Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and related trademarks are property of Gainax.

Life. Loss. Rejection. Pain. Love. Death. Rebirth. Heaven. Hell.God. Power. Lust. Temptation. Rage. Control. Choice. Sin. Identity. Torment. Renaissance. Revolution.

These words, flashing nonchalantly, meanings scattered, points obscured. "It is only myself, for I am me." Shinji was the only creature left. Abandoned to claw his own existence from the ruin of the earth; this reality know as life. The black moon loomed large.

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Shinji Ikari awoke suddenly, his body drenched in sweat. He found himself out of breath and shivering, whimpering.

"Shinji, are you okay?"

Asuka Langley Soryu was awake now as well. She sat up and attempted to look him in the eyes. Shinji was doing his best to control his breathing. After a few more moments he gave up and laid back down onto his pillow.

"Asuka it…I don't know…it's just…it's coming."

"What's coming?"

"I don't know."

Asuka crawled over to Shinji's side of the bed and wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Shinji looked over at her face. It held genuine concern.

"I think I'm going to take a walk."

"Shinji, its two A.M."

"I know. Just…don't worry. I'll be fine."

With those parting words Shinji stepped out of bed and fumbled to put on some clothing in the darkness. With his task done, he headed to the door out of the room, and shortly afterward to the door out of the house.

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The night air felt crisp and cool to Shinji Ikari as he sauntered slowly along the small stone path out from the house. He looked upward. The moon really was beautiful. Shinji continued his walk, not really knowing where the path would lead him, or why he was walking.

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Kensuke Aida paused for a moment to look at her, laying his book down as he did so. He watched her for a time; watched her read. They were lying on her bed, reading as the morning sunlight danced through the window panes. Her blonde hair was spread out on the mattress, and she was on her back. If there had ever been an embodiment of beauty that Kensuke Aida had known, surely it was her. She was smart, but not really the kind of intelligence one found in books. She simply had a wonderful "common sense" about her. Nishka was the kind of person that you would trust for no reason at all if you were in a bad situation. She looked out for others as well (however Kensuke had observed that this might simply be her way of not having to deal with her own problems). She was unselfish, and in turn she never seemed to take anything in life too seriously. It was as if she had been through trials far worse than what she could possibly encounter in everyday life. This made her easy going. She would not care if he took her to the most expensive restaurant in Tokyo-3, or the cheapest ramen hut. Nishka seemed to simply be content with the fact that she wasn't living the way she lived before. Kensuke knew only a little of her past, but what he did know was probably the most influential part to her. She had told him briefly about her life as a street child, watching herself, and her family, slowly wither away. That was until NERV had stepped in.

"Kensuke?"

"Uh huh."

"Um. What are you doing?"

She smiled as she said this, suppressing a small laugh.

"Watching you."

"Ahh, I see. Are you enjoying yourself?"

Kensuke chuckled.

"Of course."

Nishka paused for a moment before beginning to speak again.

"I received a letter from my family yesterday."

"Oh?"

Nishka nodded.

"And what did this letter say?"

"They want me to come visit them."

"In Russia?"

"Yes."

Kensuke whistled.

"That's a commute."

When she didn't laugh Kensuke grew more serious in expression.

"You do want to go, right Nishka?"

The Russian girl nodded.

"Well yes, but…"

"But what?"

"But I want you to come with me."

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"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, Shinji. Please come in and have a seat for a moment."

Shinji Ikari followed commander Fuyutski's orders, slowly settling himself into one of the two chairs in front of the man's desk.

"Shinji, I have a proposition for you. But in order tell you what it is, I have to let you in on some sensitive material. What I am about to tell you is confidential, but I believe that you have proven your trustworthiness to this organization."

Shinji nodded and the commander continued.

