The Game Chapter 7: Honor Among Thieves

By the Red Horseman

Pre-reader: Weltall Elite

* * * *

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 tape player stopped playing with a click when it reached the end of the cassette, and Shinji slowly raised his head while pulling out the earphones. His school day had ended long ago and all the designated cleaning students had since disappeared to do whatever, leaving him all alone. Not that he cared about being alone or injured anymore after so many betrayals and sacrifices during the time of the Angels. Reaching down, his fingers closed around the frayed handle of his book satchel and picked it up, slinging its strap over one shoulder before exiting the quiet classroom.

His footsteps echoed off the walls of the desolate hallways of the refurbished school as he made his way to his locker passing bulletin boards covered in flyers for school events. In the last months, the Japanese government and United Nations had expended enormous amounts of resources to rebuild Tokyo-3 and its suburbs, erasing the physical scars of war. But no amount of money could heal the emotional scars of people who'd suffered from the Angels and NERV, and so the school was at half its capacity. Not that any of it mattered to the Evangelion pilot who'd lost everything he'd gained and then some during the Angel War.

The doors of the building closed behind him the locks engaging with barely a sound, and he pulled out his cellphone in curiosity at how many messages he'd have. With careful deliberation, he started highlighting and deleting the phone numbers of people he didn't feel like conversing with at the moment. That Misato's number was the most prominent among the messages and one that he was erasing caused him intense pain in his chest. He knew he was hurting her as much as himself by limiting contact between them, but he didn't know how to approach someone whom he'd felt betrayed by.

"What took so long buddy?"

Touji's presence was so unexpected that Shinji dropped his phone and tried to grab for it but an arm around his shoulders restricted the shorter teen. Plastic impacted concrete and bounced a couple of times before coming to a rest, and while he watched in resignation the small display flickered and turned black. Running a hand through his hair, he couldn't help but chuckle at the ironic turn of events caused by his friend, as now he didn't have to worry about calling anyone back. Disengaging himself from Touji's arm, he turned to see Kensuke and Hikari behind him with two completely different reactions to the minor accident. His humor abruptly disappeared when he noticed a fourth person standing a short distance behind Hikari.

"Since she's new both to our school and Tokyo-3," Hikari explained at noticing his mood shift. "I thought we could show Kira the hotspots in town."

That Kira's eyes lit up in excitement at hearing he'd be accompanying them around Tokyo-3 troubled him. Knowing that she was indeed new to the area, having only transferred to their school two weeks earlier, and would barely know her way around town didn't ease Shinji's mind. But what worried him was that she hadn't been around during the Angels and hadn't seen him at his worst, and that she might have a convoluted impression of him. Glancing at his friends, he hoped for confirmation that he was reading too much into the situation and that all that was going on was a simple request.

Yet he was to be disappointed as only Kensuke answered his silent inquiry, and it was only with a shrug of his shoulders. Touji and Hikari were off to one side quietly conversing, and he knew what was going on. Their amateurish attempts at trying to hook him up didn't anger him, but he was becoming exasperated. The last months since the end of the Angels had been tough due to the fact that he had slowly been putting his life back together one difficult piece at a time. There were still times that he wanted to curl up and disappear but knew that wasn't a viable option, and his friends had helped a lot once they'd moved back. But just like Misato he didn't have the courage to tell them how he truly felt, that he wasn't interested in being involved intimately with someone.

"I have an appointment I have to go to," he quietly stated.

"At the hospital with Asuka," teased Touji.

Kensuke shook his head in disappointment. "Sheesh, you go there everyday."

"I do not go there everyday!" snapped Shinji. "And I wish you'd drop it, okay!" He closed eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself at seeing his friends' recoil. "I'm sorry, it's just that..."

"It's all right we understand, don't we boys." Hikari glared at the two teenagers until they nodded. "But what time is your appointment?"

"Five o'clock."

"That gives us three hours to show Kira around." Hikari smiled when he nodded, but then turned serious. "So how is she?"

"Okay, if you call being catatonic okay," Shinji answered bitterly. "They don't know when she'll wake up."

"When she wakes up, not if she wakes up," whispered Hikari.

"The recovery rate of people suffering from acute depression is fairly high. It's just there's a lot of drugs involved and..."

Hikari squeezed his hand at the pain in his eyes. "I wish I could go see her."

"I'm sorry but the Commander," Shinji bit off that word, "has restricted the visitors she can have."

- - - -

Sighing at remembering his conversation with Hikari, Shinji slid his card through the reader and opened the door when it buzzed. The nurses briefly looked up from their stations when he walked past the desk, but quickly returned to their duties as he continued down the hallway. He was no longer the curiosity that he'd been when he'd first started visiting Asuka instead he was turning into a permanent figure in the secure wing of the hospital. The Evangelion pilot hadn't been able to reach a decision on whether he should be worried that a hospital had become his home, or that like so many things it didn't matter. But like so many times in the past, the answer he'd have chosen became meaningless when he finally reached Asuka's door.

Stepping into her room, he breathed a sigh of relief as the smell of antiseptics, while not cutoff, was at least reduced when he closed the door. The small room was brightly illuminated as the afternoon sunlight streamed through the large window dominating the far wall. His eyes quickly locked onto the bed and its occupant, but all that greeted him was the multitude of medical equipment surrounding it. Months ago that would've worried him, but not now since he knew the nurses would've alerted him to any change in the German girl's situation. Instead he made his way to the small table in front of the window, setting his satchel and another bag down before sitting down himself, his back toward the bathroom.

"You're late, Shinji."

Her voice was weak and barely audible, missing all of the bite it had carried during the Angels, but it contained an emotion he didn't want her to feel. Turning, he looked at the girl as she slowly crossed to the bed before sitting down across from him, and he felt another jolt of pain at her condition. During the months of stupor and sedation she'd become dangerously underweight, and despite having been eating solid foods recently she was still thin. Her long, auburn hair having lost its illustrious sheen rested above her shoulders while her skin was a gray pallor instead of the healthy tan. Though she still had so far to go before returning to her old self, she looked better then when she had originally awoken.

