot rang off
to his side only to be replaced by a scream. With his free hand Shinji grabbed
his target's wrist that was holding the gun, his momentum carrying him past and
behind the target. Continuing his arc Shinji brought his knife up and plunged it
into the throat of his victim. Cartilage crunched as he twisted the blade and
warm fluid covered his hand a moment later.
Dropping the body, Shinji sprinted towards the location of the last member of
the flanking party. He braced for the shock of impact when he saw his target in
a shooter's stance and perfectly calm. A shot rang out and Shinji flinched
thinking he had been hit, but instead the man's head jerked back with a red mist
surrounding it. Turning he saw Asuka glaring down at him with a pistol in her
hand before she started jogging towards him. Without a word they started downhill
towards the stream and forest, hoping they could get to cover before the advance
party knew what had happened. As they crossed the stream a volley of bullets
kicked up water and dirt, chasing them behind the trunk of a mature tree.
"They're toying with us," growled Asuka as dirt was thrown up from around her
foot as she tried to move.
"One's stayed up there," stated Shinji as he moved closer to Asuka.
Running a hand through her dirty hair Asuka sighed, "I know and that means
we're going to have to split up. I'll go west and you go east, then we'll meet
at the top for the last guy." The firing stopped as the gunner replaced his empty
magazine. "Go!"
Shinji sprinted deeper into the forest, before heading in an easterly
direction, then slowing to a steady walk. Keeping the stream and hill to his
right side Shinji started a search pattern. He went from tree to tree, always
circling it before stopping and listening for any signs of a follower. His
caution grew as this went on for sometime without any signs of his hunter.
Deciding that the man must have used the stream to move Shinji crossed to the
opposite side and started walking towards his former position. Approaching a
pile of rubble Shinji knelt down and examined the ground for any kind of marks
to note the passing of a man. He looked up as a shadow fell over him in time to
see a fist flying towards him.
Reacting quickly Shinji tucked his chin and rolled with the punch, resulting
in him ending up in the cold water. Shaking his head and coughing up water he
tried to see where his attacker was going to come from. But the man had moved
during the time Shinji was in the water and landed a blow to Shinji's abdomen.
The impact knocked the breath out him, but Shinji grabbed the bigger man's arms
and pulled while ducking. As the man was pulled forward and down Shinji
reversed directions and lunged upwards causing his head to connect with the
man's lower jaw. Repeated blows to his ribs slowed Shinji down as he tried to
land a blow to the bigger man's knee, but the slippery rocks threatened to
topple him. Retreating Shinji stayed out of arms reach and bided his time.
As his opponent grew frustrated and charged, Shinji dropped to a crouch and
swept the man's legs out from underneath him. Standing Shinji walked over to
the downed man who wasn't moving, but breathing. Coming to a decision Shinji
lifted his foot up before bringing it down on the man's throat. Patiently
Shinji watched the death throes as his opponent tried to breathe through a
crushed windpipe. When the thrashing stopped and blood seeped down a cheek,
Shinji turned and started towards the top of the hill.
- - - -
"So did we get all of them?" asked Shinji as they looked towards a clearing
where two vehicles waited for their passengers.
"I think so, but I didn't exactly have time for a body count at the start of
this ordeal." Asuka flinched as his hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Are you
sure you're okay?"
"Yes." Came the simple reply from the young man.
"You look like shit."
Asuka turned and looked Shinji over, paling slightly at what she saw from the
prior fight. His clothes were caked with a combination of blood and mud, while
gashes showed red skin underneath. His normally light brown hair had a reddish
hue to it and was matted down with blood from a scalp wound. That same wound had
left a streak down the side of face. All this had come from the chase and fight
with the last hunter as he tried to escape.
"Well you don't look any better, but that isn't the issue."
Nodding Asuka grabbed his arm. "Let's go."
Asuka watched Shinji move towards the van where the ambush had come from,
while she moved to her vehicle. With submachine ready she slowly walked around
the car, noting the various footsteps around it. Continuing to circle Asuka
moved towards the rear door on the driver's side. Keeping as much metal between
her and any hidden person she threw open the door, scanning the interior over
the gun sights she found unmarked leather. Repeating the same for the front
compartment of the car showed no damage. Checking the various smudges on the
body revealed no hidden devices. Smiling she closed the door and turned towards
where Shinji would be checking out the van. The smile disappeared and the metal
stock rested against her shoulder.
"Drop the gun Ms. Soryu," a woman requested quietly. "And I won't have to do
anything to Mr. Ikari here."
Asuka smirked and shifted to her left, causing Shinji's captor to turn with
her. "You can't do anything to us. The bounty is for us to be alive, not dead."
The woman's eyes narrowed and she gave Asuka a dangerous smile. Asuka watched
for any signs of weakness as her finger threatened to tighten on the trigger.
From the bulky clothes that the woman was wearing Asuka surmised that she was
wearing body armor and knew that she would only have one shot. Asuka continued
to move hoping to get the sun behind her and blind the person in front of her.
She stopped when the woman removed the gun from Shinji's temple and jammed it
into his back, causing Shinji to flinch.
"Alive, yes but not uninjured." The woman gripped Shinji tighter. "Shinji
doesn't have to walk for me to get the money. So the choice is yours. Surrender
and maybe you'll escape your fate or let Shinji be paralyzed."
Asuka blanched for a moment and when she spoke it was with ice in her voice.
She tried to ignore the look from Shinji, knowing what he must be seeing. "The
second you pull that trigger you're dead. I won't let you live, no matter what
it costs me."
"Pretty brave when it's your partner's life at stake." The woman jerked
Shinji's head up by his hair. "What do you say Shinji?"
He gave Asuka a small reassuring smile. "I don't really care what you do. But
no matter what happens there will only be one outcome." Shinji turned his head
looking out of the corner of his eye, and his voice was ice. "You'll be dead."
"Fool!"
Tears slid down Asuka's cheeks as her finger tightened on the trigger. All
senses were centered on keeping the woman's head centered in the sights. At the
last moment all emotions drained from Asuka as the breaking pressure was reached,
nothing was in front of her except a target. Shots rang out at so close together
that they sounded as one. The woman's head disappeared in a cloud of blood and
gray matter, splattering the van as Asuka watched Shinji's body crumple to the
ground. Dropping her gun Asuka ran over to the bodies, cradling Shinji's head in
her arms.
"Shinji! Come on, wake up." Tears came faster as she got no response. "You
can't just die on me! We've been through too much for this to happen." Her
grip tightened, drawing them closer. Asuka's voice dropped to a whisper,
"Please, just wake up."
But nothing happened as she continued to cry and hold his body. As the sun
continued to drop lower and the shadows deepened she finally concluded that he
was gone. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she leaned back against the cold
metal of the van, drained of any energy. Asuka closed her eyes as her tears
slowed to a trickle, but she still did not let go of Shinji's body. Her heart
almost stopped almost stopped as a hand gripped hers tightly. Looking down she
saw deep blue eyes staring calmly into hers. With a grimace Shinji reached up
and stroked her cheek.
"I'm sorry. I made you cry." His voice was a combination of pain and caring.
- - - -
"So why didn't you tell me you were wearing those extra pieces of armor?"
inquired Asuka as she sat next to Shinji on their bed.
In her lap was a bowl of warm water, while another bowl held some bloody
bandages. She grimaced at the sight of Shinji's lower back as she cleaned up the
split skin. The armor had denied the bullet any penetration, but had barely
slowed down its velocity. The result was a massive bruise as the energy was
spread out over a larger area and resulting in multiple small tears in Shinji's
skin. The tears had bled profusely causing Asuka to believe that the damage had
been much worse. Though he said that he could feel everything in his legs Asuka
worried that some damage would show up later.
"I did many times, especially after that incident in Budapest. But you've
been distracted. Ow!" Shinji flinched as Asuka applied more pressure than
necessary. "Be careful. Please."
Asuka placed the bandage she had been using into the bowl and reached for a
clean roll. "Sorry that I'm not perfect." She finished her work and pulled
Shinji's shirt down. "I'm done."
"Look none of what's happened is your fault," Shinji stated as he rolled onto
his side. "I am not going to say I know what you're feeling, but I can guess."
He reached over and rested his hand on top of her hand. "Tell me what is wrong,
please."
"I can't," whispered Asuka as she turned her head. "At least not yet."
Shinji guessed. "Is it your mother?"
Shifting her hand Asuka intertwined her fingers with his, but didn't say
anything. Instead she opted just to nod her head in acknowledgment of his
question. That was all she had been thinking about since they had learned that
their next target was residing in Germany, basically right next to where her
life had turned direction. The emotions of her past and family conflicted with
the present and what she needed to accomplish. And so she had been distracted
her during important tasks as familiar landmarks brought back the past.
Separating their hands, she stood up to clean off the bed.
"So where is NERV's German Branch anyway? They never did tell me."
"Cologne." Asuka set the bowl on a nearby table before returning to the bed.
She pulled all the blankets and covers over the both of them before moving closer
to Shinji. The warmth and touch of another person was comforting, causing her to
curl up against him.
Shinji remained silent for some time, wrapping one arm around Asuka's waist,
and waited. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room he found Asuka
looking back. He sighed as he noticed that she was biting her lower lip and
decided to broach a sensitive subject. "So is your mother buried there?"
Asuka felt a tremor race through her body and knew that Shinji had felt it.
She tried to pull away not wanting Shinji to know how bad her childhood had been,
but he tightened his hold on her. It wasn't until he touched her cheek that she
noticed that she had almost cried at just the thought of her mother. Staring at
Shinji, she knew that she had no choice, especially if it distracted her like it
had been doing lately.
"No," came the quiet admission. "She's buried in Troisdorf, near my old home."
She explained before Shinji could ask a question. "My mother wanted a quiet
place to live and raise me. Or that is what she always said when she argued with
my father. I think that she also wanted to get away from the dullness of NERV,
but I'm not sure. Though that changed later."
"What happened later?"
Asuka shook her head. "I'm sorry Shinji, but that's a tale for another night."
"Okay. So have you." Shinji started, but was interrupted by Asuka.
She leaned in closer and gave him a kiss, smiling as he returned it. "I've
been with you for the last seven years, almost eight years, so how could I have
visited her grave?" Asuka's smile disappeared at Shinji's expression and she
rolled onto her back. "I shouldn't have said that. But no, I haven't been to
mama's grave since the funeral."
"When this mission is done do you want to visit her?" inquired Shinji. "I
mean maybe now you let go of what happened between the two of you." His voice
had started out strong but had dropped to a whisper at the end. "A decade is a
long time to carry that kind of pain around."
Asuka continued to lie on her back, silent and contemplating Shinji's strange
request. She doubted that going to see her mother's grave would really erase the
pain that she had been carrying around for so many years. That pain had shaped
her into what she was, of how she presented her self to others. A frown appeared
on her face as she remembered that she had dropped the spoiled brat routine
years ago. But to finally release the hate and anger of that day both scared and
intrigued Asuka as to how it might change her if it did anything at all. Then
again it might not change her at all. Her relationship with Shinji was doing
fine despite her promises to herself never to be dependent on others.
"No."
Shinji was shocked at the blunt reply. "Asuka! How can you say that,
especially after everything we learned."
The sound of Asuka's fists hitting the bed stopped him. Rolling over he
placed his hands on each side of her head and studied Asuka's face. What he saw
both scared and saddened him, as her features were a mixture of anger and sorrow.
Even in the faint light he could see the faint traces of moisture at the corners
of her eyes, but her eyes were narrowed and she was wearing a frown. Propped up
on one arm he brushed some stray hair from her forehead, then slowly lowered
himself and gave her a small kiss.
"I know that, but mama and me." She reached up and pulled Shinji closer,
before resting her head on his shoulder. "We didn't have a good parting, and I've
never forgiven her for forgetting me."
Rolling over Shinji held Asuka in his arms as she trembled. "I thought she
died like my mother."
"It wasn't that simple, Shinji. The EVA, it stole both her mind and soul
during that test." Her voice was muffled but Shinji could hear the pain in it.
"She forgot and ignored me before finally killing herself."
"Oh, I didn't know," whispered Shinji.
Slowly he moved his hands to Asuka's back and neck as she trembled against
him as her memories haunted her that he had reawakened. He gently held the back
of her head as he rubbed her back, showing that she wasn't alone. Shinji didn't
know how much time had passed before Asuka quieted down and relaxed her hold on
him. As the tension finally drained from her body Shinji contemplated what she
had said as he still held Asuka in his arms. Staring up at the ceiling Shinji
realized that he had just added another role to their relationship.
- - - -
The cool evening air seeped through the layers of clothing and gloves Shinji
wore causing him to shiver. But that did not stop him from finishing up his
assigned task as the camera clicked in his hands. In the distance highlighted
by the setting sun was the mountain estate of Wilhelm Rintzler, SEELE member and
owner of a nation wide corporation, NP Noricum. Shifting the lens slightly
Shinji brought another guard into view, before focusing and snapping another
picture. The arrival of a car drew his attention, and again the camera moved to
take a photograph. Shinji sighed as he ejected the full memory card and slipped
it into the proper sleeve before inserting a fresh card. The car was just another
plain car, one of approximately thirty in the parking area, but the passengers
were the prizes for the young man. As each guest arrived at the door, Shinji had
just enough time to zoom, focus and snap a couple pictures before they
disappeared inside. Later on Asuka and him would look through each frame trying
to match up any other SEELE members.
A car's motor caused Shinji to whip his head around and look up to where he
had parked his own vehicle. A frown crossed his face for a moment before
disappearing into a smirk. Taking his time he packed away the various camera
accessories that were on the ground next to him. Slinging the camera bag over
his shoulder he started walking back towards his car and the vehicle that had
stopped behind it. Red and blue lights flashed across his face and the
surrounding mountainside while two men dressed in the dark blue uniforms of the
Hessen division of the German National Police waited for him. Shinji stopped at
the front quarter of his vehicle, placing the bag on the hood, and keeping his
hands where the officers could see them.
"Is something the matter officers?" asked Shinji in perfect German after the
silence had remained unbroken for a couple minutes.
