Author's notes:
Before starting this chapter, I wanted to thank sippio for his/her review. Thank you, sippio!
Morning
Shinji awakened at the warm sand. At first, he wondered where is he, but then events of the previous day, replayed themselves before his eyes, and he remembered, what has happened, what he had done, and were he is now.
Landscape, which seemed to be almost beautiful in starlight and moonlight looked horrible under the light of the sun. Endless gray wastes were in three directions, and in the fourth direction was endless ocean, which, Shinji now realized, was filled not with water, but with LCL Fluid.
Then Shinji turned his attention to Asuka, who lay near him, apparently still in a deep sleep. Shinji couldn't remembered, what happened, after his Entry Plug was ejected from EVA-01, so he guessed, that it was Asuka, who took him from his Entry Plug, after he lost his conscious.
"I won't die… I will kill all of you…" - muttered Asuka, who was still deep in her dreams - "I have failed… no… I am monster…"
After that, to Shinji's great relief, stopped muttering and opened her eyes.
"Ehh… good morning" - said Shinji in uncertain voice.
Asuka slowly stood up, and surveyed the surrounding landscape.
"What a hell?!" - she muttered, then added a bit louder - "Do the whole planet look like this now?"
"I guess" - answered Shinji, and lowered his head.
"It is my fault of course" - thought Shinji, if I could understand everything a bit earlier, it wouldn't happen. But I was too messed up, and I lied to myself. And here is the result. If I only could…"
"Well" - said Asuka, interrupting Shinji's pessimistic thoughts - "I think we better start moving."
"What?" - asked Shinji - "But where are you planing to go?"
"Any other place will be better then this, I am certain" - said Asuka - "Do you see any food here? Or water? I don't think, that you would be able to drink LCL Fluid."
"Hmm… you are right, I guess" - said Shinji - "But how are you planing to get away from here? I mean, there are all these wastelands around here. I guess, they went for many miles. We will die from thirst and hunger before we will reach any less hostile place."
"In that case" - said Asuka - "We should use this thing."
And Asuka pointed at crushed enemy ship.
"It is good thing, that you was able to bring at last one of them down" - continued Asuka - "Of course, we won't be able to travel into space with such a hole, but I think, that we can fly in the atmosphere and if we won't flight very fast, then it would be quite safe."
"But do you know how to pilot this ship?" - asked Shinji - "I mean it is alien and all such."
"I don't know" - said Asuka with a twisted smile - "Never try to pilot any aircraft before. It is a good time to start learning, isn't it?"
After that Asuka started to walk toward the enemy ship, without bothering to wait for Shinji's reply. Shinji considered his options for a few seconds, and then hurried after Asuka.
"Well, if it is my fate, to be die with this crazy German girl in air-crash, I mean, in space ship crash" - though Shinji as he tried to catch up with Asuka - "So be it. In that case, I at last won't die alone."
Unpleasant surprise, misunderstandings and regrets
Big and not very pleasant surprise waited for both Asuka and Shinji, when they get into the enemy ship. Asuka's mind had and unique quality of forgetting things, which Asuka didn't wanted to remember. And this thing was one of such things.
Shinji, who walked into the enemy ship and passed suddenly still Asuka, was instantly driven speechless by the sight, which opened before his eyes. Mutilated body of dead enemy lay in the corner of the enemy ship.
"What the…" – thought Shinji – "Can it be because of crush, or…"
But Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by Asuka's voice.
"Yes! I know, what you are thinking about!" – shouted Asuka bitterly – "I know, that I am the monster! Now, leave me alone, okay?!"
And after that, Asuka hurried from the enemy ship. Shinji was confused.
"Why did she suddenly started to shout that she is the monster?" – though Shinji – "Oh, she meant that it was she, who killed the enemy? In such brutal way?"
After thinking over all these, Shinji exited the enemy ship, following Asuka. Asuka was nearby, leaning upon the hull of the enemy ship, with an anguish expression on her face.
"She probably needs me" – though Shinji – "She probably needs somebody to help her, to comfort her."
"Hay, Asuka" – said Shinji – "I wanted to…"
But Asuka never allowed him to finish his sentence.
"Just go away!" – said Asuka angrily – "I don't need your help! If you want to do something for me, then just go away. Leave me alone!"
"But, Asuka, I…" – started Shinji, but then memories flooded him once again…
*Flashback*
"I want to do something for you Asuka" – said Shinji – "I want to help you. I want to be with you always."
"Then don't do anything" – said Asuka – "Don't come near me anymore. Because all you ever do is hurt me."
*End of flashback*
"I am sorry, Asuka" – finished Shinji, and walked behind the enemy ship, to let Asuka be alone.
"Why is it always like that with Asuka?" – thought Shinji bitterly – "Why can't she just unburden her mind? And also she is always mocking me, saying, that I can never understand her. How could I possibly understand her, when she is always like that?!"
"Shinji, have you tried to understand her?" – remembered Shinji Rei's question.
