Authors Notes- This was a tough chapter to write, as it is the first truly dark chapter in the story. I did not have a chance to send it out for pre-reading, so I hope I didn't overlook anything. There is a lot about this chapter I would like to explain, but I think it would be better to wait until the next chapter rather than spoil things. Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Disclaimer- I do not own Evangelion or Jekyll and Hyde

Asuka woke to the sound of thunder. She sat up as she listened to the still air around her as the rumbling faded away. She would never admit it to anyone, she almost wouldn't admit it to herself, but she really, really, really didn't like thunder. She wasn't afraid of it, no way, what was there to be afraid of but a little static electricity built up between the earth and the clouds discharging and creating a shockwave that shook the windows and walls of the apartment, worming its way through the air and causing her to shake in turn.

But she was not afraid.

Another crash of thunder rang through the apartment, and Asuka found herself clutching the blanket around her as she shivered.

Stupid Misato, she thought. Why does she have to keep this place so cold?

She sat up, clutching the blanket around her shoulders like a cloak. She looked up as another peal of thunder rumbled through the walls. Shinji!

Asuka sat in the darkness confused. Now why would she think of that idiot now? If anyone would be afraid of thunder it was that wimp. She could picture it now, Shinji curled up in his blankets, his SDAT clutched in one hand as he tried to drown out the sound, his dark hair slightly askew, his lips slightly parted as he slept, so tempting just to lean down and….

DAMMIT! Where the Hell did that come from?! Asuka mentally chided herself, shaking the image from her head. Why did she have to be cursed with such an amazingly meticulous imagination? Another side effect of greatness, she supposed. She tried to put all thoughts

Another blast of thunder took her by surprise and made her jump. Accompanying the crash was a low pulsing noise, something that was totally out of place in the apartment in the middle of the night.

Laughing?

It was very quiet, and only lasted for a moment, but even through the thunder Asuka could swear she had heard someone laughing. She quickly unlocked her door and opened it, padding lightly into the hallway. As her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of the apartment, she ran her hand along the wall, stepping lightly to avoid tripping herself. She was starting to become concerned. She could hear speaking from Shinji's room but it was too quiet to make out what was being said.

What worried her more, was she couldn't tell if it was Shinji that was speaking. She stopped outside his door still too far away to make out what was being said.

What was going on? Has Baka-Shinji started talking to himself now? Asuka tried to convince herself that it was just another of her idiot roommate's annoying quirks, that she shouldn't be concerned.

But a part of her knew that something was not right, and that there was good reason to be concerned. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears, and she could feel the blood pulsing through her neck. She noticed her breathing was becoming loud and panicked, like an animal fleeing from a predator.

There was a loud crash and the light suddenly went out. Asuka jumped at the noise, pressing herself flat against the wall.

Fumbling along the wall she managed to find the switch, wincing as the hall light came on. The light spilled through the open door and into Shinji's room. A flash of lightning revealed the room in shambles, and highlighted by the narrow shaft of light from the hall lay a broken desk lamp and a shattered picture frame.

There was blood clinging to the broken glass.

The blanket fell on the floor at her feet.

Asuka stood the shaking in the doorway of the empty room, her silhouette touching the opened window, the cold air brushing past her.

Her mouth opened and closed with silent words, her voice frozen in her throat. She saw the empty bed, the open window, things from Shinji's desk scattered across the floor, but her eyes kept coming back to the picture frame, to the line of blood that dripped between the images of her and Shinji.

Deep, red blood.

Shinji's blood? Where was Shinji? Was he hurt? Did someone hurt Shinji? What if he were…

Finally, she found herself able to scream.

"MISATO! COME QUICK! SHINJI'S GONE!"

* * *

A man dressed entirely in black stood outside, across the street from the apartment complex. It had started raining not long ago, but he was already soaked.

"Why the hell did I get stuck outside in this weather?" he grumbled. He shivered underneath the coat. Perpetual summer my ass, He thought. The rain must have missed that memo.