"What were you doing down there?"
"Taking photographs of the river and surrounding landscapes." Shinji picked up
his bag in one hand. "I'm a professional photographer."
The higher ranked officer smiled before launching a barrage of questions at
Shinji. The questions ranged from his name and where he was staying to inquiries
that only a professional would know. During the entire session Shinji remained
calm, answering the questions in a quiet steady voice as he went through his new
biography. He noticed that after every third question the other officer would
glance down at a hand held display before nodding to his superior. The
surrounding shadows deepened as the questions kept coming from the officers.
"I'm sorry about this, but we had to make sure you are who you say you are,"
stated the leader after twenty minutes. "There were some murders near here and
we still haven't found who is responsible."
Shinji nodded his acknowledgment, "And since Mr. Rintzler is a prominent
business man."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." The officer turned around and walked
back to his patrol car.
Shinji exhaled slowly then opened the rear door to his car and placed the camera
bag in the back seat before getting behind the wheel. Starting the engine he
watched as nothing came up wrong with any of the gauges. Glancing into the rear
view mirror one more time as the patrol car had not moved Shinji pulled off of
the shoulder and onto the concrete of the main road. A few minutes later he
smiled to himself as the patrol car raced past him with its lights flashing as
it supposedly went after another lead. Approaching a cloverleaf Shinji took the
first off ramp and headed back towards the apartment.
- - - -
"Where have you been?" was the first thing out of Asuka's mouth as Shinji
slid into the open space next to her at the bar.
Shinji didn't say anything as he leaned over to give Asuka a quick hug, but
was pushed away at the last moment. Picking up the stein he followed her over to
a table in the corner and sat with his back to the wall. He frowned as she
didn't say a word instead Asuka picked up her own and slowly drank. Shinji
picked up his stein and as he lifted it to his mouth he thought he saw Asuka
smile behind the oversized mug. A second later he was coughing and hacking from
the warm, bitter beer that Asuka had gotten for him. As he wiped up the spilt
beer he turned his head to glare at his partner but his eyes softened as Asuka
was smiling at him and her eyes were bright in humor.
"And what was that for," muttered Shinji.
Asuka didn't say anything as she slid a glass of water to him. As he grabbed
the glass Asuka traced her fingers over his hand. "For asking me about my past
when I told you to be patient." At Shinji's puzzled look she explained, "Remember
at Kenji's after we saw your father's disc, you asked me why I had dwelt on the
past so much. And I asked you to be patient with me."
"Oh, I forgot. Sorry." Shinji averted his eyes.
"Don't be sorry and anyways you were right." Her voice grew shaky as she
continued, "I should visit mama's grave and start getting rid of the burden of
her death." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "But you still haven't answered
my question of where you have been."
"Ran into the police and had to drop the tail they put on me."
"You sure you lost them?"
Shinji nodded, "I left them watching the hotel that we had been using for the
last couple weeks. Too bad I also had to leave the car behind." He finished the
glass of water and ordered from the waitress that had come to their table. "What
about you? Did you complete your assignment?"
"Of course I did," was her indignant reply.
Glancing over at his partner Shinji saw what Asuka was wearing and wondered
-how- she had completed her assignment. Her hair was messy and the red lipstick
was smeared off to one side, while her evening dress and matching jacket looked
rumpled from some heavy handling. Shinji laced his fingers under his chin and
put a bored expression on his face then waited for Asuka. One eyebrow lifted
when she blushed and met his gaze until he lost himself in her blue eyes once
again.
"You don't have to look at me like I did something wrong," stated Asuka in a
sharp voice. "Men need to be led on or they might not do what is needed."
"Have you been leading me on," inquired Shinji and regretted it immediately.
Asuka's eyes were wide from shock and she sadly frowned, "How could you ask me
that Shinji after everything we've been through, especially these last few
months."
Shinji tightened his hold on her hand. "I shouldn't have said that, but I
needed to hear you say it." He felt as Asuka squeezed his hand lightly,
encouraging him to continue. "I guess I have this fear that I may lose you
someday, whether through a mistake or something unforeseen. And if that happens
I want to remember that what we had was real."
"You won't lose me Shinji."
- - - -
Lowering the binoculars Shinji looked over at Asuka in the driver's seat, and
sighed. Gone were all traces of the sad, yet carefree young woman from the night
before as they waited for Wilhelm Rintzler to leave his estate. Her impatience
was shown through the continual drumming of fingers against the steering wheel,
and the sharp exhalation of breath. The eyes that had been soft and sad earlier
were now cold as ice, as she simply looked out the windshield waiting for his
signal. Shinji ran his fingers through his hair, trying not to think of how
silky Asuka's hair had been. Lifting his binoculars he resumed his surveillance
of the gate and bridge in the distance. He didn't have to wait long as a convoy
of three black BMWs exited the estate and made their way to the local bypass.
Reaching over he tapped Asuka on the shoulder, daring not to speak or break the
ice. As he removed his hand Asuka grabbed it for moment before releasing it.
The three cars raced past the rest stop and Asuka slowly counted to five
before falling into a tail position. The sun was barely peeking over the edge of
the horizon as the four cars wound their way through the hills to the flat
plains. Other vehicles shared the road but the world was only waking up to do
its daily routine and so the numbers were relatively small. As the tops of
buildings came into view Rintzler's cars slowed down and took the second off
ramp, something that Asuka and Shinji were prepared for from their surveillance
of the man. Traffic lights remained green as the hunted and hunters made their
way to the corporation's headquarters. Shinji flipped up two switches of the
control panel sitting in his lap as the metal and stone structure came into view.
"We won't fail."
Shinji almost turned his head at the cold tone of Asuka but he didn't as he
watched the last few seconds of Rintzler's life. One of the switches had
activated a program in the traffic light to turn from green to red when it
received a certain code. That code was what Asuka had received from a maintenance
worker the night before. The first escort car made it through the intersection
as the light turned yellow while the cars behind them stopped for the red light.
Wilhelm Rintzler's record with keeping a clean profile and obeying even the
littlest law to avoid suspicion would lead to his death, because the second
switch triggered a laser sensor.
It was over in a blink of an eye as the car broke the laser and triggered
the ambush, yet Asuka could imagine every detail. The mailbox that held the
weapon disappeared in ball of orange flame and black smoke. Plate glass of a
shop right behind the box bulged inward before filling the air with crystal
shrapnel. An instant later the armored car was transformed into a miniature hell
as the cabin filled with superheated air and metal fragments. The blastfront's
shockwave twisted the frame, deforming the vehicle and defeating the last of its
compromised protection. A dull thump shattered any remaining intact windows and
shook the pilots' car as the gas tank detonated in a flash. The guards from the
escort vehicles surrounded the destroyed car, but could do nothing as flames
consumed the wreckage.
"Three down, nine to go." whispered Asuka as she watched smoke climb into the
brightening day. "Will we ever be done?"
- - - -
Something warm touched Shinji's cheek causing him to come out of his slumber
immediately. In one motion he grabbed the object with one hand while swinging
his other in an upward curving arc. He cringed as his eyes finally focused and
saw blue eyes framed by auburn hair staring down at him. The sound of flesh
hitting flesh never reached his ears as Asuka blocked his punch by simply
raising up her arm and taking the blow on her forearm. Shinji sighed and lay
back down, as Asuka's eyes were calm with no trace of anger in them. She removed
her hand from his cheek and sat down on the bed.
"This is the last time I wake you up," muttered Asuka.
"I must be getting soft since I didn't hear you come in."
Asuka leaned over and flicked his forehead with a finger. "Idiot, we were
exhausted or did you forget we had been up over twenty four hours yesterday."
She glared at him and held up one finger as she saw that he was going to
apologize.
"So how long was I out of it?" Shinji slid out from underneath the covers and
stopped next to Asuka. He frowned as she refused his attempts to grab the water
bottle in her hand.
"Twelve hours. Now come on they're finally going to release the identity of
Mr. Wilhelm Rintzler." Her voice was full of sarcasm as she spoke that name.
With that Asuka stood up and walked out of the bedroom they had been sharing.
Shinji sat there before getting to his feet and following her out into the small
living room. As he went to the kitchen for something to drink he saw that Asuka
was sitting on the couch and had turned on the television to the local news
station. When he returned she was resting her chin on her hands with elbows
braced on her knees watching the screen. She didn't react as he again sat down
next to her, instead she reached for the bottle at her feet. When the newscast
started she turned up the volume and resumed her statue-like position.
"Early this morning the business district of Framkfurt was rocked by a single
explosion of unknown origin. The explosion happened just a block from the
corporate headquarters of NP Noricum Incorporated, which is owned by Mr. Rintzler
of Boppard. The explosion destroyed a car owned by Mr. Rintzler, and caused minor
damage to nearby buildings. Sadly three people were killed in this apparent
terrorism attack, the driver, a bodyguard and prominent scientist Mr. Akihiro
Soryu. Authorities agree that Mr. Rintzler was the intended target of the attack
but he loaned the car and his personnel to Mr. Soryu, who worked for Noricum."
The reporter's voice faded into the background as Shinji felt the blood drain
from his face as he turned towards Asuka. She was just as pale as he was and she
was starting to shake. When his hand touched her leg Asuka abruptly stood up and
ran to the bedroom. Shinji didn't even realize that he had leapt up from the
couch and chased after her only to have the door slammed in his face. Even as he
heard the click of the lock he still tried the doorknob hoping to get into the
room and talk to Asuka, to be there for her to show her that she wasn't alone,
but the metal knob refused to turn.
"Asuka please open the door," pleaded Shinji. "I'm here for you, you must
know that. I won't leave no matter what happens. Please open the door."
But his pleas were met with silence despite his repeated attempts to get
Asuka to open the door. As he slid down onto his knees Shinji rested his head
against the door hearing the quiet sounds of the young woman crying. He didn't
know why but hearing the news that they had killed the wrong person had drained
Shinji of energy as he slowly stood. Giving the door one last furtive glance he
made his way back to the television. As he reached for the remote to turn the
machine off Shinji stopped. On the screen was a picture of a smiling Asuka as a
child with both her parents. She looked so innocent and happy back then compared
to the tortured girl he had met so many years ago and woman he had been living
with for the last six.
"Damn it!" Pain shot through Shinji's hand and up his arm as he punched the
wooden table. He threw the remote to the floor after turning the television off
and stormed out the door.
- - - -
The day, which was gray with clouds and rain, suited Shinji's mood as he
stood on the bank of the Rhine River and watched the river traffic float past
him. It had been two days since the botched assassination, which had resulted in
the death of Asuka's father, and he had grown tired of watching the news repeat
her father's life history, while portraying Asuka as a wanted criminal. He
couldn't understand why Asuka was so worked up over the death of her father.
"That was callous Shinji," he muttered to himself.
Despite everything the man had put him through hadn't he cried when he had
learned of his father's death? Couldn't the same be true of Asuka and her own
father? Yet it didn't fit with what Shinji knew of her father and his
relationship with his daughter. Asuka never talked about her father, instead
always treating him as a non-entity in her life, even going so far as to chew
Shinji out when he had commented on her having a family. Sighing Shinji turned up
the collar of his coat and stuck his hands in his pockets, ignoring the water
soaking his head and flowing to the ground. He didn't know enough of Asuka's
past to even reach an educated guess of why she was reacting the way she was.
Kicking a rock he watched it tumble down the bank of the river before finally
landing with an unsatisfactory plop in the water. Turning on his heel Shinji
started walking back to the cabin that they had rented for this operation hoping
that Asuka would finally break out of her shell of the last two days. He couldn't
help but shiver as he stepped from the cool air of outdoors into the heated
environment of the entryway. After wiping his feet, Shinji left the wet jacket
hanging on a hook before walking further into the cabin. Striding into the
kitchen he grabbed a bottle of water and downed half of it before walking towards
the door to bedroom. Stopping in front of the wooden barrier Shinji resolved that
they -would- talk, no matter what would happen. He was surprised when the door
opened under his touch when he reached up to knock.
"Asuka you want to talk?" inquired Shinji before he saw Asuka.
His eyes softened and he wanted to cry as he saw her limp form under the
blankets. Her hair looked dull and lifeless as it lay out in a stream behind her
head on the pillow. Setting the bottle on the floor he made his way to the side
of the bed and knelt down. Some of his worry disappeared as sky blue eyes stared
back at him, yet like her hair they were dull and empty. Shinji ignored the red
puffiness of Asuka's eyes and simply stared as he reached out for one of her
hands. He smiled as she returned the gesture and their hands met halfway before
gently coming together.
"I'm sorry Shinji," whispered Asuka. "You've must have been worried sick about
me."
He brushed a couple stray locks of hair off her forehead. "A little. I've
never seen you like this before." Her fingers tightened before relaxing. "You
want to talk about it?"
"Not yet." A panicked look came to her face as Shinji tried to separate their
hands. "Don't go, please."
"What do you want to me to do?" He smiled as a blush crossed her cheeks.
"Just hold me."
"I'm soaking wet, let me change first." Shinji stopped as Asuka shook her head.
"No. I've just gone through two and half days of self imposed exile from you.
So get your butt into this bed Shinji." At her tone of voice Shinji laughed.
After placing his pistol and holster on the bedside table Shinji stripped down
to a T-shirt and shorts. Lifting up the edge of the blankets he saw that Asuka
was just wearing her slip. He wasn't surprised when Asuka rolled halfway onto to
him when he was fully in the bed. As he warmed up from her body heat Shinji
rubbed Asuka's shoulders and back through the thin garment feeling her heartbeat
against his chest. Neither said a word as they lost themselves in the comfort of
being with someone that cared. Shinji smiled when after some time Asuka threw an
arm around him, her breath tickling his neck as she fell asleep against him.
A while later Shinji woke to the missing weight and warmth of Asuka.
Throwing the blankets to one side he grabbed his pants and got dressed,
clenching and unclenching his hand to get the feeling back. As he walked out of
the room Shinji almost ran into Asuka, as she was about to enter. Reaching
forward he grabbed the tray that she had been balancing on one hand to keep it
from dropping to the floor. For his efforts Shinji received a smile from Asuka as
she bent down and picked up a pitcher and two glass from where she had set them
down. As they sat back down on the bed Shinji saw that Asuka had showered and
changed into shorts and a thick sweater. Reaching forward he removed the
makeshift lid from the tray once they were settled.