"Hikari shanghaied me into showing a new student around town," he told her.

Asuka's eyes were downcast, staring at the floor. "You know you don't have to keep coming to see me."

"I want to be here, Asuka." He reached out and awkwardly took her hand, the first time he'd done so since her awakening. "I told you before I'm not doing it out of pity, or even guilt. I like being here with you."

Which was the truth, the teenager told himself or at least a partial truth when one looked at everything concerning the two Evangelion pilots. Despite some episodes, which had occurred in the last months, he had grown farther apart from his father, and things didn't look like they were going to improve. His relationship with Rei had collapsed into disarray after the truths about her creation and just like with Misato he had no way to tell her how he felt. Hikari, Touji, and Kensuke while friends were not what he'd call confidants to whom he could open his heart since they hadn't the same experiences as him.

So that had left Asuka, the traumatized girl who had at the end of the Angels wanted nothing to with him, and had in fact run farther than he had. But she was all he'd had left, and the sole person to whom he felt any kind of emotional connection with anymore. He had believed she was the only one who could comprehend what he was feeling, and the lone person he could possibly understand. Yet when she'd finally awoken from her slumber it had been anything but happiness for the two of them as accusations and apologies had flown between them. Yet somehow they'd reached an uneasy truce where they would tolerate the other for short periods of time. That had grown into his daily visits where, even if they didn't converse, the presence of the other was comforting showing that at least there was someone around who cared.

"She was asking about you, wanting to know if she could come visit. Asuka," he gently squeezed her hand, "how long are you going to stay here?"

"And how long are you going to keep running from Misato?" she retorted.

He released her hand, and looked away from her eyes. "I don't know. I still care about her, but I don't know how to talk to her anymore."

"That's the way it is with me. I don't know what to tell Hikari, or even where to begin." She chuckled, "As weird as others might find it, you're the only person I can talk to."

Shinji blushed at the statement but didn't know how to reply, and as the silence grew he searched for something to break it. Spying the parcel laying on the table, he grabbed. "Umm, I got you those things you requested."

"Oh."

This time it was the redhead's turn to blush as she accepted the large bag printed with the logo of one of the prominent department stores in Tokyo-3. She hadn't really expected him to get anything for her and had been careful not to place any demands on him since their truce so as not to alienate him. But she reasoned that it was her fault for moaning about the lack of certain amenities caused by her hospitalization. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out some blue jeans, two pairs of shorts, a few T-shirts, and a couple of blouses setting them in a pile on the bed next to her.

Smiling, she placed the last of the clothes on the bed. "You really didn't have to get me anything, you know."

"I thought they'd make a nice gift." He coughed into his fist. "It wasn't a problem for me to buy them."

"Thanks." She grinned suddenly at a thought. "I wish I could've been there, you never did like shopping."

"That was because you always told me my opinion instead of asking for it. Besides...it wasn't as bad as you think." Shinji lost his smile and looked sad. "We still have all your intact clothes so I knew your old sizes, and so I bought that size and one bigger."

"Thank you, and I do mean it, Shinji." Asuka fell silent and studied the new clothes, not knowing what to say. She looked up at hearing a whisper from the boy. "What did you say?"

The teenager looked in embarrassment, but returned her gaze. "I asked if you'd decided whether you were going to pilot again."

"I haven't decided yet, though I doubt I'm going to have a choice in the matter." She placed a blouse with a pair of pants. "It's not like your father released you from piloting so I don't think he's going to let me go. And with Rei not having an Evangelion to pilot that leaves me to get back up to standards. It sucks!"

"Yeah," Shinji agreed. "I wish..."

"Mister Ikari, wake up!"

The dream ended abruptly and Shinji slowly opened his eyes, suppressing a groan, and saw a cute face of a stranger hovering over him. Coughing sent pain through his body when he tried taking a deep breath of the cold, dry air of the room, and only stopped when the stranger gave him a sip of water. Sticking with shallow breaths to reduce the chance of a repeat, he turned his attention to the woman waiting patiently next to his bed. That she was a nurse was a given, but it wasn't because of her uniform instead he had recognized the unique aroma of hospitals. Briefly, he wondered why he was in such a setting, but quickly remembered it was no longer 2016 and he wasn't visiting Asuka.

The last thing he could coherently remember was collapsing against Asuka in Russia, but didn't know how long ago that had occurred. An increase of beeps from the heart monitor registered his horror at not knowing the location of the redhead, and he tried rising to go look. He wasn't able to accomplish much more than a few inches off the mattress before his body's weakness and a gentle hand forced him back prone. Shinji let himself relax when he realized SEELE wouldn't be caring about their health, or accomplishing anything by separating them. Yet before he could ask the nurse where the German woman was, she had moved to a curtain separating the room and drew it back to reveal the still form of Asuka.

Keeping his head turned, Shinji remembered the last time he had seen the redhead so still and how he had told himself he'd do anything not to see her like that again. But there were some things he'd never have control over or be able to foresee, he thought while touching the bandage over his eye. For the time being, he'd have to rely upon their rescuers before learning why they wanted the two Evangelion pilots. Just like Asuka, he no longer trusted the motives others with the betrayal in Russia being the most recent example of what happened when they did. He stared up at the bare white ceiling of his room contemplating what would come next, and knowing he'd need to talk to his compatriot.

- - - -

Years ago, Touji would've laughed with Shinji if they had known their thoughts mirrored each other, but his current predicament prevented him from laughing. Looking up from the polished counter, he glared at the men seated around a couple tables in opposite corners of the restaurant. They had shown up a couple days after his family had been released as suddenly as they had been taken and had become permanent fixtures in the place. Trying to leave Tokyo-3 after their detaining had shown them the futility of trying to escape SEELE's city. Shaking his head, he returned to tallying the month's income and expenses even as the two tables emptied of the security personnel.