"Shinji, over the past three years we have been studying both you, as well as unit 01, intensely. As you are of course aware that your relationship with your Eva differs greatly from that of other Evangelions. The biggest of these differences being the fact that you can power unit 01 by utilizing only your own soul. About the time we discovered that you had this ability, a project was nearing completion. It involved the creation of something we called the "A^2" engine. It was developed by the British NERV facility to bolster sync ratios. It was discovered that if more of a human mind was opened to that of an Evangelion, a higher sync ration could be achieved with less difficulty. However the engine had one fatal flaw. Once implemented into an Evangelion, that Eva would only respond to the first person to pilot it after installation of the new engine. Because of this, it was recommended for use only in the most dire of circumstances; when no other options remained. However once we began to receive data on your new abilities the project was taken back into development. As of one week ago this development has come to an end and the new "A^2" engine is ready for use."

"I'm sorry commander, but I don't see what this has to do with me," Shinji said, in a somewhat cool tone.

"I know. There's more."

Shinji nodded, motioning for the commander to continue.

"Over the past three years, SEELE's introduction of mass produced Evangelions has led to a sort of top secret arms race among the top nations of the world."

"What's the point of that? The dummy plug system was destroyed."

"Shinji, the new "A^2" engine allows for any man or woman with the proper psychological parameters to pilot an Evangelion."

"What did you say?"

"And as an added bonus, the "A^2" engine still provides a substantial synchronization ratio boost. However the old catch still remains. The first person to pilot an Eva with an A^2 engine is the only person who can pilot that Eva ever."

"But, why?"

"Such is the nature of man Shinji, to forever advance himself no matter what the consequences of that advancement might be. And I am beginning to believe those consequences might be dire. Recently Top-secret information that only a handful of people in the world are aware of was leaked to several other countries in the U.N. This information has been withheld from the international community for almost three years now, but no longer."

"Three years sir?"

"Yes. The information is contained on a set of scrolls that were discovered below terminal dogma the day of the "cross" explosion that erupted into downtown Tokyo-3."

"What does that mean Commander?"

"It means that the world knows that NERV Japan has been withholding information from the international community. And now the Americans are demanding that we hand over the scrolls."

"Why is that?"

"Because the Americans believe that they are the dominant, and therefore most trustworthy, nation on the planet. Basically they believe that the fate of the world should be in their hands; not ours."

"I see."

"Indeed. This situation could very easily lead to war, Shinji. And the way international politics are at the moment, a war between America and Japan would also usher into affect a tangled web of military alliances that are currently in effect."

"World War III."

"Unfortunately yes. Even as we speak the hour of war grows closer. The American government is already demanding the return of the seventh child, along with unit X.

"Damon."

"Yes. However this war will not be fought using bombs and air power such as in the wars of the late 20th century. No, no. This war will be fought using Evangelions, and that means it will be for the most part a hand to hand war. "

Shinji Ikari said nothing, choosing to simply stare at the commander in speechless horror.

"You, Shinji Ikari, are the greatest Evangelion pilot this planet has ever seen. I  want you to lead the other Eva pilots, in both the original "unit" series, and the mass produced "gamma" series, into battle when the time comes. That is my proposition."

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Commander Kozo Fuyutski was a man who knew many things. A great deal of these things he had been told by Gendo Ikari, while still others he had learned from the new set of scrolls; the "Final judgment scrolls." The judgment scrolls, like the dead sea scrolls before them, laid out a scenario to bring about the final destiny of man. The new scrolls, however, provided no actual information to what this ending would be, only as to how it would have to be brought about. The Wraiths would of course have to be defeated, but that was only the beginning of the final conflict. Once this had taken place the true unit 01 would return from space and join with the black moon. This would physically manifest the second God (the new God created from instrumentality) upon planet earth. This god would wield the Lance of Longinus into battle for the destiny of the human race. The scrolls had shown Fuyutski what needed to be done to manifest the first god of earth. This god would be created by the will, body, and soul of the nine. This god would have to wield a new Lance. This Lance had yet to be created, but Fuyutski feared greatly how it was that he would have to go about creating it.