"Comfort food?" commented Shinji as he saw what she had prepared.
"Yeah, simple yet completely satisfying."
Without another word Asuka reached forward and speared herself a link of
bratwurst. Placing it into a bun she then covered it in sauerkraut and hot
mustard before dumping a pile of chips on her plate. Shinji watched as she
attacked the simple meal in front of her, almost inhaling the brat. As she put
down what she had not eaten he couldn't help but laugh at the juices that ran
down her chin, but Asuka didn't say anything. He took the glass she offered him
and waited as she poured him a drink. Lifting the glass he took a sip to taste
the beer and found it had a mild taste and was gentle aroma. As he started on
his first helping Asuka was on to her second but this time she wasn't eating
with as much gusto and by the third she was just toying with it.
"You don't have to stare at me like that, I'll talk to you." Asuka put down
her remaining meal and rested her hand on her knees.
"I know but it's still your decision and I won't pressure you to do something
until you're ready."
Asuka angrily ran her fingers through her hair and her voice was sharp, "I
know that! But at the same time you are pressuring me in an indirect way. How
can you trust me with your life when I won't even talk about my past." She
pulled her hands out of Shinji's reach as he tried to grip one. "You're
wondering why I'm so worked up over the death of my father. The bastard who left
me alone for so many years, who never called or wrote me or stood up and defended
me when they put that bounty on our heads. I shouldn't care about the man who
cheated on my mother and remarried so soon afterwards. I shouldn't be worked up
so much over a single person's death. But."
Her voice ended in a whisper and she didn't anything for a few moments, "But
I wanted to ask him just once whether he truly ever loved me. Was I conceived
because he was ordered to or because he loved my mother and wanted a family? Did
he feel proud when I graduated from college at such a young age or was it all
part of SEELE's plans? There were many questions that I wanted to ask him to see
if he was ever deserving of forgiveness. Now I will never know and that is going
haunt me forever because I won't be able to completely hate him. I will always
wonder if he was just weak and being manipulated or if he believed in SEELE's
ideals and did everything to further their plans."
"I didn't know your past was bad," spoke Shinji, as he was able to grab her
before pulling her closer. He did not release her as she laughed sadly.
"My past. That wasn't my past Shinji but just why I worked myself up over my
father's death." She closed her eyes and absorbed the warmth from Shinji. "My
past is much worse and so much sadder. And now there are no barriers to you
learning everything about me."
The way she said the last sentence scared Shinji, like she was going to tell
him that she was a demon or something. Over the next two hours that fear
disappeared as Asuka did a good job of tearing herself and her parents to pieces.
A lot of things were cleared up and he learned why she had acted in certain ways
during the Angels and how she had treated those around her. Instead of the demon
attacking everything around her Shinji saw Asuka as just barely keeping her head
above the water. Her entire life had been one assault after another on her heart
and soul as she lost her mother and father, and then Kaji and Misato, finally
ending in their years of running.
"And now you know everything about me, both the good and bad. Mostly the bad
though," Asuka whispered as she stared at the far wall waiting for Shinji to
react to her story.
"I don't know what you're talking about with the bad," Shinji said after the
silence stretched. "I didn't hear anything that told me you are bad or evil in
some way. What I learned is that you had a worse childhood then I did and I have
no room to complain."
"But." A finger running down her dry cheek stopped Asuka.
"No buts. These last few years I've seen you come out of situations that no
one else would have. You've taught me a lot about confidence and survival, but
most of all you've taught me never to give up." His voice was soft and gentle
one that she had heard very rarely, "A bad person would have never made it this
long or been able to teach others."
"I don't deserve you Shinji. I never did."
"You're wrong. You deserve all of me, the Shinji that can be a wimp, but also
the Shinji that you've taught to be strong."
Asuka didn't respond to that as it made her feel warm inside. Instead she
gripped Shinji tighter and turned her head towards Shinji so that she could see
him. She didn't do anything as Shinji flinched, as Asuka knew what her face must
look like. Smiling grimly Asuka finally spoke. "Guess you're right, but do you
know what I want even more?"
"No."
"I want that SEELE bastard dead."
"They'll be ready for us."
Asuka kissed Shinji's cheek. "I don't care. This time there will be no hiding
in the bushes, but a true assault."
- - - -
The flames crackled and waved, hypnotic in their simplistic dance, as they
grew in the night fed by fuel from the tanks of the twisted and burnt vehicles.
Metal and rubber flowed as they reached their melting points, driven to that
point by the initial impact of military grade weapons plunging from the sky.
Shards of glass littered the road and reflected the orange glow of the flames,
thrown there by the attackers as they took out the driver at point blank range.
Scattered near the ambush scene were the barely recognizable forms of soldiers.
Farther out into the landscape came the chatter of automatic weapons as humans
hunted each other.
Asuka ignored the scene behind her as she raced towards a group of rocks, her
side burning in pain. The gray and black scenery was disorientating to her as
she pushed her body after her prey. A sharp impact of heat and pain invaded her
leg as the soldiers following behind her hit her. Staggering she took cover
behind the pile of boulders and took a cylindrical object off her harness.
Squeezing her eyes shut she slammed the object into the ground as far as she
could reach, feeling a brief moment of heat in her palm. Three seconds later she
heard the muted pop of the magnesium flare going off, and rose up to a firing
position.
The soldiers following behind her were easy targets as she lifted up her
night vision goggles away from her eyes. With each touch of the trigger she sent
a burst of automatic rifle rounds into the torsos of the temporarily blinded
soldiers. Not once did she stop to consider that it was wrong to kill in the
manner she and Shinji were taking out the hunters that were guarding
Mr. Rintzler. The last of the soldiers went down as Asuka ejected her third
magazine and inserted a new clip. Ignoring the bleeding wound in her leg she
pulled down her goggles as the flare started to die out.
"Now then it's back to work," muttered Asuka as she stood and started to
turn.
The impact of the knife was minor compared to what she had gone through
before, but she had never gotten used to the burning and the sensation as flesh
parted under a blade. Asuka's rifle dropped from numb fingers just as two round
impacted her and completed her turn. Bright specks of light filled her vision as
she fell to the ground filled with pain. Even wounded Asuka's survival instinct
was strong and she reached for her holstered pistol with her uninjured arm.
"Ahhh!" screamed Asuka as a boot forced the blade deeper.
"Stubborn to the last. It's amazing how much abuse the human body will incur
for something so simple as revenge." Asuka tried to glare back at the man
standing over her. "How much more damage will you take to kill me? You already
have, oh about, four holes in you. Shock should be setting in real soon from
blood loss. So are you still going to try and kill me?" Asuka's answer was to
try and trip the man.
"I guess I shouldn't have expected less from an EVA pilot." The blond hair man
looked across the plain. "Though you've done a good job of taking out the hired
help." He knelt down and ripped the goggles off her face. "You two have surprised
the council with your little act of revenge. Hidden and invulnerable for years
and suddenly two children disobey their betters and run, then years later try
and avoid their destiny" Rintzler started to chuckle, "But just like Gendo it's
time for the games to stop. Where is Shinji?"
"Don't know." Asuka gritted her teeth as a finger was shoved into one of her
wounds.
"Bullshit girl. Call him on the radio and the less you'll have to suffer." At
her grim smile the man grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head back as the
other hand tightened around her throat.
"Behind you," whispered Asuka as it became harder to breathe.
The hand tightened, "Oldest trick in the book Asuka."
At that moment rocks grated against each other behind the pair. Rintzler
whipped around with pistol in one hand and a smile on his face. And saw nothing
behind him except one of his hired guards, and the grayness of a moonlit night.
As fast as possible he jumped off Asuka and to the side resulting in him catching
the bullet in the shoulder instead of the upper chest. Cold blue eyes behind the
sights of a gun were the last things as white light blossomed in her hand and
his body jerked from multiple impacts. He gave Asuka one last smile as his lungs
filled with blood and he drowned.
"What are you going to do now soldier?" asked Asuka as she stared over her
sights at the approaching figure.
The man didn't say anything as they stared at each other waiting for the
other person to make the first move. Asuka's finger tightened as the rifle
pointed at her slowly sank from the guard position. But for some reason she
didn't pull the trigger as the rifle continued to drop until the barrel was
pointed at the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise as the man shrugged his
shoulders and walked past her without stopping or saying a word.
"Damn it," growled Asuka as she propped herself up against the largest rock,
the soldier forgotten.
Tears came to her eyes and whimper escaped as she grabbed the knife hilt and
slowly pulled the blade out of her damaged shoulder. Using the knife she cut the
sleeves off her jacket, wrapping one around her thigh and the other she pressed
against her abdomen. The other wounds she could feel oozing blood as there was
no way to plug them. Leaving the assault rifle behind and ignoring her blurry
vision Asuka climbed to her feet and painfully staggered off to the sound of
flowing water and her rendezvous with Shinji. Several minutes later she reached
the banks of the Rhine and started back towards the late Wilhelm Rintzler's
estate knowing that no one would expect them to head back towards the site of
the initial attack. As the burning vehicles came into sight Asuka knelt down,
shaking her head to clear her vision and letting her eyes adjust to the
increased light.
"Asuka," a voice whispered in her ear at the same time a hand clamped over
her mouth. As she struggled, the hand tightened and the voice was harsh, "It's
me Shinji. Will you settle down."
"Well don't sneak up on me then," she shot back. Moaning she plopped to the
ground. Looking up she saw weird protrusions coming off of Shinji and realized
they were his jacket and shirt. Reaching up she pulled him down, "How bad?"
Shinji shrugged his shoulders indifferently, "I won't die, at least not yet."
In the light Asuka could see his eyes narrow, "What about you?"
"I won't die yet," Asuka repeated, smiling back at Shinji when he grinned.
"Well then here's the bad news. You know our raft?" Asuka nodded at his
question. "It didn't make it."
Sliding his arm around Asuka, Shinji didn't give her time to respond to his
revelation. Instead he picked her up and started walking towards the embankment
and where their ride would have been. Asuka saw the black shape of the raft
floating on the dark gray of the river, but only two of the six cells were
inflated. Turning her head she stared at Shinji, seeing only determination and
resolve on his face. As the cold water hit her thighs Asuka gasped and held on
tighter to Shinji as he pushed the damaged raft out into the current. Looping
her arms over one cell she started kicking helping propel the raft farther from
shore. As they passed under the bridge leading to the estate Asuka rested her
head on the wet rubber.
"We probably won't make it this time," she stated tiredly as it was becoming
harder for Asuka to draw deep breaths.
"Don't say that Asuka, we'll make it like we have before."
"Okay." With that Asuka closed her eyes and continued to kick, but in the
back of her mind she wondered what would come first for her, bleeding to death
or succumbing to hypothermia. As she thought that, she wondered which way was
the worst way to die. Reaching over she fumbled to find Shinji's hand as cold
started to invade her body minutes later. She started to panic but settled back
down to await the darkness when his hand closed around hers, and she knew she
wasn't alone.
- - - -
"Get out of the way you lecher!"
"Who are you calling a lecher, young man!"
The voices penetrated the darkness that enveloped Asuka and she wondered if
this was hell or heaven. Though she reasoned if it was either why people were
yelling and only two people at that, since in hell they'd be screaming while in
heaven they'd be singing. Mentally she shrugged and tried to open her eyes since
she concluded she was alive and not dead. That fact was apparent by the dull
throb of pain radiating through her body, which was only added to when she
finally got her eyes opened and shut them immediately. Going slowly Asuka opened
them in increments, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light.
She didn't find the dark wooden boards of the ceiling reassuring after a few
minutes of study. Shifting her eyes she brought the rest of the room into view
as well as the two people who were yelling. A smile came to her face as she
recognized Shinji standing in the doorway arguing with a man who easily
outweighed the Japanese man and towered above him. Licking her dry lips Asuka
resolved to get their attention and something to drink.
"What." That one word was all Asuka could croak before she started coughing.
But it achieved the desired results as the shouting stopped and the two men came
to her side.
Dark green eyes twinkled as the man stroked her head, "See what you did,
Shinji. You woke Asuka up. Now get her something to drink, preferably water."
"If you had allowed me to see her we wouldn't have woken her up," grumbled
Shinji as he went to a sink for the water.
"She is my patient and I say when visitors are allowed. And I might add that
you should be resting, I don't need your stitches popping out."
Shinji ignored the comment as he brought the glass over, "I've had worse and
survived it."
"Humph."
Asuka watched all this in amazement as the two of them acted like long lost
friends. Turning her head she stared at the old man wondering if she had met him
before in the past. She shook her head as she couldn't remember meeting someone
skilled in surgery outside of NERV, but still she didn't outright deny that she
had never met the man before. When Shinji sat down on the bed Asuka tried to sit
up but found that her shoulder was strapped down across her chest. After a few
painful seconds she finally made it to a sitting position, and grabbed the glass
from Shinji wanting that drink of water. As she drank Asuka ignored the pains
still shooting through her body, relaxing as the cold water cooled her parched
throat, but as she finished the water Asuka realized her throat wasn't the only
thing being chilled her back was freezing. Looking down she saw that she was
nude under the sheets except for the bandages covering her. With her face red
Asuka prepared to shout at the old man only to be hit in the face with a long
T-shirt.
"I think this should fit," was the only comment as the man turned his back to
the pair. Shinji's eyes never left Asuka's face as he helped pull the garment
over her head and down her torso.
"Thank you, um." Asuka stopped since she didn't know the man's name. "Who are
you?"
The man shook his head and turned around with sad eyes, "Just a concerned
citizen."
Asuka tried to laugh but it was weak. "A concerned citizen, bullshit. There
is no such thing, especially with the 24 million-dollar bounty on our heads.
There are only two kinds of people, one are the people that don't care and the
others are bounty hunters."
"You're quite cynical for one so young but I can see why." The man smiled
faintly at her. "And I don't fit into either of your two groups."