The minute sound of cloth brushing against wood was his sole warning that someone was coming from the upstairs apartment as he locked the door. He smiled when he heard the sound of that person rummaging through the cabinets, knowing exactly who it was and why she had finally come downstairs. From years of practice, he quickly went through the usual routine of drawing the blinds and shutting off the electricity to the lights and outside signs. Except for the light coming from the kitchen, which was briefly blocked by a person as they exited, the dining area was plunged into darkness.

"How bad is it, Touji?" Hikari asked in a weak voice. She brushed his hands away from the tray she was carrying and sat down at the counter. "I'm not that weak that I can't carry a simple tray and make you tea."

"But..." He stopped at her glare, and swallowed before taking a seat next to his wife. A cough told him to hurry up as he ran a hand through his damp hair. "The good news is we're finally showing a profit again after so long. And it's because of those security goons."

"What's the bad news?" She slid a large mug of green tea over to him with a small smile. In the last few months, she had become used to Touji trying to downplay things for her sake and she had been grateful, but now wasn't one of those times.

Touji took the proffered tea and blew on it. "There is no bad news for once...just a decision to be made." He took a sip, and picked up the ledger with his free hand. "We can either finally put money back into the bank instead of taking it out, or we can pay off the last of the medical bills."

Hikari contemplated that news, knowing what Touji was saying in regards to their financial situation, and he was leaving the decision to her. On one hand, they could put the money from the month's profit back in the bank thus rebuilding their account, or they could pay off their largest creditor. It wasn't an easy decision because so much could change in a short period of time; their detaining and her subsequent hospitalization had shown her that. She knew the logical decision would be to put it in the account and continue paying the hospital in monthly installments as they were doing. But she wanted to be done with the medical bills and the memories they brought forth every month from SEELE's experiments.

"Do you hate them, Asuka and Shinji?" she asked, not looking at her husband.

"No, I could never hate them. They're more victims of this than we are." Touji put his arm around his wife and pulled her closer. "We can at least have semblance of a normal life while they can't even settle down. Unless something changes..."

With a quick kiss, Hikari silenced Touji before he could really get going about their friends, SEELE, and anything about the Evangelions. She knew she really shouldn't have asked him, having known his opinion since their first synchronization experiment years ago. But she had to ask in case something had changed this time because of her extended hospitalization, which had been longer than the other times. So it was with relief that she leaned up against him, knowing she wouldn't have to worry about pent up frustration on his part.

"I'm glad that you don't hate them," she whispered.

- - - -

August 2023

"And I want you to follow my orders this time, Miss Soryu!" The doctor glared at the redhead until she nodded reluctantly. "The reason your arm was going numb was because of scar tissue build up around the nerves in your shoulder. Which wouldn't have been there if you had followed my instructions to keep your arm and shoulder immobilized!"

With determination, Asuka forced herself to pretend that she was listening when in fact she wanted to roll her eyes at the man. She knew why her shoulder had lost its range of motion and why her fingers would tingle, and she didn't need someone who sat in an office all day to reprimand her. Turning her head, she glanced at Shinji sitting nearby and smiled at seeing the glazed look in his eye as the doctor continued with his lecture. At least she wasn't the only one suffering, she thought wistfully, though she wished she had been first so she could be the sole person napping in the room. But wishful thinking had never gotten her anywhere, and dwelling on such a minor thing as who got to go first in listening to the doctor was beneath her.

Glancing down, she wondered if someone had it in for her while she studied her injuries or at least the bandages and casts covering them. With her right arm immobilized across her chest and her left hand's fingers taped together, she had nothing on which to comfortably rest her chin. Temporarily losing the ability to do such a minor yet insignificant action shouldn't have troubled her, but it did for some odd reason. Or maybe it was something else she had lost in the last few days that troubled her, and instead of focusing on it she had redirected her attention.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot," she whispered harshly, and looked up in surprise at a soft touch.

Shinji gently squeezed her shoulder. "You called for me, Asuka."

"No. And what about..." She answered her own partial question when she saw the doctor leaving. "Well that answer's that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

With that said, she levered herself out the chair with some effort and made her way to a pair of ornate French doors, and exited. The doors opened onto a massive stone patio overlooking a manicured lawn while a lake or pond beckoned to her in the distance. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Shinji making his way to her side with a limp, giving away the fact he was wearing a knee brace. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she smiled when he copied her, and she slowly made her way to a set of steps then down them never quickening her pace. Glancing at the man at her side, she was about to ask if he wanted to go further, but he simply nodded before she could inquire.

By the time they reached the lakeshore both Evangelion pilots were sweating, and collapsed to the ground leaning against each other. As she caught her breath, Asuka knew she shouldn't punish her body so soon after major surgery, which had occurred just a week earlier. And by the way Shinji was breathing, she knew he was suffering more than she was having received more injuries, and that it was unfair of her to have dragged him out with her. But she felt claustrophobic in the large house, which they had moved into mere hours earlier after leaving the hospital.

"So are you impressed with the quality of our prison?" she asked, her breathing normal once again.

Shinji rested on the cool grass. "I wouldn't exactly call it a prison."

"Than what would you call it? A country inn! A stately mansion!"

"A stately mansion fits nicely with what they've given us. Ow!" He sat up and glared at the redhead. "What was that for?"

Asuka returned the glare with a vengeance not believing how he was acting. "Be serious. Do you actually believe they're going to let us leave after they've gone through so much trouble to save us?" She tried jabbing him in the chest but failed. "And do you think they don't have plans of their own involving us?"

"I know all of that," he chided the woman. "Of course, you're right that we're not going to be allowed to leave. And yes, I do believe they want us for something." Carefully, he shifted around until he was in front of her. "But what can we do about it in our condition?"

"Nothing." She shivered as his breath caressed her skin. "But I hate..."

"Being helpless," he finished. "Yet for the time being we'll be model prisoners, gathering any useful information to aid us."