It was unknown to many the true origin of the lance itself, though Kozo knew what this origin was. When Jesus Christ had been crucified, a roman soldier by the name of Longinus had happened past his cross. Longinus drove his lance into the chest of Christ and left back to the place from which he had come. Ever since that day, the lance had become a holy relic. The Catholic Church had kept it hidden deep within the catacombs of the Vatican, along with numerous other items of interest. Once the Dead Sea scrolls had been found however, SEELE had used its influence to obtain the lance for its own purposes. The weapon had been bound forever inside of a scaled up Evangelion sized lance, laying in wait until the day it would be needed; the day of Third Impact. Fuyutski knew that Shinji would soon need a weapon of this caliber.

***********************************************************************************

"Damon?"

"Yes."

"Are we in love?"

Damon Robinson turned to look at the first child.

"I think that is something that you are supposed to decide for yourself Rei."

"How would I know if I was correct?"

"Well that would depend on how you feel about me."

"I feel…I feel as if I want to be around you all of the time."

Damon Robinson smiled at his blue haired companion.

"Me too," Damon said back to her. It was the truth. He thought about Ayanami almost constantly.

"There was a time when I did not care whether I lived or died," Rei said, "But now…I don't want to die if it would mean never seeing you again. And…I don't see a reason for me to continue to exist if you were to die."

Damon grew silent, his smile fading. She had just told him that she did not want to live if he could not be with her.

"I…Thank you, Rei."

"Sometimes…I wish to be closer."

"Closer?" The seventh child could feel his heart rate increase.

"Yes. The way Asuka and Shinji are."

"Do you mean physically?"

"Yes, among other things."

"Wow," Damon thought to himself. "I guess she has always been kind of forward, but jeez…"

"And why is it that you wish to be closer to me, Rei?"

"Because I wish to express my…"

Rei trailed off. "Why do I have these feelings?" She thought to herself. "I always want to be with him. And I always want to be close to him. I must want to express these feelings to him, that is why. So these feelings must be…"

Rei Ayanami looked into the American's eyes.

"Because I want to express my love for you."

"So you are in love with me?"

"Yes. I am."

Damon nodded slowly as he contemplated what had just been said. Then she asked him the question he had expected.

"Do you feel the same way about me?"

Damon Robinson had always been a man of impulse, and he rarely debated with himself. He knew that he wished to be with no one else; he knew that Rei was the one. He did not know how or when he had realized this though, only that it was a feeling that he couldn't deny; she was like a piece of his being that he had lacked before they had met.

"Yes, Rei, I do."

"Then you love me as well?"

"Yes."

"So you wish to be closer to me," she said as she straddled the seventh child where he sat on the couch.

Rei Ayanami felt her mind being overcome by the things that had been said.  She had never in her life been told that she was loved, and she found the thought of this absolute acceptance intoxicating. For the first time she felt this "love," this absolute of emotion. At last perhaps her life would have meaning. She could feel the urge to express this feeling of love rising from deep within her very soul. "Does he feel the same?"

"Do you wish to be closer right now?" She asked.

Damon noticed the weight of her body upon his own, as well as the look of longing in her eyes. The thing that caught his attention the most however was her emphasis on the words "right now."

"Rei,…do you mean right now right now? Well…I…Uh…Rei don't you think…n-n-normally…usually…most people get married before they do this sort of thing," Damon managed to stutter out. He was utilizing every single scrap of will power he possessed to resist the beautiful girl looking into his eyes. If for nothing else he at least owed it to his father and his faith.

"Then, do you wish to get married, Damon?"

"What the…Did she just say that?" Damon thought to himself as he tried to recall if what she had just spoken had actually been uttered at all. "Think Robinson, think! Or at least say something to her; do something!"

"Do you?" He asked.