Asuka closed her eyes as she kept control of her anger before opening them
slowly and staring at the man. "Fine so you do care and you're not after the
bounty, but you still haven't told me your name."
"Michael Fahling," the man said as he walked out the door.
"You think we can trust him?" asked Shinji. Asuka sat there and stared at the
open door for moment.
"I don't."
"Of course you can!" Fahling stated as he came back carrying a tray.
"You still haven't given me my gun back!" Shinji shot back, hiding his
surprise at the sudden return under anger.
"Maybe it's because I don't want to get shot by a hot head like you." The man
set the tray on Asuka's lap before turning back to Shinji. "You don't have to
trust me but I hope you will. I want you to believe me when I say I am doing
this because I do care. I've seen and lived through too many government lies and
projects to believe what everyone says about you two. Anyone with a brain could
see that they're lies!"
Shinji snagged one of the sandwiches off the tray and went to a chair to eat
and where he would be out of the way. Four days he had been on the edge as he
waited for Asuka to wake up or for the old man to turn them in. But the betrayal
had never happened and now Asuka was awake, yet he still had no idea what to do.
Neither Asuka nor him were in any shape to fight or run at the moment and
wouldn't be for several days. Turning around in the chair he rested his arms
over the back, and cracking his back in the process which drew a glare from
their rescuer.
"Um, so how did we end up here anyways?" inquired Asuka setting the empty
tray on the floor. "And where is here by the way."
"Here is my boat and how you got here is not much of a tale." Fahling grabbed
the spare chair and lit his pipe. "A week ago I was halfway into my annual trip
down the river traveling at night. Traveling at night gives me all the daylight
I need to see the various towns I stop at." He didn't flinch under Asuka's glare
instead he just puffed away. "Anyways here I was going down the river at nice
clip when I see this weird object floating towards me. I altered course to avoid
any collision but close enough to see what was floating in the river. Almost had
a heart attack when I saw you two floating there on that damaged raft in the
middle of the night."
"Thought you were dead when I pulled you out of the water and onto my deck,
but as you can already guess you weren't. Both of you were the bluest I had ever
seen anyone and had weak pulses." Shinji flinched as the man pointed at him.
"Him I covered with as many blankets I had while I put you in the tub with hot
water. Originally I was going to take you to the nearest hospital but when I
cleaned you up I changed my mind since I recognized you."
"I take it you recognized us from the wanted bulletins?"
"Yes. And I am sorry about you killing your own father by mistake. I'm not
going to try and figure out what you're feeling right now."
Asuka felt her face heat up and saw Shinji studying her, "Thank you for
patching us up and for…"
"There's no need to thank me. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get us going
before someone wonders what we're doing."
Shinji watched the man leave before getting up and closing the door for some
privacy. Walking back over to the bed he sat the foot of the bed looking Asuka
over. The last days he had memorized every detail of her face as he waited for
her to wake, noticing little things that he had missed before. Her color still
was not back as she was pale and a little gray but it was better then before.
Reaching into his pocket he brought out a small plastic bag and placed it in her
hand.
"What's this?"
Shinji smirked, "Souvenirs."
Asuka opened her hand and saw what was in the bag, paling at the sight of
four shells. "All from me?"
"Yep, and here's mine." Shinji dug another bag out that contained fewer
bullets, but also had pieces of shrapnel.
Asuka lay back down on the bed and continued to stare at the bag. "Our luck
has to run out one of these days."
"Maybe God is watching out for us."
"Doubtful." With that said Asuka fell back to sleep.
- - - -
Winter had finally broken and the sun was shining on a perfect blue sky with
only traces of white clouds present. Birds sang in trees that were starting to
bud and produce green leaves while grass was turning back to a lively shade of
green. Nature wasn't the only thing turning out for the beautiful day as people
strolled about to do their errands instead of driving around. Many of the stores
had transferred part of their merchandise outdoors in order to take advantage of
increase in pedestrians. There were some scuffles as people got jostled about or
missed out on some deal, but on the whole the day was peaceful.
"This reminds me of home," commented Shinji as he walked against the current
of people to reach Asuka.
"It's always like this on the first day of spring and will be until winter
hits." Asuka reached out and grabbed the bundle from Shinji's hand. "Let's go
see mama."
Shinji nodded and started walking again, but this time with the stream of
people. He used his body to open up a passage for Asuka as she trailed behind
him. At one intersection he took a second to look at her and the day suddenly
felt gloomy. Asuka's shoulder was still wrapped and her arm was in a sling to
keep any movement to a minimum as her wounds healed, not to mention that she
still had a gray complexion as she recovered from the blood loss. Fahling had
stated that she would be lucky if she didn't lose some feeling and flexibility
in that shoulder. He had also commented that he wanted to put both of them under
the knife and patch up their bodies, but that was unrealistic at the time and he
said that if they ever finished up to look him up.
"Come on idiot the light's green."
Asuka grabbed his arm and pulled him through the intersection, not even
letting go when they made it to the other side. He could see some people smiling
at them as Asuka badgered him to move faster. But as they neared their
destination her pace slowed and she stopped smiling. Even when the wind blew
some of her hair in her face Asuka simply brushed it away. Shinji felt her
tremble as they walked past the wrought iron gates of the cemetery. He waved the
attendant away as Asuka walked numbly towards one path. Even though it was a
place of death Shinji was still amazed by the different headstones scattered
over various plots, it was completely different to the place where his mother
was supposed to lie. This place wasn't as stark and empty, but inviting.
Shinji almost ran into Asuka as she stopped suddenly, turning off the path
and walking on the grass. He came to stand besides her, holding her shoulders
gently as they stared at the headstone in front of them. Asuka neither spoke nor
moved as she stood there, reading the name and date over and over again. Again
she trembled but this time it was because Shinji had removed his arm from around
her.
"I'll give you some time alone with your mother." He turned away, but Asuka
stopped him. "I'll be back in a short time."
"Okay. Hurry back," whispered Asuka. Turning back to the grave she swallowed
slightly before kneeling down in front of it. Reaching forward she placed the
bundle of flowers below her mother's name. She clenched and unclenched her free
hand several times as she tried to figure out what she was going to say. Shadows
moved silently as she knelt there pulling memories from the past and organizing
them, remembering her mother and everything that had happened between them.
"Hello mama it's Asuka, though you probably already know that wherever you
are." She felt a little stupid talking to a grave but she didn't stop. "I'm
sorry that I haven't visited more but my life has been one hectic moment after
another since you died. It's gotten even busier in the last few months what with
me killing people in revenge." Asuka brushed a stray lock of hair out of her
vision. "But that is not the true reason for why I avoided you."
"I hated you! I hated how you had forgotten me, instead giving that stupid
doll all your love and affection. You drove me out of your life so I was just
following your example. How else did you expect me to react? Was your death
supposed to clear everything up like some sort of atonement for your sins or did
you not care how I was affected?" Asuka angrily wiped away her tears. "I might
have been able to handle it if papa had been there for me but he wasn't. You
made sure that he didn't care about me, always arguing with him. Or that's how I
rationalized it back then, as I grew up alone. Everything was your fault or
papa's fault."
When the hand rested on her shoulder Asuka flinched. "But now he's dead, at
my hand and I have a family no more, if I ever did. I had questions I wanted to
ask him, but I no longer have that option. The only thing I can do is to believe
that he loved me, but was just weak and had many faults that lead to him to
abandon his daughter. It's different with you mama. I can remember the times
that you used to hold and sing to me. I remember you coming home and telling me
what you were doing at work even if I never understood a word. And though I
know with time those memories will fade, I will hold on to them."
"I'm no longer alone in this life mama and that means a lot. I no longer have
to keep my hate or fears to myself anymore, though it's taken years for me to
realize that. You'd like Shinji I'm sure. He's strong and determined, yet is
caring on the inside, always looking out for my happiness even if he gets hurt.
I used to call him stupid and an idiot all the time but no more. Our friends and
colleagues always think this is weird, yet they fail to realize that people
change. And that is why I'm here mama. I want to forgive you for what happened
so many years ago. This is just the start of my healing. Goodbye for now mama."
Asuka stood and turned towards Shinji. "Let's go."
Shinji nodded but before they left he bent over and laid his own flowers on
the grave. "Goodbye Mrs. Soryu, we'll be back I promise."
With that the two of them turned and made their way back to the path and then
to the exit. Asuka stopped at the gate and gave the cemetery one last glance
before she htook Shinji's offered hand. As they walked away, back into town she
felt that one weight had finally been lifted. She still had others weighing her
down but someday she hoped that she could get rid of those also. There was one
thing that she had to take care of first.
"And where did you disappear to back there."
Shinji shrugged his shoulders, "There was an unwanted guest. I took care of
her."
"Oh, that's okay as long as that is all you did." She laughed at the look on
his face. "I was kidding you idiot."
"I know you were kidding, I just like hearing you laugh." Shinji looked over
his shoulder to the east like he could see farther than the horizon. "So when do
you want to start for Lake Baykal?"
"Not for a few weeks. I want to enjoy civilization before I go camping." The
corners of her mouth quirked in a faint smile. "I'm sure Toji and Kensuke would
love to go camping."
"No! We will not involve them in anything."
"Yeah, yeah I wasn't suggesting involving them." Asuka stopped and tilted her
head, lost in thought. "I wonder what everyone is up to in Tokyo-3."
"Hikari's probably pregnant again and Kensuke is buried in work at NERV."
- - - -
"Touji Suzuhara."
Touji looked up from his desk and ledger to see two men in black suits in the
back room of the restaurant. He felt a cold tremor race down his spine, but he
stood up and nodded. "Can I help you something?"
"We need you to come with us."
"Why?" One of the suits nodded slightly at the question.
"It involves your relationship with the fugitives Asuka Langley Soryu and
Shinji Ikari." The man reached forward and wrapped a hand around Touji's upper
arm. "Come with us."
Touji looked down at the hand around his arm and nodded his head in defeat.
There was no way he could break free from these two men and if he did he would
become hunted as an accomplice. As he walked towards the front door he was glad
that they had not opened for business yet. When he saw the black car he was also
glad that Hikari and the kids were not around to see this. That hope disappeared
when the backdoor opened and he saw Hikari's face staring back at him.
"What are they doing here?" Touji winced as the hand tightened and forced him
into the vehicle.
"Get in."
Again Touji nodded in defeat and slid in next to Hikari, while the suits
joined their comrade in the front. Taking one of his children from Hikari's
grasp Touji tried to calm the girl as best he could. But as the car pulled out
into traffic his frustration reached its peak.
"Goddamn you, Shinji and Asuka. We didn't want to get involved"
* * * *
Pre-readers were Tommyrude and Cinaril.
Well after months of delay I finally got my butt in gear and wrote this
chapter. At times I was just lazy, while at others I just didn't feel like
writing though that feeling has passed. Also I have too many projects going on
that are demanding of my time. But the biggest thing that sucked up my time
is my Playstation 2 and RPGs. For the last month its been "Just one more hour."
for me. I've put up my controller and told myself to get back to writing so
hopefully I can catch up on all the promised chapters and new stories from
a couple months ago.
This chapter was supposed to be a little different than my other chapters.
Here I didn't want to concentrate on the assassination but on Asuka and Shinji
when they realized they killed the wrong person. Also I wanted Asuka to come
to some sort of terms with her past and mother, thus the cemetery scene. I'm
not really sure if I succeeded in that area, but hopefully it didn't detract
from the story.
History lesson: The ambush that killed Asuka's father I borrowed from a real
life incident involving the Red Army Faction and a German banker in the 1980's.
C&C is always welcome
Red Horseman eva_pilot9@doramail.com
The Game: Loss v3.0
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 forest appeared to be a dream or maybe even a painting as the ground had
a thin cover of snow, while fog floated between the trunks. Ancient trees reached
for the blue sky as younger saplings staked out their own territory. A stream
gurgled as it tumbled over rocks in its bed as it had done for many centuries.
The sounds of wildlife could be heard as birds sung, and the sounds of both
predator and prey broke the silence. But the sounds of nature were rudely
interrupted as human voices echoed through the forest. What had once shown signs
of life was now dead.
Two shadows moved silently and quickly from tree to tree, only stopping
intermittently to listen for any sounds of pursuit. Despite their apparent need
for speed the pair chose where they stepped carefully and expertly, leaving a
minimum of tracks on the forest floor. Neither spoke as they stopped next to the
stream, with the sun on their faces, and stopped to catch their breath. Without
any signal both of them started up the rocky incline in front of them. As they
crested the top of small elevation both dropped to their stomachs and faced the
way they had come from.
"Think we lost them?" asked Shinji as he took slow breaths to slow his
heartbeat down. He ignored the burning sensation on his left hand as he scanned
the trees.
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Of course not! They're too determined for us to
lose or haven't the last two hours convinced you of that?" Asuka clenched her
fist and frowned in anger. "I'm going to kill Kenji when this is all over. This
is the second time this has happened to us to be coincidence."
"It's not his fault," Shinji replied quietly. "Since they doubled the bounty on
our heads I'm sure that finding reliable people has been a problem." He slowly
reached into one of his pockets for his handkerchief, hoping Asuka wouldn't
notice.
"That is no excuse. It's our lives that are on the line here, not his." With
a grab she snatched the cloth out of his hand. "And what's the matter with you?"
Not saying anything he raised his left hand that had a bloody streak where a
bullet had grazed. He wouldn't have done anything since it was one of most minor
injuries he had received in years, but it burned and itched like crazy. Shinji
followed Asuka as she motioned for him to move behind a dead tree so that they
both could sit up. Using quick precise movements she cleaned the wound of dried
blood and other material before wrapping the cloth around the wound. Asuka didn't
remove her hand for a few moments, but when she did the both of them locked eyes.
Slowly Shinji traced a small scar on her cheek. He stopped when she flinched at
the light touch. "What's wrong Asuka?"
"Nothing," She averted her eyes, then sighed at his expression. "Just memories,
okay." Asuka stopped and studied the trees. "They're here."