- - - -

"It's really a shame they think that. Don't you agree, Colonel Pokryshin?"

The larger man studied the screen. "Well they are correct, sir. You do have plans for them."

"But by helping me they help themselves."

"True." With a flick the monitor turned black. "What are your orders?"

"They haven't changed. We'll allow Mister Ikari and Miss Soryu some time to recover and dwell on their situation, but won't confine them."

"So you've told the staff..."

"The pilots are to be allowed to go where they want in town, but a security detail will guarantee they return."

- - - -

With a groan Shinji turned the television off, and flopped backward to stare at the ceiling of their bedroom. There were close to three hundred channels available by satellite and he couldn't find a single thing that interested him. But it didn't surprise him since television had been an extremely low priority during the last seven years of evading capture. Yet he had garnered some information during his time channel surfing and times in town, though he didn't know how useful it would be. Still it was better than going into whatever awaited them in the future blind and at the mercy of their captors/rescuers. And he knew that he was avoiding confrontation with the main issue, which didn't involve their current situation.

His eyes drifted over toward the open door of the bathroom into which Asuka had disappeared. And from where quiet curses had been coming. The German curses reassured him since they told him the redhead's stubbornness and pride still survived her predicament. If she called for assistance he'd readily give it knowing he needed her help in return, but that wasn't what worried him. What twisted his guts was how they'd been pushing their relationship closer to the next stage. It wasn't that he was scared of it, after all he wasn't the lonely teen when they'd first met. It was just that...

"What are you thinking?"

The redhead was standing in the doorway, and the way she was tapping her foot alerted him. "Nothing!"

She grinned and strolled over to the bed. "Then why is your face red? Are you thinking perverted things to do to my body?"

"Asuka!"

"So that's why you didn't hear me calling your name," she said with an indignant look.

He sat up and crossed his arms. "Did you need something?"

"Are you blind, idiot?"

Shinji let his eyes travel over the shapely redhead taking in every detail, and slowly grinned at what he saw. That she had been able to get her intimate apparel and dark blue skirt on without ripping them was quite an accomplishment. Her white blouse hadn't faired as well against her temper with several buttons missing from the expensive garment. His grin disappeared when he glanced at her left hand, which was lightly resting on his leg, noting the deformities of her fingers. Their rescuers' surgeons had done their best, but she'd never regain her old dexterity. Carefully he removed her hand and stood up, wincing as his own healing body protested his movements, and made his way to the closet.

"So what do you think of the dinner invitation?" he asked as he pulled out a shirt, but quickly replaced it. "Wrong color?"

"Yeah." Asuka stood and walked to where he was, and leaned against the wall. "As for dinner it's strange they want to have it in our house."

"It's their house," he gently reminded her. "And it's probably a matter of convenience for them to come to us."

"Or humility. They want to show us that we're all on equal ground." She reached in and pulled out a peach colored blouse. "But dinner isn't important, it's what they say that counts."

- - - - -

Asuka really wished her earlier statement had been more accurate as she finished the dessert portion of the seven-course meal. But conversation had been limited after the introduction of their host and his guests, and it irritated her. She had been anticipating a barrage of questions and had even prepared her own. All her preparations had been for naught she concluded while their host sat patiently waiting for the servants to depart. Glancing across the table, she felt some of her tension and irritation leave at seeing Shinji's face, which was a mirror copy of her own. The redhead counted her blessings that she had decided to come unarmed as she turned her attention back to the man at the head of the table.

When she had walked through the doors of the dining room and been confronted with the visage of her enemy, she had reflexively reached for a weapon. It hadn't helped her already strained disposition to learn the man retained the same surname as SEELE's chairman. But she had followed Shinji's example and lead, and had been civil throughout the decadent meal, even going so far as to talk to the man. Yet now that the corporeal dinner was over, she hungered for a different type of sustenance. And she wasn't going to be distracted from asking the questions she'd been prepared to ask during the meal, no matter how congeal their host was being.

"Mister Lorenz, I was wondering if you'd be able to..." she began before an upraised hand stopped her.

"Please be patient a little longer, Miss Soryu," he responded with a strong but ancient voice. "Whatever questions you have will be answered in due time."

"I think we've waited long enough!" she retorted, half rising out of her chair.

"Asuka!"

Glowering at Shinji, she waited for him to back down, but instead found herself breaking contact when he didn't retreat. It wasn't the first time in their history he'd raised his voice to her, but she still felt betrayed by her compatriot. She had expected that he'd stick by her side in this debate, after all they both wanted answers to the same questions. Shaking her head, Asuka couldn't believe the path she was taking with her current line thinking because of a little disagreement. Looking up, she gave Shinji a smile, which conveyed a silent message telling him that she'd be good for the moment.

"Yosuke Watabe, would you be so kind as to escort our guests to the library.

- - - -

"I never thought to see you again," Shinji told Yosuke when they reached the library.

"I wish I could say the say the same, but we were never to meet." He walked over to a small cart, and poured himself a drink. "You two don't realize how much time and effort you destroyed by going on your little vendetta. All you had to do was tough it out for another six months."

"You make it sound so easy!" snapped Asuka. "Just sit around for six months hoping nobody recognizes you on the street. Or cower in a small apartment hoping the next group of hunters hasn't tracked you down!" She stalked over to where Yosuke stood. "Or better yet, hoping that you don't have to watch a person you care about suffer through another wounding."

"Forty good men died because of you!"

"And just like you they knew the risks."

The trio turned to see their host and boss' chair silently gliding through the open doors and into the room. Two men followed slightly behind him, one pulling the doors closed while the other headed for a row of equipment. Asuka backed away from Yosuke when the chair pushed between them and glared at the old man. But the old man simply shrugged it off with a smile as he mixed himself a strong drink.

"Yosuke is correct that if you had waited a little longer everything would've been completed a year ago, and I wish you had but..." He gestured to two leather chairs. "I'm sure you'd be more comfortable sitting than standing since this might take some time."