To Damon's astonishment she nodded, smiling as she did so. "Marriage? That's what people do when they fall in love, right?" he asked himself, completely in shock from what had just been said. "And I love her, and she loves me." Damon Robinson returned his gaze to the first child's eyes.

"Rei?"

"Yes."

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

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"Kensuke? Are you alright?"

"Oh yah, I'm good."

In reality nothing could be further from the truth. Kensuke Aida was freezing cold. He did however try his best to smile at her, through his chattering teeth.

"Perhaps we should go buy you some gloves or something."

"Yah. I'd like that."

The two pilots continued their walk down the streets of Moscow, now in search of a clothing store. In truth Nishka Zalomai saw the black vans driving towards them, it just did not register in her mind what that could mean. Seconds later both pilots found themselves restrained and blindfolded by a group of armed soldiers.

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"Commander?"

"Yes, Major."

Misato Katsuragi was talking to Kozo Fuyutski from her cell phone.

"What did Shinji say?"

"You were right, Major. He refused. I believe the only pilot we now have who is trained and willing to take human lives is the American boy. However right now the United States is demanding his return. I fear war could be imminent. Plus we have no real jurisdiction to keep him here. He has diplomatic immunity to an extent, but he is not a citizen."

"I understand."

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"Your what?!"

"Engaged."

"I…How…Why? Damon!" Asuka Langley Soryu was having trouble believing her American friend at all.

"You just decided to propose right out of the blue?"

"Well…She said she loved me, and I said I loved her. Marriage came up and she said that she would like to be married to me. I figured if we both love each other, then that's the next step. So I just asked her."

The Second child was still in utter disbelief.

"Well, am I allowed to tell everyone else?"

"I don't see why not."

***********************************************************************************

"Hello?"

"Misato?"

"Yes."

"It's Asuka."

"I know that. You have to give me some credit; we lived together for three years."

"Sorry. Anyway you're never going to believe what I have to tell you right now."

"Well don't leave me in suspense."

About two seconds later Major Misato Katsuragi slammed the brakes on her car.

"They're what?!?!"

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"Commander?"

"Yes Major, go ahead."

"I think I have the solution to the problem with the Americans and the seventh child."

"Is that so?"

"Why yes. You see, the whole citizenship problem is really nothing a shotgun wedding can't solve."

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Commander Kozo Fuyutski collapsed into his chair after his telephone conversation with Major Katsuragi. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh, or shed tears of joy. However he didn't get the chance to do either.

"Sir!"

"Yes Aoba, go ahead."

"We have just receive word from section 2 that designated 8th child Kensuke Aida, and designated 6th child Nishka Zalomai have been abducted in Moscow."

"What? By whom?"

"The Russians, in conjunction with an American Special Forces team."

"My God…"

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"And what did you tell the Commander?"

"I refused," Shinji said to Xiang."

"Why did you refuse?" The old master asked.

"Because I don't want to kill people."

"I see. But if your decision is made, then why is that we are discussing that decision?"

"Two of my closest friends have been abducted. I may be the only person with enough skill to bring them back."

"Shinji, you once told me that you would do anything to protect the woman you loved. You told me that you would die for her. Would you kill for her?"

"I don't know," Shinji looked at the floor, "Yes I would kill for her."

"How is this different? If you are willing to kill for one person, then how is that different than killing for others?"

"I have no right to decide the fate of others."

"Perhaps that is true. But is it not also true that you have decided the fate of mankind on several occasions already?"

"I…"

"Shinji, do you fear death?"

"I do not know."

"In truth death is simply a part of life."

"But I…"

"You knew this war would come, did you not? Have you not seen it coming?"

"I have."

"Shinji we both know that regardless of what I say to you at this moment, the choice you have maid cannot be changed."

Shinji knew that Xiang was right. He could not run away from this. This was what Koaru had spoken of all those years ago. The mark on his chest, his return from third impact, it had all been leading up to this. This was the beginning of the end.

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"Commander Fuyutski?"

"Yes. What is it Shinji."

"I'm in."