Slowly they both went prone again and crawled to the crest to survey what was
in front of them. Asuka felt the tension in her body grow as the seconds turned
into minutes and the silence of the forest deepened. But still she did nothing
except study what was in front of her hoping that Shinji or herself caught some
sign of their pursuers before it was too late. Swallowing to keep her throat
moist she placed the submachine gun's sling over her head and shoulder. Out of
the corner of her eye she saw Shinji reach under his coat and pull out his
combat knife. Following his example she placed her knife in front of her,
flexing her hands to work the tension and cold out of them. Just as Asuka was
going to signal a retreat their patience was rewarded.
Out of the trees six shadows advanced with guns drawn and heads in continual
motion as the worked their way towards the stream. All were dressed in battle
dress uniforms of forest design and had goggles covering their eyes. One member
of the group studied the ground where Asuka and Shinji had crossed before
standing and looking up the hill. With quiet commands the hunters split into two
groups with one advancing straight ahead while the other group moved into a
flanking position. The first group advanced one at a time while the other two
covered the first soldier, while the second section advanced in a triangle to
maximize coverage.
Asuka did not miss any of this as she gripped Shinji's shoulder, getting his
attention. With a motion of her head, she signaled a retreat from the edge of
the elevation. As they retreated backwards Shinji angled towards the flanking
group, which drew a curious look from Asuka. Moving closer to the woman Shinji
positioned himself so he could talk to her.
"They're more spread out," he explained in a whisper. "If we keep retreating
we'll lose."
"I know that, idiot!" Asuka blushed as her voice rose. Sighing she reached
down and held his hand for a moment. "Remember to aim high. They're probably
wearing body armor."
Shinji didn't say anything, only giving her a smile as he rose up and waited
for her. As soon she was parallel to him, but a few feet away, he started forward
at a fast pace weaving in and out of the trees. His course moved them away from
the advancing group and across the front of the flanking section, but Shinji
didn't stop. Keeping the flanking hunters in his peripheral vision he started
down the hill wanting to come at them from the same elevation. A flash of auburn
told him that Asuka had figured out his plan and started her attack.
Picking up his pace he picked out the person on lower on the hill as his
target. Gripping the knife tighter, Shinji half slid and ran towards the man
while trying to keep his profile low to the ground. The man's head whipped
towards Shinji as he gave up any attempts at stealth. Eyes widened in shock
but training took over as the man pivoted and brought up his gun. Shinji went
flat and slid in the mud as a bullet cracked over his head. Coming to his feet
Shinji sprinted as fast as he could, reaching the man as another shot rang off
to his side only to be replaced by a scream. With his free hand Shinji grabbed
his target's wrist that was holding the gun, his momentum carrying him past and
behind the target. Continuing his arc Shinji brought his knife up and plunged it
into the throat of his victim. Cartilage crunched as he twisted the blade and
warm fluid covered his hand a moment later.
Dropping the body, Shinji sprinted towards the location of the last member of
the flanking party. He braced for the shock of impact when he saw his target in
a shooter's stance and perfectly calm. A shot rang out and Shinji flinched
thinking he had been hit, but instead the man's head jerked back with a red mist
surrounding it. Turning he saw Asuka glaring down at him with a pistol in her
hand before she started jogging towards him. Without a word they started downhill
towards the stream and forest, hoping they could get to cover before the advance
party knew what had happened. As they crossed the stream a volley of bullets
kicked up water and dirt, chasing them behind the trunk of a mature tree.
"They're toying with us," growled Asuka as dirt was thrown up from around her
foot as she tried to move.
"One's stayed up there," stated Shinji as he moved closer to Asuka.
Running a hand through her dirty hair Asuka sighed, "I know and that means
we're going to have to split up. I'll go west and you go east, then we'll meet
at the top for the last guy." The firing stopped as the gunner replaced his empty
magazine. "Go!"
Shinji sprinted deeper into the forest, before heading in an easterly
direction, then slowing to a steady walk. Keeping the stream and hill to his
right side Shinji started a search pattern. He went from tree to tree, always
circling it before stopping and listening for any signs of a follower. His
caution grew as this went on for sometime without any signs of his hunter.
Deciding that the man must have used the stream to move Shinji crossed to the
opposite side and started walking towards his former position. Approaching a
pile of rubble Shinji knelt down and examined the ground for any kind of marks
to note the passing of a man. He looked up as a shadow fell over him in time to
see a fist flying towards him.
Reacting quickly Shinji tucked his chin and rolled with the punch, resulting
in him ending up in the cold water. Shaking his head and coughing up water he
tried to see where his attacker was going to come from. But the man had moved
during the time Shinji was in the water and landed a blow to Shinji's abdomen.
The impact knocked the breath out him, but Shinji grabbed the bigger man's arms
and pulled while ducking. As the man was pulled forward and down Shinji
reversed directions and lunged upwards causing his head to connect with the
man's lower jaw. Repeated blows to his ribs slowed Shinji down as he tried to
land a blow to the bigger man's knee, but the slippery rocks threatened to
topple him. Retreating Shinji stayed out of arms reach and bided his time.
As his opponent grew frustrated and charged, Shinji dropped to a crouch and
swept the man's legs out from underneath him. Standing Shinji walked over to
the downed man who wasn't moving, but breathing. Coming to a decision Shinji
lifted his foot up before bringing it down on the man's throat. Patiently
Shinji watched the death throes as his opponent tried to breathe through a
crushed windpipe. When the thrashing stopped and blood seeped down a cheek,
Shinji turned and started towards the top of the hill.
- - - -
"So did we get all of them?" asked Shinji as they looked towards a clearing
where two vehicles waited for their passengers.
"I think so, but I didn't exactly have time for a body count at the start of
this ordeal." Asuka flinched as his hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Are you
sure you're okay?"
"Yes." Came the simple reply from the young man.
"You look like shit."
Asuka turned and looked Shinji over, paling slightly at what she saw from the
prior fight. His clothes were caked with a combination of blood and mud, while
gashes showed red skin underneath. His normally light brown hair had a reddish
hue to it and was matted down with blood from a scalp wound. That same wound had
left a streak down the side of face. All this had come from the chase and fight
with the last hunter as he tried to escape.
"Well you don't look any better, but that isn't the issue."
Nodding Asuka grabbed his arm. "Let's go."
Asuka watched Shinji move towards the van where the ambush had come from,
while she moved to her vehicle. With submachine ready she slowly walked around
the car, noting the various footsteps around it. Continuing to circle Asuka
moved towards the rear door on the driver's side. Keeping as much metal between
her and any hidden person she threw open the door, scanning the interior over
the gun sights she found unmarked leather. Repeating the same for the front
compartment of the car showed no damage. Checking the various smudges on the
body revealed no hidden devices. Smiling she closed the door and turned towards
where Shinji would be checking out the van. The smile disappeared and the metal
stock rested against her shoulder.
"Drop the gun Ms. Soryu," a woman requested quietly. "And I won't have to do
anything to Mr. Ikari here."
Asuka smirked and shifted to her left, causing Shinji's captor to turn with
her. "You can't do anything to us. The bounty is for us to be alive, not dead."
The woman's eyes narrowed and she gave Asuka a dangerous smile. Asuka watched
for any signs of weakness as her finger threatened to tighten on the trigger.
From the bulky clothes that the woman was wearing Asuka surmised that she was
wearing body armor and knew that she would only have one shot. Asuka continued
to move hoping to get the sun behind her and blind the person in front of her.
She stopped when the woman removed the gun from Shinji's temple and jammed it
into his back, causing Shinji to flinch.
"Alive, yes but not uninjured." The woman gripped Shinji tighter. "Shinji
doesn't have to walk for me to get the money. So the choice is yours. Surrender
and maybe you'll escape your fate or let Shinji be paralyzed."
Asuka blanched for a moment and when she spoke it was with ice in her voice.
She tried to ignore the look from Shinji, knowing what he must be seeing. "The
second you pull that trigger you're dead. I won't let you live, no matter what
it costs me."
"Pretty brave when it's your partner's life at stake." The woman jerked
Shinji's head up by his hair. "What do you say Shinji?"
He gave Asuka a small reassuring smile. "I don't really care what you do. But
no matter what happens there will only be one outcome." Shinji turned his head
looking out of the corner of his eye, and his voice was ice. "You'll be dead."
"Fool!"
Tears slid down Asuka's cheeks as her finger tightened on the trigger. All
senses were centered on keeping the woman's head centered in the sights. At the
last moment all emotions drained from Asuka as the breaking pressure was reached,
nothing was in front of her except a target. Shots rang out at so close together
that they sounded as one. The woman's head disappeared in a cloud of blood and
gray matter, splattering the van as Asuka watched Shinji's body crumple to the
ground. Dropping her gun Asuka ran over to the bodies, cradling Shinji's head in
her arms.
"Shinji! Come on, wake up." Tears came faster as she got no response. "You
can't just die on me! We've been through too much for this to happen." Her
grip tightened, drawing them closer. Asuka's voice dropped to a whisper,
"Please, just wake up."
But nothing happened as she continued to cry and hold his body. As the sun
continued to drop lower and the shadows deepened she finally concluded that he
was gone. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she leaned back against the cold
metal of the van, drained of any energy. Asuka closed her eyes as her tears
slowed to a trickle, but she still did not let go of Shinji's body. Her heart
almost stopped almost stopped as a hand gripped hers tightly. Looking down she
saw deep blue eyes staring calmly into hers. With a grimace Shinji reached up
and stroked her cheek.
"I'm sorry. I made you cry." His voice was a combination of pain and caring.
- - - -
"So why didn't you tell me you were wearing those extra pieces of armor?"
inquired Asuka as she sat next to Shinji on their bed.
In her lap was a bowl of warm water, while another bowl held some bloody
bandages. She grimaced at the sight of Shinji's lower back as she cleaned up the
split skin. The armor had denied the bullet any penetration, but had barely
slowed down its velocity. The result was a massive bruise as the energy was
spread out over a larger area and resulting in multiple small tears in Shinji's
skin. The tears had bled profusely causing Asuka to believe that the damage had
been much worse. Though he said that he could feel everything in his legs Asuka
worried that some damage would show up later.
"I did many times, especially after that incident in Budapest. But you've
been distracted. Ow!" Shinji flinched as Asuka applied more pressure than
necessary. "Be careful. Please."
Asuka placed the bandage she had been using into the bowl and reached for a
clean roll. "Sorry that I'm not perfect." She finished her work and pulled
Shinji's shirt down. "I'm done."
"Look none of what's happened is your fault," Shinji stated as he rolled onto
his side. "I am not going to say I know what you're feeling, but I can guess."
He reached over and rested his hand on top of her hand. "Tell me what is wrong,
please."
"I can't," whispered Asuka as she turned her head. "At least not yet."
Shinji guessed. "Is it your mother?"
Shifting her hand Asuka intertwined her fingers with his, but didn't say
anything. Instead she opted just to nod her head in acknowledgment of his
question. That was all she had been thinking about since they had learned that
their next target was residing in Germany, basically right next to where her
life had turned direction. The emotions of her past and family conflicted with
the present and what she needed to accomplish. And so she had been distracted
her during important tasks as familiar landmarks brought back the past.
Separating their hands, she stood up to clean off the bed.
"So where is NERV's German Branch anyway? They never did tell me."
"Cologne." Asuka set the bowl on a nearby table before returning to the bed.
She pulled all the blankets and covers over the both of them before moving closer
to Shinji. The warmth and touch of another person was comforting, causing her to
curl up against him.
Shinji remained silent for some time, wrapping one arm around Asuka's waist,
and waited. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room he found Asuka
looking back. He sighed as he noticed that she was biting her lower lip and
decided to broach a sensitive subject. "So is your mother buried there?"
Asuka felt a tremor race through her body and knew that Shinji had felt it.
She tried to pull away not wanting Shinji to know how bad her childhood had been,
but he tightened his hold on her. It wasn't until he touched her cheek that she
noticed that she had almost cried at just the thought of her mother. Staring at
Shinji, she knew that she had no choice, especially if it distracted her like it
had been doing lately.
"No," came the quiet admission. "She's buried in Troisdorf, near my old home."
She explained before Shinji could ask a question. "My mother wanted a quiet
place to live and raise me. Or that is what she always said when she argued with
my father. I think that she also wanted to get away from the dullness of NERV,
but I'm not sure. Though that changed later."
"What happened later?"
Asuka shook her head. "I'm sorry Shinji, but that's a tale for another night."
"Okay. So have you." Shinji started, but was interrupted by Asuka.
She leaned in closer and gave him a kiss, smiling as he returned it. "I've
been with you for the last seven years, almost eight years, so how could I have
visited her grave?" Asuka's smile disappeared at Shinji's expression and she
rolled onto her back. "I shouldn't have said that. But no, I haven't been to
mama's grave since the funeral."
"When this mission is done do you want to visit her?" inquired Shinji. "I
mean maybe now you let go of what happened between the two of you." His voice
had started out strong but had dropped to a whisper at the end. "A decade is a
long time to carry that kind of pain around."
Asuka continued to lie on her back, silent and contemplating Shinji's strange
request. She doubted that going to see her mother's grave would really erase the
pain that she had been carrying around for so many years. That pain had shaped
her into what she was, of how she presented her self to others. A frown appeared
on her face as she remembered that she had dropped the spoiled brat routine
years ago. But to finally release the hate and anger of that day both scared and
intrigued Asuka as to how it might change her if it did anything at all. Then
again it might not change her at all. Her relationship with Shinji was doing
fine despite her promises to herself never to be dependent on others.
"No."
Shinji was shocked at the blunt reply. "Asuka! How can you say that,
especially after everything we learned."
The sound of Asuka's fists hitting the bed stopped him. Rolling over he
placed his hands on each side of her head and studied Asuka's face. What he saw
both scared and saddened him, as her features were a mixture of anger and sorrow.
Even in the faint light he could see the faint traces of moisture at the corners
of her eyes, but her eyes were narrowed and she was wearing a frown. Propped up
on one arm he brushed some stray hair from her forehead, then slowly lowered
himself and gave her a small kiss.