Shinji lightly touched Asuka's hand and nodded when she looked at him, and received one in response. Pulling the chairs closer, he sat on the redhead's injured left side out of instinct and a need to protect her. He mentally smiled at that thought, though he knew she wouldn't be mad at him for thinking that he needed to protect her. Glancing at her face, he also knew her patience was growing thinner with each moment. And just like her, he needed to know what was going on, but just didn't show it as much.

"If you're thinking of where to begin your tale, how about start from the beginning," Asuka said after several moments of silence.

The man chuckled. "That would take more time then you're willing to sit through, Miss Soryu."

"How about the condensed version?" Shinji answered for her.

"The condensed version is that we're here to prevent Third Impact and destroy SEELE." The man paused for their reaction.

Asuka nodded. "We already knew that, so it's no shock to us. But what we've never understood is why us? And why is SEELE so desperate to initiate Third Impact?"

"As you know there are two ways of initiating Third Impact: the first being an Angel merging with Adam, and the second being the joining of two human souls by the Lance," he told them.

"So what was my father trying to accomplish?" Shinji inquired.

"He was trying to fulfill a prophecy made up by me."

"And why would Gendo willingly follow a false prophecy?" Asuka asked with disbelief. "He may have been obsessed, but not stupid."

"Because I put them in the original translations and findings almost fifty years ago. And since the interpretations have never fully been understood...well." He leaned forward smiling, and raised a hand as Asuka prepared to speak. "How would I be able to do that? Quite easily, Miss Soryu."

"I was once a member of SEELE. In fact, I was the second ranking member next to my twin brother and had access to everything. I fully believed that we could guide human beings to a higher state of existence, and in the process gain immortality for all of humanity." He took a long drink from his glass and his voice was subdued. "But one day immortality no longer appealed to me. I realized that death wasn't something to be scared of, and that's what SEELE doesn't understand. Nothing lasts forever. Everything will cease to exist at some point in time, even the universe."

"That's it?" Asuka asked incredulously when silence took over. "All this suffering and pain has been over some old guys wish to become immortal because they're afraid of dying!"

"Immortality is a big lure, Asuka. Especially when there is no hook of having to believe in or worship a god because you would be one." Shinji leaned forward and stared into her eyes. "I know I don't want to die, and I know that you don't want to die, but..."

"But what are you willing to give up for immortality," interrupted Abel. "Instrumentality does have its price."

Asuka narrowed her eyes at the man, wondering what else the man had hidden up his sleeve. The thought of becoming immortal was tempting, and she had daydreamed about it before. But she had woken from that dream and realized that it was stupid to want immortality, especially if it included everyone else. Besides she was curious to know what someone had to give up for immortality, after all Gendo had never said anything on his disc.

"What are they?" she asked.

"There are only two prices to be paid for immortality." He held a finger. "The first is the loss of your physical body by the lowering of your AT-Field."

Shinji trembled, remembering what Kaoru had told him. "And the second price?"

"Your individuality. All of humanity would essentially become one being and one mind." Abel leaned back, his glass empty. "For never having to feel pain or loneliness again, you have to sacrifice what makes you you."

Shinji thought he was going to be sick as he heard what people would have to give up for SEELE's dreams. He looked at Asuka trying to imagine what it would be like to never hold her in his arms, to never able to kiss her again. Without pain he would never be able to experience happiness with her. Anger raged as he thought of the sorrow of slowly forgetting her face, all of his memories lost as his soul was absorbed. Death was much kinder, he realized as his fingers closed around Asuka's hand.

"What do you want us to do?"

Abel Lorenz nodded to the man who'd gone to a bank of equipment. The man smiled and pressed a couple keys, bringing everything to life. On the far wall an image was projected that caused the pilots to recoil in shock and disgust. A couple more pictures were displayed around the central image for the pilots' benefit. The man walked from the computers to gaze idly at the image before turning his eyes to the pilots.

"We want you to steal this," he calmly stated.

This was clearly an Evangelion, but one with a design they'd never seen. Missing were the shoulder fins of NERV's Evangelions to be replaced with what were labeled wings, which was insane Shinji thought. The mechanical heads of Asuka and Shinji's units had been discarded for a more organic look. In fact, the redhead thought it looked like a repulsive with no eyes and a large mouth. The progressive knives and energy and projectile weapons they'd used against the Angels were gone instead the unit mounted a single massive double-bladed armament. And the biggest surprise was the inclusion of a Super Solenoid Engine, something only Unit 01 had.

"What good will stealing one of those do?" Asuka asked after a couple minutes of study.

"My brother and his council are becoming more skittish with each successful assassination. If you steal a Mass Produced Evangelion it will push them over the edge." Abel Kihl stopped in front of the pilots. "They will demand that they be allowed to take up residence in the GeoFront, a place they believe to be impenetrable."

"And once they are all together we can finish them in one strike," Shinji interjected. "But you have no guarantee that they'll do as you predict."

"Correct. But my infiltrators inform me that the members are worried about their safety, and a covert raid could be just what is needed." He spread his hands. "Both of you know that most things are subject to chance. As Mister Ikari has pointed out there is no guarantee about anything except death, and SEELE could even deny that."

Shinji nodded at that. "So what happens if we agree."

"We have a small facility nearby where we can recreate your combined synchronization profiles. As for why we need a combined profile, our analysis indicates it will take both of you working in tandem to control the Evangelion," explained the scientist of the group.

"When do we begin?" Shinji asked, not looking at Asuka.

"I'm glad that you agreed," Abel answered while moving toward the doors. "We can begin as soon as Doctor Kemp tells us."

"We could begin tomorrow, sir."

"Good. Please get a good night's rest Mister Ikari and Miss Soryu since we need you rested."

"Not so fast, Mister Kihl." Asuka smiled thinly when he turned to look at her. "There are a few things to be cleared up before we start."

"But..."

"You do have a good sales pitch, but the sale hasn't been completed," Shinji continued. "There are a couple matters that need to be addressed first."