"I tried…" – muttered Shinji.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship, Asuka was also deep in her thoughts…
"Without doubt he now considers me the monster" – thought Asuka bitterly – "And indeed, I am the monster! I can only fight and kill. And now, when there are no enemies, I have no purpose to exist. I am useless. And because of my uselessness, both of us are doomed to die in these lifeless wastelands. Just because I am not strong enough to save us…"
"…In this region of time and space, only you are strong enough to become my Master…"
"Yeah" – though Asuka – "Maybe I am strong, but what good would all my strength do to us now?.."
"…The many paths are open before you… Soon enough you will have to face a decision, whatever you will become my Master, or whatever you will cast me into oblivion…"
"Yeah" – thought Asuka – "Indeed the many paths are opened before us. But all of them are leading into death. And I don't want to die. Maybe I am the monster, but as long as I take breath, I won't surrender! I will never give up! I will pilot you, Devil Ship, and I will become your Master!"
Decisions are madeShinji was completely lost in his thoughts, and was completely unaware about his surrounding, as he once again dived into depths of self-pity. He even lost track of time. But then, familiar mocking voice suddenly awoke him from his self-pity.
"Hay, baka" – said familiar mocking voice – "Are you going to stay here for eternity. We need to make this Devil Ship fly, otherwise we are going to die here. I don't know about you, but personally I am not ready to die yet. So, let's get going."
"But, Asuka, I…" – started Shinji, but as always, Asuka didn't gave him a chance to finish his sentence.
"And don't worry about blood and all such" – said Asuka in casual tone – "I already took care about all these, for I know, how much you hate sight of blood."
After that, without saying anything more, Asuka turned around, and began to walk around the enemy ship, which she called Devil Ship. Shinji didn't had much choice, but to follow her.
Once Asuka and Shinji get inside the Devil Ship, Shinji noticed, that Asuka indeed took away dead body of an enemy, and even washed away most of enemy's blood with LCL Fluid.
"It all probably wasn't easy for her, with all her injuries and without any tools" – thought Shinji, feeling sting of guilt, because he didn't helped her.
"Don't stay in the entrance" – said Asuka, interrupting Shinji's thoughts once again – "Get in, or you may fall out, when I'll make this Devil Ship fly."
While Shinji moved as far from hole in the Devil Ship's hull, Asuka began to study contents of the Devil Ship. Well, truth to tell, there weren't anything inside the Devil Ship, which deserved to be called contents. In fact, Devil Ship was almost empty inside, except for two red crystal globes on the two small pedestals, which raised these red crystal globes to the level of average human's torso, but in case with Asuka, these red crystal globes were on same level as her shoulders. The floor, ceiling and walls of the inner room of the Devil Ship were made from same red crystal as these two globes. From the first glance they looked fragile like glass, but Asuka guessed, that this strange red crystal was as strong as steel, and perhaps even stronger.
Asuka stepped between two pedestals with two red crystal globes, and put her hands on these two red crystal globes.
"What now?" – asked her Shinji
"Yeah, what now?" – thought Asuka – "You said, that I could pilot you, you Devil Ship. Then tell me how. You wanted me to become your Master, didn't you?"
And then, Asuka felt, as if she was falling, falling and falling. Falling deep into the endless darkness…
BargainOnce again, she stood, surrounded by total darkness. And once again, only blood-red oval gemstone, like one, which was in forehead of enemy pilot hovered before her.
"So, you have made a decision" – said calm emotionless voice. As it was before, it seemed, that this voice came directly to her mind.
"Yes, I will become your Master" – said Asuka – "There is no other way."
"There are other ways. Death is also a way, and not the worst way, by all means. But decision was yours to made, and so, I will honor your decision. After this dialogue, you will become my Master. It is also our last dialogue, for when you will become my Master, I will become part of you, and we will never be able to talk again. And now, we will merge into one. Two our souls will become one soul."
"Wait, but I don't know how to pilot you, and about all your time-space things, you spoke of. You must teach me how to pilot you first."
"Don't worry. When we will merge into one, when two our souls will become one soul, you will know everything, you need to know. It would take too much time for me to explain all these complicated things to you, so I will just insert all my knowledge into you. So, are you ready to become one with me?"
"But what will happen to me, after I will become one with you? What about my physical body? You want to say, that my body will merge with the ship?"
"No, don't worry. Your physical body will remain separated from my body. Only our souls will merge into one. And you will not even feel presence of my soul. Our merging will give you ability to control me telepathically, but you will be able to control me telepathically only when you will hold control globes, otherwise you will be unable to control me. It is because of the fact, that our souls are very different, and even though our souls will be united into one soul, you wouldn't be able to fully comprehend my soul, just as I wouldn't be able to fully comprehend your soul. But control globes will establish bond between your souls, and that is how control globes will allow you to control me through your thoughts. That is all, that I can explain to you before you will make a final decision. So, decide now, will you become my Master or not. The choice is yours."
"I will"