"I know that, but mama and me." She reached up and pulled Shinji closer,
before resting her head on his shoulder. "We didn't have a good parting, and I've
never forgiven her for forgetting me."
Rolling over Shinji held Asuka in his arms as she trembled. "I thought she
died like my mother."
"It wasn't that simple, Shinji. The EVA, it stole both her mind and soul
during that test." Her voice was muffled but Shinji could hear the pain in it.
"She forgot and ignored me before finally killing herself."
"Oh, I didn't know," whispered Shinji.
Slowly he moved his hands to Asuka's back and neck as she trembled against
him as her memories haunted her that he had reawakened. He gently held the back
of her head as he rubbed her back, showing that she wasn't alone. Shinji didn't
know how much time had passed before Asuka quieted down and relaxed her hold on
him. As the tension finally drained from her body Shinji contemplated what she
had said as he still held Asuka in his arms. Staring up at the ceiling Shinji
realized that he had just added another role to their relationship.
- - - -
The cool evening air seeped through the layers of clothing and gloves Shinji
wore causing him to shiver. But that did not stop him from finishing up his
assigned task as the camera clicked in his hands. In the distance highlighted
by the setting sun was the mountain estate of Wilhelm Rintzler, SEELE member and
owner of a nation wide corporation, NP Noricum. Shifting the lens slightly
Shinji brought another guard into view, before focusing and snapping another
picture. The arrival of a car drew his attention, and again the camera moved to
take a photograph. Shinji sighed as he ejected the full memory card and slipped
it into the proper sleeve before inserting a fresh card. The car was just another
plain car, one of approximately thirty in the parking area, but the passengers
were the prizes for the young man. As each guest arrived at the door, Shinji had
just enough time to zoom, focus and snap a couple pictures before they
disappeared inside. Later on Asuka and him would look through each frame trying
to match up any other SEELE members.
A car's motor caused Shinji to whip his head around and look up to where he
had parked his own vehicle. A frown crossed his face for a moment before
disappearing into a smirk. Taking his time he packed away the various camera
accessories that were on the ground next to him. Slinging the camera bag over
his shoulder he started walking back towards his car and the vehicle that had
stopped behind it. Red and blue lights flashed across his face and the
surrounding mountainside while two men dressed in the dark blue uniforms of the
Hessen division of the German National Police waited for him. Shinji stopped at
the front quarter of his vehicle, placing the bag on the hood, and keeping his
hands where the officers could see them.
"Is something the matter officers?" asked Shinji in perfect German after the
silence had remained unbroken for a couple minutes.
"What were you doing down there?"
"Taking photographs of the river and surrounding landscapes." Shinji picked up
his bag in one hand. "I'm a professional photographer."
The higher ranked officer smiled before launching a barrage of questions at
Shinji. The questions ranged from his name and where he was staying to inquiries
that only a professional would know. During the entire session Shinji remained
calm, answering the questions in a quiet steady voice as he went through his new
biography. He noticed that after every third question the other officer would
glance down at a hand held display before nodding to his superior. The
surrounding shadows deepened as the questions kept coming from the officers.
"I'm sorry about this, but we had to make sure you are who you say you are,"
stated the leader after twenty minutes. "There were some murders near here and
we still haven't found who is responsible."
Shinji nodded his acknowledgment, "And since Mr. Rintzler is a prominent
business man."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." The officer turned around and walked
back to his patrol car.
Shinji exhaled slowly then opened the rear door to his car and placed the camera
bag in the back seat before getting behind the wheel. Starting the engine he
watched as nothing came up wrong with any of the gauges. Glancing into the rear
view mirror one more time as the patrol car had not moved Shinji pulled off of
the shoulder and onto the concrete of the main road. A few minutes later he
smiled to himself as the patrol car raced past him with its lights flashing as
it supposedly went after another lead. Approaching a cloverleaf Shinji took the
first off ramp and headed back towards the apartment.
- - - -
"Where have you been?" was the first thing out of Asuka's mouth as Shinji
slid into the open space next to her at the bar.
Shinji didn't say anything as he leaned over to give Asuka a quick hug, but
was pushed away at the last moment. Picking up the stein he followed her over to
a table in the corner and sat with his back to the wall. He frowned as she
didn't say a word instead Asuka picked up her own and slowly drank. Shinji
picked up his stein and as he lifted it to his mouth he thought he saw Asuka
smile behind the oversized mug. A second later he was coughing and hacking from
the warm, bitter beer that Asuka had gotten for him. As he wiped up the spilt
beer he turned his head to glare at his partner but his eyes softened as Asuka
was smiling at him and her eyes were bright in humor.
"And what was that for," muttered Shinji.
Asuka didn't say anything as she slid a glass of water to him. As he grabbed
the glass Asuka traced her fingers over his hand. "For asking me about my past
when I told you to be patient." At Shinji's puzzled look she explained, "Remember
at Kenji's after we saw your father's disc, you asked me why I had dwelt on the
past so much. And I asked you to be patient with me."
"Oh, I forgot. Sorry." Shinji averted his eyes.
"Don't be sorry and anyways you were right." Her voice grew shaky as she
continued, "I should visit mama's grave and start getting rid of the burden of
her death." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "But you still haven't answered
my question of where you have been."
"Ran into the police and had to drop the tail they put on me."
"You sure you lost them?"
Shinji nodded, "I left them watching the hotel that we had been using for the
last couple weeks. Too bad I also had to leave the car behind." He finished the
glass of water and ordered from the waitress that had come to their table. "What
about you? Did you complete your assignment?"
"Of course I did," was her indignant reply.
Glancing over at his partner Shinji saw what Asuka was wearing and wondered
-how- she had completed her assignment. Her hair was messy and the red lipstick
was smeared off to one side, while her evening dress and matching jacket looked
rumpled from some heavy handling. Shinji laced his fingers under his chin and
put a bored expression on his face then waited for Asuka. One eyebrow lifted
when she blushed and met his gaze until he lost himself in her blue eyes once
again.
"You don't have to look at me like I did something wrong," stated Asuka in a
sharp voice. "Men need to be led on or they might not do what is needed."
"Have you been leading me on," inquired Shinji and regretted it immediately.
Asuka's eyes were wide from shock and she sadly frowned, "How could you ask me
that Shinji after everything we've been through, especially these last few
months."
Shinji tightened his hold on her hand. "I shouldn't have said that, but I
needed to hear you say it." He felt as Asuka squeezed his hand lightly,
encouraging him to continue. "I guess I have this fear that I may lose you
someday, whether through a mistake or something unforeseen. And if that happens
I want to remember that what we had was real."
"You won't lose me Shinji."
- - - -
Lowering the binoculars Shinji looked over at Asuka in the driver's seat, and
sighed. Gone were all traces of the sad, yet carefree young woman from the night
before as they waited for Wilhelm Rintzler to leave his estate. Her impatience
was shown through the continual drumming of fingers against the steering wheel,
and the sharp exhalation of breath. The eyes that had been soft and sad earlier
were now cold as ice, as she simply looked out the windshield waiting for his
signal. Shinji ran his fingers through his hair, trying not to think of how
silky Asuka's hair had been. Lifting his binoculars he resumed his surveillance
of the gate and bridge in the distance. He didn't have to wait long as a convoy
of three black BMWs exited the estate and made their way to the local bypass.
Reaching over he tapped Asuka on the shoulder, daring not to speak or break the
ice. As he removed his hand Asuka grabbed it for moment before releasing it.
The three cars raced past the rest stop and Asuka slowly counted to five
before falling into a tail position. The sun was barely peeking over the edge of
the horizon as the four cars wound their way through the hills to the flat
plains. Other vehicles shared the road but the world was only waking up to do
its daily routine and so the numbers were relatively small. As the tops of
buildings came into view Rintzler's cars slowed down and took the second off
ramp, something that Asuka and Shinji were prepared for from their surveillance
of the man. Traffic lights remained green as the hunted and hunters made their
way to the corporation's headquarters. Shinji flipped up two switches of the
control panel sitting in his lap as the metal and stone structure came into view.
"We won't fail."
Shinji almost turned his head at the cold tone of Asuka but he didn't as he
watched the last few seconds of Rintzler's life. One of the switches had
activated a program in the traffic light to turn from green to red when it
received a certain code. That code was what Asuka had received from a maintenance
worker the night before. The first escort car made it through the intersection
as the light turned yellow while the cars behind them stopped for the red light.
Wilhelm Rintzler's record with keeping a clean profile and obeying even the
littlest law to avoid suspicion would lead to his death, because the second
switch triggered a laser sensor.
It was over in a blink of an eye as the car broke the laser and triggered
the ambush, yet Asuka could imagine every detail. The mailbox that held the
weapon disappeared in ball of orange flame and black smoke. Plate glass of a
shop right behind the box bulged inward before filling the air with crystal
shrapnel. An instant later the armored car was transformed into a miniature hell
as the cabin filled with superheated air and metal fragments. The blastfront's
shockwave twisted the frame, deforming the vehicle and defeating the last of its
compromised protection. A dull thump shattered any remaining intact windows and
shook the pilots' car as the gas tank detonated in a flash. The guards from the
escort vehicles surrounded the destroyed car, but could do nothing as flames
consumed the wreckage.
"Three down, nine to go." whispered Asuka as she watched smoke climb into the
brightening day. "Will we ever be done?"
- - - -
Something warm touched Shinji's cheek causing him to come out of his slumber
immediately. In one motion he grabbed the object with one hand while swinging
his other in an upward curving arc. He cringed as his eyes finally focused and
saw blue eyes framed by auburn hair staring down at him. The sound of flesh
hitting flesh never reached his ears as Asuka blocked his punch by simply
raising up her arm and taking the blow on her forearm. Shinji sighed and lay
back down, as Asuka's eyes were calm with no trace of anger in them. She removed
her hand from his cheek and sat down on the bed.
"This is the last time I wake you up," muttered Asuka.
"I must be getting soft since I didn't hear you come in."
Asuka leaned over and flicked his forehead with a finger. "Idiot, we were
exhausted or did you forget we had been up over twenty four hours yesterday."
She glared at him and held up one finger as she saw that he was going to
apologize.
"So how long was I out of it?" Shinji slid out from underneath the covers and
stopped next to Asuka. He frowned as she refused his attempts to grab the water
bottle in her hand.
"Twelve hours. Now come on they're finally going to release the identity of
Mr. Wilhelm Rintzler." Her voice was full of sarcasm as she spoke that name.
With that Asuka stood up and walked out of the bedroom they had been sharing.
Shinji sat there before getting to his feet and following her out into the small
living room. As he went to the kitchen for something to drink he saw that Asuka
was sitting on the couch and had turned on the television to the local news
station. When he returned she was resting her chin on her hands with elbows
braced on her knees watching the screen. She didn't react as he again sat down
next to her, instead she reached for the bottle at her feet. When the newscast
started she turned up the volume and resumed her statue-like position.
"Early this morning the business district of Framkfurt was rocked by a single
explosion of unknown origin. The explosion happened just a block from the
corporate headquarters of NP Noricum Incorporated, which is owned by Mr. Rintzler
of Boppard. The explosion destroyed a car owned by Mr. Rintzler, and caused minor
damage to nearby buildings. Sadly three people were killed in this apparent
terrorism attack, the driver, a bodyguard and prominent scientist Mr. Akihiro
Soryu. Authorities agree that Mr. Rintzler was the intended target of the attack
but he loaned the car and his personnel to Mr. Soryu, who worked for Noricum."
The reporter's voice faded into the background as Shinji felt the blood drain
from his face as he turned towards Asuka. She was just as pale as he was and she
was starting to shake. When his hand touched her leg Asuka abruptly stood up and
ran to the bedroom. Shinji didn't even realize that he had leapt up from the
couch and chased after her only to have the door slammed in his face. Even as he
heard the click of the lock he still tried the doorknob hoping to get into the
room and talk to Asuka, to be there for her to show her that she wasn't alone,
but the metal knob refused to turn.
"Asuka please open the door," pleaded Shinji. "I'm here for you, you must
know that. I won't leave no matter what happens. Please open the door."
But his pleas were met with silence despite his repeated attempts to get
Asuka to open the door. As he slid down onto his knees Shinji rested his head
against the door hearing the quiet sounds of the young woman crying. He didn't
know why but hearing the news that they had killed the wrong person had drained
Shinji of energy as he slowly stood. Giving the door one last furtive glance he
made his way back to the television. As he reached for the remote to turn the
machine off Shinji stopped. On the screen was a picture of a smiling Asuka as a
child with both her parents. She looked so innocent and happy back then compared
to the tortured girl he had met so many years ago and woman he had been living
with for the last six.
"Damn it!" Pain shot through Shinji's hand and up his arm as he punched the
wooden table. He threw the remote to the floor after turning the television off
and stormed out the door.
- - - -
The day, which was gray with clouds and rain, suited Shinji's mood as he
stood on the bank of the Rhine River and watched the river traffic float past
him. It had been two days since the botched assassination, which had resulted in
the death of Asuka's father, and he had grown tired of watching the news repeat
her father's life history, while portraying Asuka as a wanted criminal. He
couldn't understand why Asuka was so worked up over the death of her father.
"That was callous Shinji," he muttered to himself.
Despite everything the man had put him through hadn't he cried when he had
learned of his father's death? Couldn't the same be true of Asuka and her own
father? Yet it didn't fit with what Shinji knew of her father and his
relationship with his daughter. Asuka never talked about her father, instead
always treating him as a non-entity in her life, even going so far as to chew
Shinji out when he had commented on her having a family. Sighing Shinji turned up
the collar of his coat and stuck his hands in his pockets, ignoring the water
soaking his head and flowing to the ground. He didn't know enough of Asuka's
past to even reach an educated guess of why she was reacting the way she was.
Kicking a rock he watched it tumble down the bank of the river before finally
landing with an unsatisfactory plop in the water. Turning on his heel Shinji
started walking back to the cabin that they had rented for this operation hoping
that Asuka would finally break out of her shell of the last two days. He couldn't
help but shiver as he stepped from the cool air of outdoors into the heated
environment of the entryway. After wiping his feet, Shinji left the wet jacket
hanging on a hook before walking further into the cabin. Striding into the
kitchen he grabbed a bottle of water and downed half of it before walking towards
the door to bedroom. Stopping in front of the wooden barrier Shinji resolved that
they -would- talk, no matter what would happen. He was surprised when the door
opened under his touch when he reached up to knock.