"We'll start with a simple one." Asuka's voice was ice. "What happened in Russia? What did you do that made Kenji betray us to SEELE?"

"I didn't betray Kenji nor did I order anyone under my command to injure him. Sadly, he was picked up where there were no nearby operatives to rescue him. By the time we got to him, it was too late." The old man didn't meet their eyes instead staring out the window. "It was all a miscommunication, and you paid for it."

"Yes, we did pay for it." Shinji's own voice was flat. "My father also had a way of dealing with people that he no longer had a use for. I'm not sure about this miscommunication, or perhaps you have a traitor."

"Don't be a fool!" snapped Abel. "In this organization everyone has to trust each other, or we'll fall apart and SEELE will win! The number of people who knew about you being in Russia was less than five. How our cells are set up ensures no one else could've known about you."

"So how did you track us over the years?" wondered Asuka.

"Both of you had equipment surgically implanted back at NERV. Only when it receives a coded pulse does it respond and then only long enough to send a signal. And the number of people with access to that knowledge is just Colonel Pokryshin and myself."

Shinji looked at his compatriot, who slowly nodded. "Next topic for discussion." He leaned forward and stared at the man. "Why haven't they cloned us, or used people from our class?"

"They have on both parts and with dire consequences." He wheeled himself back to the cart containing the alcohol. "The clones either died instantly or had to be destroyed because of insanity from their first try at synchronizing with your Evangelions. But with each experiment SEELE is getting better with their cloning techniques."

At hearing her genetic material had been used to make a clone of herself and that her copies had been destroyed Asuka swallowed, but it wasn't because of that. She was worried about Hikari and what might have happened to her in SEELE's cruel experiments. The redhead wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had caused her friend to die, or worse become insane because of her mother's rejection of Hikari. She also knew that Shinji would be worried about Touji, especially since he had briefly been a pilot. After all, their friends' close relationship would've singled them out to be the first test candidates from the class.

"And our classmates?"

"The same," he answered. "No one has been able to synchronize with either of your Evangelions. None have died from the rejections, but a few had to be hospitalized after the experiment."

"Was Hikari one of those people?"

"Yes."

- - - -

Asuka sat on a narrow bench outside the test facility letting the setting sun wash over her. She grimaced after running a hand through her hair sticky with LCL but didn't have the energy for anything else. Instead she simply wished that she could massage her brain in some way. Four hours of intense physical training followed by five hours of sitting in a test plug had exhausted her, and Shinji. She wanted to be angry with herself for being so weak, but couldn't gather the will to do that. It had been years since she'd stepped into an entry plug and she'd forgotten how mentally challenging it was. All she wanted to do was go home and climb into the soft bed with Shinji. The sound of door closing broke her train of thought, and she looked up as someone stepped out.

"I'm sorry for being late."

Shaking her head, the redhead stood up and ran a critical eye over her companion. He looked like she felt with his body almost sagging while his hair was in disarray. Not only that but his eyes told her how truly exhausted he was, and that both of them were ready to drop. Turning, she started down the path back to their living quarters and heard him follow. She didn't react when he took her hand in his except to curl her fingers.

"I don't remember it being so hard," she told him. "And it's been a month already!"

"We haven't done it for years," he quietly retorted.

She clenched her hands but relaxed them at his hiss of pain. "That's not it! It should be like riding a bike, something you don't forget. After all, you did it for six months and I did it for almost eight years!"

"Asuka..."

"What!"

Shinji looked at her face with its combination of pain and anger, and swallowed. He couldn't tell her that it wasn't like she described, that it couldn't be that simple. Also he didn't want to remind her about the time when she had lost her ability to pilot Unit 02. He especially didn't want to do it after they had finally broken 60 percent synchronization with the dummy unit. So instead of speaking about what was bothering him, he did what he had done in the past.

"Nothing."

Asuka narrowed her eyes, but didn't press the issue. "I'll let it go this time, Shinji."

He nodded, and they continued their journey in silence, which had become the norm after the first week. By the time they had covered the distance between the test facility and their house the last remnants of light had disappeared. They both stood in front of the door, neither wanting to let go of the other's hand but knowing they would have to in order to get inside. So Shinji turned to Asuka, and was glad the darkness hid his embarrassment.

"I was thinking..."

"I wouldn't after what we just went through." She grinned impishly, but leaned closer.

"Funny," he shot back. "Seriously, I was thinking that I could cook us something special instead of the cook."

"A romantic dinner for two sounds good," she purred her free hand massaging his chest. "And then afterward we could do something fun."

Shinji opened his mouth, but closed it with a snap. "I would like that." He pulled her against him. "I mean..."

"You turn your back for a few years and look what your best friend does! He falls in love with the enemy!"

- - - -

Asuka brought the chef knife down with clenched jaw and not for the first time pretended she was severing the Stooge's neck. She wanted to scream in frustration at the horrible timing of everything in her life. Since going into hiding with Shinji, she had broached a subject they'd both avoided for so long and he hadn't protested. With another blow, she imagined she'd just cut off another piece of Touji's anatomy for his comment. But while she was incensed with the idiot's presence, she was also exhilarated at the same time.

"So are you two...in love?" Hikari asked from her place at the stove.

The redhead felt her cheeks heat up and she carefully placed the knife down. She had been expecting that question ever since Hikari and Touji had opened the door on them. Of course, they'd talked about a few other things after Hikari had suggested that she help make dinner for everyone. That the brunette had waited so long to ask attested to her patience, and need not to embarrass her friend any further.

"Um...well...you see." Asuka took a deep breath. "Yes."

Hikari smothered the redhead in hug. "I'm so happy for the two of you!"

"Please, let go." She leaned against the counter after she'd been released. "Yes, we love each other. It's just that..."

"Just what?"

"It's just that I wish it'd been under better conditions." Asuka walked over to a chair and sat down. "Having a bounty on your head, being stabbed or shot multiple times, enduring the weather, missing meals for long periods. No girl dreams that would be how she'd fall in love, especially me. I never wanted to fall in love with anyone."