"Asuka you want to talk?" inquired Shinji before he saw Asuka.
His eyes softened and he wanted to cry as he saw her limp form under the
blankets. Her hair looked dull and lifeless as it lay out in a stream behind her
head on the pillow. Setting the bottle on the floor he made his way to the side
of the bed and knelt down. Some of his worry disappeared as sky blue eyes stared
back at him, yet like her hair they were dull and empty. Shinji ignored the red
puffiness of Asuka's eyes and simply stared as he reached out for one of her
hands. He smiled as she returned the gesture and their hands met halfway before
gently coming together.
"I'm sorry Shinji," whispered Asuka. "You've must have been worried sick about
me."
He brushed a couple stray locks of hair off her forehead. "A little. I've
never seen you like this before." Her fingers tightened before relaxing. "You
want to talk about it?"
"Not yet." A panicked look came to her face as Shinji tried to separate their
hands. "Don't go, please."
"What do you want to me to do?" He smiled as a blush crossed her cheeks.
"Just hold me."
"I'm soaking wet, let me change first." Shinji stopped as Asuka shook her head.
"No. I've just gone through two and half days of self imposed exile from you.
So get your butt into this bed Shinji." At her tone of voice Shinji laughed.
After placing his pistol and holster on the bedside table Shinji stripped down
to a T-shirt and shorts. Lifting up the edge of the blankets he saw that Asuka
was just wearing her slip. He wasn't surprised when Asuka rolled halfway onto to
him when he was fully in the bed. As he warmed up from her body heat Shinji
rubbed Asuka's shoulders and back through the thin garment feeling her heartbeat
against his chest. Neither said a word as they lost themselves in the comfort of
being with someone that cared. Shinji smiled when after some time Asuka threw an
arm around him, her breath tickling his neck as she fell asleep against him.
A while later Shinji woke to the missing weight and warmth of Asuka.
Throwing the blankets to one side he grabbed his pants and got dressed,
clenching and unclenching his hand to get the feeling back. As he walked out of
the room Shinji almost ran into Asuka, as she was about to enter. Reaching
forward he grabbed the tray that she had been balancing on one hand to keep it
from dropping to the floor. For his efforts Shinji received a smile from Asuka as
she bent down and picked up a pitcher and two glass from where she had set them
down. As they sat back down on the bed Shinji saw that Asuka had showered and
changed into shorts and a thick sweater. Reaching forward he removed the
makeshift lid from the tray once they were settled.
"Comfort food?" commented Shinji as he saw what she had prepared.
"Yeah, simple yet completely satisfying."
Without another word Asuka reached forward and speared herself a link of
bratwurst. Placing it into a bun she then covered it in sauerkraut and hot
mustard before dumping a pile of chips on her plate. Shinji watched as she
attacked the simple meal in front of her, almost inhaling the brat. As she put
down what she had not eaten he couldn't help but laugh at the juices that ran
down her chin, but Asuka didn't say anything. He took the glass she offered him
and waited as she poured him a drink. Lifting the glass he took a sip to taste
the beer and found it had a mild taste and was gentle aroma. As he started on
his first helping Asuka was on to her second but this time she wasn't eating
with as much gusto and by the third she was just toying with it.
"You don't have to stare at me like that, I'll talk to you." Asuka put down
her remaining meal and rested her hand on her knees.
"I know but it's still your decision and I won't pressure you to do something
until you're ready."
Asuka angrily ran her fingers through her hair and her voice was sharp, "I
know that! But at the same time you are pressuring me in an indirect way. How
can you trust me with your life when I won't even talk about my past." She
pulled her hands out of Shinji's reach as he tried to grip one. "You're
wondering why I'm so worked up over the death of my father. The bastard who left
me alone for so many years, who never called or wrote me or stood up and defended
me when they put that bounty on our heads. I shouldn't care about the man who
cheated on my mother and remarried so soon afterwards. I shouldn't be worked up
so much over a single person's death. But."
Her voice ended in a whisper and she didn't anything for a few moments, "But
I wanted to ask him just once whether he truly ever loved me. Was I conceived
because he was ordered to or because he loved my mother and wanted a family? Did
he feel proud when I graduated from college at such a young age or was it all
part of SEELE's plans? There were many questions that I wanted to ask him to see
if he was ever deserving of forgiveness. Now I will never know and that is going
haunt me forever because I won't be able to completely hate him. I will always
wonder if he was just weak and being manipulated or if he believed in SEELE's
ideals and did everything to further their plans."
"I didn't know your past was bad," spoke Shinji, as he was able to grab her
before pulling her closer. He did not release her as she laughed sadly.
"My past. That wasn't my past Shinji but just why I worked myself up over my
father's death." She closed her eyes and absorbed the warmth from Shinji. "My
past is much worse and so much sadder. And now there are no barriers to you
learning everything about me."
The way she said the last sentence scared Shinji, like she was going to tell
him that she was a demon or something. Over the next two hours that fear
disappeared as Asuka did a good job of tearing herself and her parents to pieces.
A lot of things were cleared up and he learned why she had acted in certain ways
during the Angels and how she had treated those around her. Instead of the demon
attacking everything around her Shinji saw Asuka as just barely keeping her head
above the water. Her entire life had been one assault after another on her heart
and soul as she lost her mother and father, and then Kaji and Misato, finally
ending in their years of running.
"And now you know everything about me, both the good and bad. Mostly the bad
though," Asuka whispered as she stared at the far wall waiting for Shinji to
react to her story.
"I don't know what you're talking about with the bad," Shinji said after the
silence stretched. "I didn't hear anything that told me you are bad or evil in
some way. What I learned is that you had a worse childhood then I did and I have
no room to complain."
"But." A finger running down her dry cheek stopped Asuka.
"No buts. These last few years I've seen you come out of situations that no
one else would have. You've taught me a lot about confidence and survival, but
most of all you've taught me never to give up." His voice was soft and gentle
one that she had heard very rarely, "A bad person would have never made it this
long or been able to teach others."
"I don't deserve you Shinji. I never did."
"You're wrong. You deserve all of me, the Shinji that can be a wimp, but also
the Shinji that you've taught to be strong."
Asuka didn't respond to that as it made her feel warm inside. Instead she
gripped Shinji tighter and turned her head towards Shinji so that she could see
him. She didn't do anything as Shinji flinched, as Asuka knew what her face must
look like. Smiling grimly Asuka finally spoke. "Guess you're right, but do you
know what I want even more?"
"No."
"I want that SEELE bastard dead."
"They'll be ready for us."
Asuka kissed Shinji's cheek. "I don't care. This time there will be no hiding
in the bushes, but a true assault."
- - - -
The flames crackled and waved, hypnotic in their simplistic dance, as they
grew in the night fed by fuel from the tanks of the twisted and burnt vehicles.
Metal and rubber flowed as they reached their melting points, driven to that
point by the initial impact of military grade weapons plunging from the sky.
Shards of glass littered the road and reflected the orange glow of the flames,
thrown there by the attackers as they took out the driver at point blank range.
Scattered near the ambush scene were the barely recognizable forms of soldiers.
Farther out into the landscape came the chatter of automatic weapons as humans
hunted each other.
Asuka ignored the scene behind her as she raced towards a group of rocks, her
side burning in pain. The gray and black scenery was disorientating to her as
she pushed her body after her prey. A sharp impact of heat and pain invaded her
leg as the soldiers following behind her hit her. Staggering she took cover
behind the pile of boulders and took a cylindrical object off her harness.
Squeezing her eyes shut she slammed the object into the ground as far as she
could reach, feeling a brief moment of heat in her palm. Three seconds later she
heard the muted pop of the magnesium flare going off, and rose up to a firing
position.
The soldiers following behind her were easy targets as she lifted up her
night vision goggles away from her eyes. With each touch of the trigger she sent
a burst of automatic rifle rounds into the torsos of the temporarily blinded
soldiers. Not once did she stop to consider that it was wrong to kill in the
manner she and Shinji were taking out the hunters that were guarding
Mr. Rintzler. The last of the soldiers went down as Asuka ejected her third
magazine and inserted a new clip. Ignoring the bleeding wound in her leg she
pulled down her goggles as the flare started to die out.
"Now then it's back to work," muttered Asuka as she stood and started to
turn.
The impact of the knife was minor compared to what she had gone through
before, but she had never gotten used to the burning and the sensation as flesh
parted under a blade. Asuka's rifle dropped from numb fingers just as two round
impacted her and completed her turn. Bright specks of light filled her vision as
she fell to the ground filled with pain. Even wounded Asuka's survival instinct
was strong and she reached for her holstered pistol with her uninjured arm.
"Ahhh!" screamed Asuka as a boot forced the blade deeper.
"Stubborn to the last. It's amazing how much abuse the human body will incur
for something so simple as revenge." Asuka tried to glare back at the man
standing over her. "How much more damage will you take to kill me? You already
have, oh about, four holes in you. Shock should be setting in real soon from
blood loss. So are you still going to try and kill me?" Asuka's answer was to
try and trip the man.
"I guess I shouldn't have expected less from an EVA pilot." The blond hair man
looked across the plain. "Though you've done a good job of taking out the hired
help." He knelt down and ripped the goggles off her face. "You two have surprised
the council with your little act of revenge. Hidden and invulnerable for years
and suddenly two children disobey their betters and run, then years later try
and avoid their destiny" Rintzler started to chuckle, "But just like Gendo it's
time for the games to stop. Where is Shinji?"
"Don't know." Asuka gritted her teeth as a finger was shoved into one of her
wounds.
"Bullshit girl. Call him on the radio and the less you'll have to suffer." At
her grim smile the man grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head back as the
other hand tightened around her throat.
"Behind you," whispered Asuka as it became harder to breathe.
The hand tightened, "Oldest trick in the book Asuka."
At that moment rocks grated against each other behind the pair. Rintzler
whipped around with pistol in one hand and a smile on his face. And saw nothing
behind him except one of his hired guards, and the grayness of a moonlit night.
As fast as possible he jumped off Asuka and to the side resulting in him catching
the bullet in the shoulder instead of the upper chest. Cold blue eyes behind the
sights of a gun were the last things as white light blossomed in her hand and
his body jerked from multiple impacts. He gave Asuka one last smile as his lungs
filled with blood and he drowned.
"What are you going to do now soldier?" asked Asuka as she stared over her
sights at the approaching figure.
The man didn't say anything as they stared at each other waiting for the
other person to make the first move. Asuka's finger tightened as the rifle
pointed at her slowly sank from the guard position. But for some reason she
didn't pull the trigger as the rifle continued to drop until the barrel was
pointed at the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise as the man shrugged his
shoulders and walked past her without stopping or saying a word.
"Damn it," growled Asuka as she propped herself up against the largest rock,
the soldier forgotten.
Tears came to her eyes and whimper escaped as she grabbed the knife hilt and
slowly pulled the blade out of her damaged shoulder. Using the knife she cut the
sleeves off her jacket, wrapping one around her thigh and the other she pressed
against her abdomen. The other wounds she could feel oozing blood as there was
no way to plug them. Leaving the assault rifle behind and ignoring her blurry
vision Asuka climbed to her feet and painfully staggered off to the sound of
flowing water and her rendezvous with Shinji. Several minutes later she reached
the banks of the Rhine and started back towards the late Wilhelm Rintzler's
estate knowing that no one would expect them to head back towards the site of
the initial attack. As the burning vehicles came into sight Asuka knelt down,
shaking her head to clear her vision and letting her eyes adjust to the
increased light.
"Asuka," a voice whispered in her ear at the same time a hand clamped over
her mouth. As she struggled, the hand tightened and the voice was harsh, "It's
me Shinji. Will you settle down."
"Well don't sneak up on me then," she shot back. Moaning she plopped to the
ground. Looking up she saw weird protrusions coming off of Shinji and realized
they were his jacket and shirt. Reaching up she pulled him down, "How bad?"
Shinji shrugged his shoulders indifferently, "I won't die, at least not yet."
In the light Asuka could see his eyes narrow, "What about you?"
"I won't die yet," Asuka repeated, smiling back at Shinji when he grinned.
"Well then here's the bad news. You know our raft?" Asuka nodded at his
question. "It didn't make it."
Sliding his arm around Asuka, Shinji didn't give her time to respond to his
revelation. Instead he picked her up and started walking towards the embankment
and where their ride would have been. Asuka saw the black shape of the raft
floating on the dark gray of the river, but only two of the six cells were
inflated. Turning her head she stared at Shinji, seeing only determination and
resolve on his face. As the cold water hit her thighs Asuka gasped and held on
tighter to Shinji as he pushed the damaged raft out into the current. Looping
her arms over one cell she started kicking helping propel the raft farther from
shore. As they passed under the bridge leading to the estate Asuka rested her
head on the wet rubber.
"We probably won't make it this time," she stated tiredly as it was becoming
harder for Asuka to draw deep breaths.
"Don't say that Asuka, we'll make it like we have before."
"Okay." With that Asuka closed her eyes and continued to kick, but in the
back of her mind she wondered what would come first for her, bleeding to death
or succumbing to hypothermia. As she thought that, she wondered which way was
the worst way to die. Reaching over she fumbled to find Shinji's hand as cold
started to invade her body minutes later. She started to panic but settled back
down to await the darkness when his hand closed around hers, and she knew she
wasn't alone.
- - - -
"Get out of the way you lecher!"
"Who are you calling a lecher, young man!"
The voices penetrated the darkness that enveloped Asuka and she wondered if
this was hell or heaven. Though she reasoned if it was either why people were
yelling and only two people at that, since in hell they'd be screaming while in
heaven they'd be singing. Mentally she shrugged and tried to open her eyes since
she concluded she was alive and not dead. That fact was apparent by the dull
throb of pain radiating through her body, which was only added to when she
finally got her eyes opened and shut them immediately. Going slowly Asuka opened
them in increments, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light.
She didn't find the dark wooden boards of the ceiling reassuring after a few
minutes of study. Shifting her eyes she brought the rest of the room into view
as well as the two people who were yelling. A smile came to her face as she
recognized Shinji standing in the doorway arguing with a man who easily
outweighed the Japanese man and towered above him. Licking her dry lips Asuka
resolved to get their attention and something to drink.
"What." That one word was all Asuka could croak before she started coughing.
But it achieved the desired results as the shouting stopped and the two men came
to her side.
Dark green eyes twinkled as the man stroked her head, "See what you did,
Shinji. You woke Asuka up. Now get her something to drink, preferably water."
"If you had allowed me to see her we wouldn't have woken her up," grumbled
Shinji as he went to a sink for the water.
"She is my patient and I say when visitors are allowed. And I might add that
you should be resting, I don't need your stitches popping out."
Shinji ignored the comment as he brought the glass over, "I've had worse and
survived it."
"Humph."
Asuka watched all this in amazement as the two of them acted like long lost
friends. Turning her head she stared at the old man wondering if she had met him
before in the past. She shook her head as she couldn't remember meeting someone
skilled in surgery outside of NERV, but still she didn't outright deny that she
had never met the man before. When Shinji sat down on the bed Asuka tried to sit
up but found that her shoulder was strapped down across her chest. After a few
painful seconds she finally made it to a sitting position, and grabbed the glass
from Shinji wanting that drink of water. As she drank Asuka ignored the pains
still shooting through her body, relaxing as the cold water cooled her parched
throat, but as she finished the water Asuka realized her throat wasn't the only
thing being chilled her back was freezing. Looking down she saw that she was
nude under the sheets except for the bandages covering her. With her face red
Asuka prepared to shout at the old man only to be hit in the face with a long
T-shirt.
"I think this should fit," was the only comment as the man turned his back to
the pair. Shinji's eyes never left Asuka's face as he helped pull the garment
over her head and down her torso.
"Thank you, um." Asuka stopped since she didn't know the man's name. "Who are
you?"
The man shook his head and turned around with sad eyes, "Just a concerned
citizen."
Asuka tried to laugh but it was weak. "A concerned citizen, bullshit. There
is no such thing, especially with the 24 million-dollar bounty on our heads.
There are only two kinds of people, one are the people that don't care and the
others are bounty hunters."
"You're quite cynical for one so young but I can see why." The man smiled
faintly at her. "And I don't fit into either of your two groups."
Asuka closed her eyes as she kept control of her anger before opening them
slowly and staring at the man. "Fine so you do care and you're not after the
bounty, but you still haven't told me your name."
"Michael Fahling," the man said as he walked out the door.
"You think we can trust him?" asked Shinji. Asuka sat there and stared at the
open door for moment.
"I don't."
"Of course you can!" Fahling stated as he came back carrying a tray.
"You still haven't given me my gun back!" Shinji shot back, hiding his
surprise at the sudden return under anger.
"Maybe it's because I don't want to get shot by a hot head like you." The man
set the tray on Asuka's lap before turning back to Shinji. "You don't have to
trust me but I hope you will. I want you to believe me when I say I am doing
this because I do care. I've seen and lived through too many government lies and
projects to believe what everyone says about you two. Anyone with a brain could
see that they're lies!"
Shinji snagged one of the sandwiches off the tray and went to a chair to eat
and where he would be out of the way. Four days he had been on the edge as he
waited for Asuka to wake up or for the old man to turn them in. But the betrayal
had never happened and now Asuka was awake, yet he still had no idea what to do.
Neither Asuka nor him were in any shape to fight or run at the moment and
wouldn't be for several days. Turning around in the chair he rested his arms
over the back, and cracking his back in the process which drew a glare from
their rescuer.
"Um, so how did we end up here anyways?" inquired Asuka setting the empty
tray on the floor. "And where is here by the way."
"Here is my boat and how you got here is not much of a tale." Fahling grabbed
the spare chair and lit his pipe. "A week ago I was halfway into my annual trip
down the river traveling at night. Traveling at night gives me all the daylight
I need to see the various towns I stop at." He didn't flinch under Asuka's glare
instead he just puffed away. "Anyways here I was going down the river at nice
clip when I see this weird object floating towards me. I altered course to avoid
any collision but close enough to see what was floating in the river. Almost had
a heart attack when I saw you two floating there on that damaged raft in the
middle of the night."
"Thought you were dead when I pulled you out of the water and onto my deck,
but as you can already guess you weren't. Both of you were the bluest I had ever
seen anyone and had weak pulses." Shinji flinched as the man pointed at him.
"Him I covered with as many blankets I had while I put you in the tub with hot
water. Originally I was going to take you to the nearest hospital but when I
cleaned you up I changed my mind since I recognized you."
"I take it you recognized us from the wanted bulletins?"
"Yes. And I am sorry about you killing your own father by mistake. I'm not
going to try and figure out what you're feeling right now."
Asuka felt her face heat up and saw Shinji studying her, "Thank you for
patching us up and for…"
"There's no need to thank me. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get us going
before someone wonders what we're doing."
Shinji watched the man leave before getting up and closing the door for some
privacy. Walking back over to the bed he sat the foot of the bed looking Asuka
over. The last days he had memorized every detail of her face as he waited for
her to wake, noticing little things that he had missed before. Her color still
was not back as she was pale and a little gray but it was better then before.
Reaching into his pocket he brought out a small plastic bag and placed it in her
hand.
"What's this?"
Shinji smirked, "Souvenirs."
Asuka opened her hand and saw what was in the bag, paling at the sight of
four shells. "All from me?"
"Yep, and here's mine." Shinji dug another bag out that contained fewer
bullets, but also had pieces of shrapnel.
Asuka lay back down on the bed and continued to stare at the bag. "Our luck
has to run out one of these days."
"Maybe God is watching out for us."
"Doubtful." With that said Asuka fell back to sleep.
- - - -
Winter had finally broken and the sun was shining on a perfect blue sky with
only traces of white clouds present. Birds sang in trees that were starting to
bud and produce green leaves while grass was turning back to a lively shade of
green. Nature wasn't the only thing turning out for the beautiful day as people
strolled about to do their errands instead of driving around. Many of the stores
had transferred part of their merchandise outdoors in order to take advantage of
increase in pedestrians. There were some scuffles as people got jostled about or
missed out on some deal, but on the whole the day was peaceful.
"This reminds me of home," commented Shinji as he walked against the current
of people to reach Asuka.
"It's always like this on the first day of spring and will be until winter
hits." Asuka reached out and grabbed the bundle from Shinji's hand. "Let's go
see mama."
Shinji nodded and started walking again, but this time with the stream of
people. He used his body to open up a passage for Asuka as she trailed behind
him. At one intersection he took a second to look at her and the day suddenly
felt gloomy. Asuka's shoulder was still wrapped and her arm was in a sling to
keep any movement to a minimum as her wounds healed, not to mention that she
still had a gray complexion as she recovered from the blood loss. Fahling had
stated that she would be lucky if she didn't lose some feeling and flexibility
in that shoulder. He had also commented that he wanted to put both of them under
the knife and patch up their bodies, but that was unrealistic at the time and he
said that if they ever finished up to look him up.
"Come on idiot the light's green."
Asuka grabbed his arm and pulled him through the intersection, not even
letting go when they made it to the other side. He could see some people smiling
at them as Asuka badgered him to move faster. But as they neared their
destination her pace slowed and she stopped smiling. Even when the wind blew
some of her hair in her face Asuka simply brushed it away. Shinji felt her
tremble as they walked past the wrought iron gates of the cemetery. He waved the
attendant away as Asuka walked numbly towards one path. Even though it was a
place of death Shinji was still amazed by the different headstones scattered
over various plots, it was completely different to the place where his mother
was supposed to lie. This place wasn't as stark and empty, but inviting.
Shinji almost ran into Asuka as she stopped suddenly, turning off the path
and walking on the grass. He came to stand besides her, holding her shoulders
gently as they stared at the headstone in front of them. Asuka neither spoke nor
moved as she stood there, reading the name and date over and over again. Again
she trembled but this time it was because Shinji had removed his arm from around
her.
"I'll give you some time alone with your mother." He turned away, but Asuka
stopped him. "I'll be back in a short time."
"Okay. Hurry back," whispered Asuka. Turning back to the grave she swallowed
slightly before kneeling down in front of it. Reaching forward she placed the
bundle of flowers below her mother's name. She clenched and unclenched her free
hand several times as she tried to figure out what she was going to say. Shadows
moved silently as she knelt there pulling memories from the past and organizing
them, remembering her mother and everything that had happened between them.
"Hello mama it's Asuka, though you probably already know that wherever you
are." She felt a little stupid talking to a grave but she didn't stop. "I'm
sorry that I haven't visited more but my life has been one hectic moment after
another since you died. It's gotten even busier in the last few months what with
me killing people in revenge." Asuka brushed a stray lock of hair out of her
vision. "But that is not the true reason for why I avoided you."
"I hated you! I hated how you had forgotten me, instead giving that stupid
doll all your love and affection. You drove me out of your life so I was just
following your example. How else did you expect me to react? Was your death
supposed to clear everything up like some sort of atonement for your sins or did
you not care how I was affected?" Asuka angrily wiped away her tears. "I might
have been able to handle it if papa had been there for me but he wasn't. You
made sure that he didn't care about me, always arguing with him. Or that's how I
rationalized it back then, as I grew up alone. Everything was your fault or
papa's fault."
When the hand rested on her shoulder Asuka flinched. "But now he's dead, at
my hand and I have a family no more, if I ever did. I had questions I wanted to
ask him, but I no longer have that option. The only thing I can do is to believe
that he loved me, but was just weak and had many faults that lead to him to
abandon his daughter. It's different with you mama. I can remember the times
that you used to hold and sing to me. I remember you coming home and telling me
what you were doing at work even if I never understood a word. And though I
know with time those memories will fade, I will hold on to them."
"I'm no longer alone in this life mama and that means a lot. I no longer have
to keep my hate or fears to myself anymore, though it's taken years for me to
realize that. You'd like Shinji I'm sure. He's strong and determined, yet is
caring on the inside, always looking out for my happiness even if he gets hurt.
I used to call him stupid and an idiot all the time but no more. Our friends and
colleagues always think this is weird, yet they fail to realize that people
change. And that is why I'm here mama. I want to forgive you for what happened
so many years ago. This is just the start of my healing. Goodbye for now mama."
Asuka stood and turned towards Shinji. "Let's go."
Shinji nodded but before they left he bent over and laid his own flowers on
the grave. "Goodbye Mrs. Soryu, we'll be back I promise."
With that the two of them turned and made their way back to the path and then
to the exit. Asuka stopped at the gate and gave the cemetery one last glance
before she htook Shinji's offered hand. As they walked away, back into town she
felt that one weight had finally been lifted. She still had others weighing her
down but someday she hoped that she could get rid of those also. There was one
thing that she had to take care of first.
"And where did you disappear to back there."
Shinji shrugged his shoulders, "There was an unwanted guest. I took care of
her."
"Oh, that's okay as long as that is all you did." She laughed at the look on
his face. "I was kidding you idiot."
"I know you were kidding, I just like hearing you laugh." Shinji looked over
his shoulder to the east like he could see farther than the horizon. "So when do
you want to start for Lake Baykal?"
"Not for a few weeks. I want to enjoy civilization before I go camping." The
corners of her mouth quirked in a faint smile. "I'm sure Toji and Kensuke would
love to go camping."
"No! We will not involve them in anything."
"Yeah, yeah I wasn't suggesting involving them." Asuka stopped and tilted her
head, lost in thought. "I wonder what everyone is up to in Tokyo-3."
"Hikari's probably pregnant again and Kensuke is buried in work at NERV."
- - - -
"Touji Suzuhara."
Touji looked up from his desk and ledger to see two men in black suits in the
back room of the restaurant. He felt a cold tremor race down his spine, but he
stood up and nodded. "Can I help you something?"
"We need you to come with us."
"Why?" One of the suits nodded slightly at the question.
"It involves your relationship with the fugitives Asuka Langley Soryu and
Shinji Ikari." The man reached forward and wrapped a hand around Touji's upper
arm. "Come with us."
Touji looked down at the hand around his arm and nodded his head in defeat.
There was no way he could break free from these two men and if he did he would
become hunted as an accomplice. As he walked towards the front door he was glad
that they had not opened for business yet. When he saw the black car he was also
glad that Hikari and the kids were not around to see this. That hope disappeared
when the backdoor opened and he saw Hikari's face staring back at him.
"What are they doing here?" Touji winced as the hand tightened and forced him
into the vehicle.
"Get in."
Again Touji nodded in defeat and slid in next to Hikari, while the suits
joined their comrade in the front. Taking one of his children from Hikari's
grasp Touji tried to calm the girl as best he could. But as the car pulled out
into traffic his frustration reached its peak.
"Goddamn you, Shinji and Asuka. We didn't want to get involved"
* * * *
Pre-readers were Tommyrude and Cinaril.
Well after months of delay I finally got my butt in gear and wrote this
chapter. At times I was just lazy, while at others I just didn't feel like
writing though that feeling has passed. Also I have too many projects going on
that are demanding of my time. But the biggest thing that sucked up my time
is my Playstation 2 and RPGs. For the last month its been "Just one more hour."
for me. I've put up my controller and told myself to get back to writing so
hopefully I can catch up on all the promised chapters and new stories from
a couple months ago.
This chapter was supposed to be a little different than my other chapters.
Here I didn't want to concentrate on the assassination but on Asuka and Shinji
when they realized they killed the wrong person. Also I wanted Asuka to come
to some sort of terms with her past and mother, thus the cemetery scene. I'm
not really sure if I succeeded in that area, but hopefully it didn't detract
from the story.
History lesson: The ambush that killed Asuka's father I borrowed from a real
life incident involving the Red Army Faction and a German banker in the 1980's.
C&C is always welcome
Red Horseman eva_pilot9@doramail.com