Hikari walked over to her friend and squatted down. "You think it's not real love?"

"No!" Asuka shook her head. "It's real and not because we were forced together. It's hard to describe, you know." Her hands wouldn't remain still as she talked. "We made an agreement way back because we had been forced together and we didn't want to regret anything in the future. But since we started...our vendetta it's changed."

"So what's eating you up?" Hikari asked slyly.

"Nothing!"

"If you say so." Hikari moved to Asuka's area and surveyed the damage. "Why don't you just let me do the cooking for now?"

"I can help!" The redhead shot to her feet.

Hikari lifted an example from the cutting board. "I said small bite- sized pieces not chunks. Maybe I should've asked Shinji to help."

"Yeah, right." Asuka snorted crossing to the refrigerator. "He wouldn't be any better than me."

"He was always cooking before."

"Things change in life." She paused as she reached for a can. "I'm sorry, Hikari."

The brunette looked at her friend. "For what?"

"For mama."

- - - -

"You're pissed at me, aren't you?"

Shinji stopped from setting the table and looked up to stare at Touji. His old friend was having a hard time keeping his children under control. But he could tell the former jock was giving him his full attention and waiting for an answer. Shaking his head, Shinji put what he was carrying down on the table.

"No, I'm not mad at you," he answered, which caused his friend to laugh.

"Right. Look I'm sorry for the comment about Asuka." He reached out and snagged one of his daughters.

This time it was Shinji's turn to laugh. "It's not that. Besides we both knew you didn't mean anything by it."

"So why aren't you talking?"

"Just been thinking about something."

Touji noticed Shinji's embarrassment. "Masami, Chisato go annoy your mom and Asuka in the kitchen."

Shinji watched the two girls tear out of the informal dining room, squealing in delight at their freedom. He smiled as he heard a shout come from one of women cooking. That smile disappeared when he turned around and saw that Touji had sat down, his arms resting on the back of the chair. Dread rose up inside as he saw the knowing smile plastered on his friend's face.

"You're not mad at me," he began. "And you don't care about what I said about Asuka. Not only that, you've barely said anything except to say that you're thinking."

"What are you talking about?" Shinji shouted, but his friend kept going.

"Then there was the scene that we interrupted." Touji frowned and pretended to think hard. "And given how you two were holding each other."

"Will you be quiet!"

This only caused Touji to laugh. "Come on, Shinji. You're twenty-two years old and have done more than anyone I know during that time." He rose and walked over to the Evangelion pilot, draping an arm around his shoulders. "You shouldn't be embarrassed about your love life. I mean..."

"Just drop it, Touji!" Shinji snapped, shaking off his friend's arm.

The former jock slowly walked back to his chair and fell limply into it. He quietly studied the carpet for a few moments before raising his head. Hikari had once told him that he'd annoy someone important sooner or later if he didn't learn how to be more diplomatic. Shinji's eyes were cold and hard as they bored into his own and he knew that he had made a mistake with his friend. All he had wanted was to joke around with Shinji and maybe lighten up the mood. After all, he had been making comments about the duo for some time.

"You've spent too much time around Asuka. You weren't so prickly back in junior high school." Touji sadly shook his head. "It's quite pathetic you know?"

Shinji smirked at the comment. "It was slightly fun and embarrassing when you used to call us newlyweds. Then it became irritating just before NERV's fall and our escape." He glared at his friend. "But now it is just plain childish. Asuka would tell you to grow up and I would agree with her."

"That..."

"Our relationship has never been smooth throughout the years. Yet we're slowly working things out and finally talking about maybe having a family in the future," Shinji explained. "And the last thing both of us needs is someone close sticking their nose where it doesn't belong."

It had always seemed that Asuka knew when he or Kensuke was talking about her and would show up out of no where. So Touji glanced over his shoulder and was relieved that no one was standing behind him with her arms crossed. Shinji was slightly scary at the moment and the last thing he needed was for a certain redhead to overhear the conversation. He relaxed even further when he heard voices drifting from the kitchen, which reassured him that he was safe.

"Fine, I understand what you're saying." He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Damn. I knew that wasn't what I wanted to talk about tonight. It was just too good of setup to tease you."

"You're not making any sense. Plus you're approaching that line again, Touji," Shinji growled.

"Sorry, it's just I remembered something that I never told you about."

The former Third Child rolled his eyes and waited for his friend to get to the point. It had always been the opposite in school where he spoke without thinking, just like Asuka. This staggering from subject to subject, besides being confusing, was not like him in so many ways. But it didn't really annoy Shinji, and despite Touji's comment about him being prickly he still had a lot of patient. That reserve was needed for dealing with SEELE, their allies, and Asuka at various times.

"We were snatched out of Tokyo-3 so fast that we didn't have time to pack anything," Touji explained. "And if we had known we were going to meet up with you two we'd brought some of your stuff."

"What!" Shinji shot to his feet. "Our stuff?"

"Yeah. When Asuka and you disappeared from Tokyo-3, Hikari and me went to Misato's apartment a couple weeks later. The place had been ransacked, but a few things were still intact." Touji bowed his head at the memories. "We gathered all the pictures we could find just in case we were ever reunited. Also we saved anything that might have been important to the two of you."

"My mother's cello?" Shinji whispered.

"Your cello is safe with Asuka's violin." He avoided looking at his friend. "Whoever knew that she'd play such a delicate instrument?"

"Don't say that about her," Shinji chided. "She's far more gentle than you could imagine."

"Yeah, I can't imagine that about her. Anyway, like I said we gathered up as much stuff as we could. Tapes, pictures, diaries, and even clothes are in storage back at our home. We even got a lot of Misato's possessions just in case..." He shook head. "We would've brought some if we had only known, sorry."

"What's the matter, Shinji?"

Touji jumped in his seat at hearing the redhead's voice, but was even more shocked at what he saw. He really didn't believe that Asuka was gentle inside despite Shinji's claim. Sure he'd believe that she could be nice every now and then to the young man, but his opinion changed. She strode past him without acknowledging him and went straight to Shinji and gently took his hands. His jaw dropped when they kissed, ignoring the fact he was still in the room. When they finally parted Shinji wrapped his arms around the young woman and rested his head against her.

"Everything, Asuka."

- - - -

The redhead groaned and pulled the comforter over her head in a vain attempt at blocking the incoming sun. But given where they were, it was too thin to do the job and so she squeezed her eyes hard until they hurt. Finally giving in to the reality that nature wasn't going to let her sleep any longer she opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw who was resting next to her, though the night before was still fuzzy.

They had spent dinner with Hikari and Touji before excusing themselves and retreating to their room. Hours had passed as they had held one another and talked about everything but what was coming up. Once they had finished talking, the couple had moved to their bed shedding clothes in the process. But as her eyes locked onto two uniforms, she knew why they had simply talked, and nothing more. Curling up against Shinji's body, she rested her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat.

She had to credit Abel for being a scheming and crafty bastard with his manipulating of their emotions. Hikari and Touji's presence was anything but a charitable act on his part. After their reunion with their friends, Shinji and her synchronization scores had steadily climbed. They had finally broke the magically percentage for piloting the Mass Produced Evangelion and had held it for over three weeks. That afternoon they would be shuttled, with an assault team, to the private airfield and airlifted to the SEELE base half a world away. After that everything would rest on their shoulders and Fate's fickleness.

Asuka shook at that thought and responsibility, trying not to imagine what would happen if they screwed up. But she already knew what their contingency plans were if they were about to be captured. They had done it in Russia and were only alive because they had forgotten about the body armor they had worn. She wondered if she would be capable of putting a round through Shinji's head if they found themselves in such a situation again. Before she could continue down that path, a hand snaked slid along her thigh, causing her to squeal.

"You pervert!" she screamed with a smile at the touch.

Shinji returned the smile and then grunted when she rolled on top of him, her hands on either side of his head. His smile widened as he stared into her sky-blue eyes, which were dancing with happiness and humor. Still feeling mischievous, he let his fingers dance along her ribs getting her to laugh and scowl at him. As her giggling died, he slowly raised himself up on his elbows until he was inches from her.

"May I?" he asked.

Her eyes lost some her happiness. "You never have to ask."

With that, she closed the remaining distance and pressed her lips against his, kissing him hard. She moaned when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. As their kiss intensified and their bodies heated up, Asuka felt something. Tears trickled down her cheeks when she realized what it was. All the other times had been simply practice as they worked their way to their current kiss. Gently, she broke the kiss, a string of saliva briefly connecting them.

"I love you, Shinji," she whispered. "Oh god, do I love you."

He stroked her cheek. "I love you too, Asuka."

"What's the matter?" she asked when he didn't lower his hand.

"Nothing."

Asuka shook her head. "I don't believe you. Now tell me what's the problem?"

"Are you mad or disappointed that we haven't..."

"Listen carefully, idiot," she whispered. "We have been together for eight years and been on the run for six of those years. Another six or so months isn't going to make a difference to either of us."

"Oh, I was just thinking..."

"No, you weren't thinking. Now be quiet."

Asuka idly traced a scar across his chest, the first one he had received on their journey. She had been expecting Shinji to say something about that subject or ask her opinion, especially after her comment a few weeks back. After all, it'd be pretty pathetic of her if she wasn't able to get inside his head after so long.

Besides she wanted to wait until there was nothing hanging over their heads when they finally crossed that line. No missions, no bounty hunters, no worrying about whether it was stress causing them to act a certain way. All she wanted was what everyone else in the world had at that time. Nothing more or less would satisfy her in that moment.

"I wonder what our children will be like," she murmured.

Shinji tensed, but smiled. "Don't really know. After all, I'm nothing like my father. And I'm not sure, but you're probably nothing like your mother."

"I was talking about their looks," she retorted, propping herself up on an elbow.

He brushed some silky auburn hair over a bare shoulder.

"They'll be cute."

- - - -

"Nervous."

Both Evangelion pilots looked up from their places beneath the transport plane's wing to spot Hikari and Touji. Their friends stopped in front of the duo and stood there quietly. Neither pair knew what to say though each had so much to say to the others. Asuka finally stood and helped Shinji to his feet before they both grabbed a rucksack off the concrete. The redhead flinched when Touji held out his hand, a chain and ring dangling from it.

"It was my mother's, and my sister had this all the time during her recovery," he told them. "She kept it when she got into junior high school before giving it to us. She told me that it had given her good luck and that we'd need all we could get in raising Masami and Chisato."

"Touji..."

"Take it!" he barked. "You two are going into the fucking lion's den! You're going to need all the luck you can get to get out alive." He angrily wiped at his tears. "And you better come back alive!"

A shout came from the transport's open door moments before the engines began to spool up. The redhead glanced at the plane and the man at the door before looking at Touji. Grabbing the necklace, she slipped it over her head before tightly hugging Hikari. Shinji pulled his friend into a similar but brief hug before each separated. With one last glance back, the pair raced for the door while their friends moved back into the hangar. Hikari buried her face in Touji's chest crying as the plane moved down the runway. It was only when the sound of its screaming engines died away that she looked up.

"They'll be back, honey."

* * * *

Well was it good enough for you? Originally, I had Shinji doing a lot more explaining to Touji about his relationship with Asuka. But Weltall said it didn't work and I took it out, but for another reason. It was another speech, something I'm famous for in my writing. So I took it out and replaced it with the current conversation. Besides Asuka sums up their reasoning for not doing it the best near the end of the story.

Also I know there are holes in Abel's explanation of things concerning SEELE, Instrumentality, and other things. Those holes will be plugged in the next chapters. Or I could be like the producers and leave them unanswered.

Anyway, tell me what you think: eva_pilot9@doramil.com