Edwards popped his knuckles, which were starting to ache in the cold rain. He tried to take shelter , but the black trench coat he wore did nothing to hold out the rain and instead held in the water it was supposed to protect him from.

His radio hissed in his ear. "Edwards? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Finally, something to break the boredom.

"Team three reports all quiet from their post."

"Copy. I'm going to head inside and patrol the interior for a while"

There was a short pause before they responded. "Ramirez says to get her a coffee and Kimura wants a green tea. And see if you can find me a pastry of some kind, nothing too sugary. After you finish your 'patrol' of course."

Edwards grumbled, and headed inside the building. It was really pointless, as the entire place was empty, well, empty if the other shifts had done their job right.

He got a cup of black coffee from the vending machine on the ground floor, and had nearly finished it off in the elevator ride up to the top. He just began walking each hallway, taking the stairs down to the next floor when he was done. He paused when he got to the apartment directly below Major Katsuragi's. The door, which should have been sealed, was partly opened.

The power to the apartment had been cut off to prevent anyone from unlocking it from the outside, but that didn't mean someone couldn't try and force it open, especially if they were forcing it from the inside. Someone like one of the young residents from the apartment above.

Edwards cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed was to be running around in the building at night chasing some runaway brat. Though, if it was, he might just thank the kid for keeping him out of the rain for a little while longer "Team one? This is Edwards."

"Go ahead Edwards. Have trouble finding the vending machines?"

"Isn't major Katsuragi's apartment the only one that's supposed to be occupied?

"Yes it is. You have a problem up there?"

"Probably just another squatter. No big deal. I'll just tell them to be out of here by morning."

"Good idea," Lieutenant Yamane replied. "It would be inhuman to send someone out in this weather. Which reminds me, Commander Ikari called and told us to get you back to your assigned post. Don't worry, I told him you were out kicking old ladies. That calmed him down a bit, but you better hurry back. He told Ramirez she could poison your next meal if you didn't get back with her coffee."

Edwards laughed at the joke, until he heard Ramirez in the background say, "Oh, I'd do it too." This was quickly followed by the laughter of the rest of the crew in the van.

Edwards keyed his mike again as he pushed the door of the darkened apartment further open. "Oh come on. Like she'd actually have the guts to do it."

There was a long silence over the mike. A cricket down the hallway from him chirped. Then Yamane laughed nervously, "Um, I wouldn't try and get her mad tonight. She's wearing her stilettos."

Edwards gulped then responded, "Understood, Lieutenant."

Edwards cringed as he heard the high-pitched voice of their communications tech in the background shouting, "YEAH! Fear The Heel Bi…"

The transmission was cut off suddenly and thankfully.

Edwards shuddered at the memory of his last encounter with 'The HEEL', and slid into the apartment. He flipped a switch on the wall a couple of times, but, as he had suspected, no lights came on. Pulling a flashlight from inside his coat, he played the narrow beam around the room, but saw nothing.

Wait.

He moved the flashlight back and down, were he saw a dark splotch on the floor. He reached down and touched it. His fingertips came up red.

Blood.

Edwards immediately backed up towards the doorway, keeping his gun ready as the hand holding the flashlight reached for the radio. He didn't notice the beam falling on a feral figure crouched beside the door.

His head jerked up as he heard a girl's scream from the apartment above him.

It was all the distraction that was needed.

He had seen the agent enter the room and immediately knew he was a threat. So when the opportunity presented itself, he did not hesitate to think about his actions. He merely lashed out springing from the shadows and slamming his adversary's head into the wall.

The agent groaned once and collapsed on the floor, a small form in a white shirt and black pants standing over him. The boy looked at his left hand, which was shaking, not in fear, but from excitement.

What is this feeling of power and drive?

I've never known…

His heart was racing, pounding in his ears, every muscle in his body trembling with exhilaration.

I feel alive.

He poked the Section two agent with his toe, making sure he was out. When he did not move, he grabbed the trench coat and dragged the man down the apartment's hallway, away from the open door. Adrenaline flooded through every vessel in his body,

Where does this feeling of power derive?

Making me know why I'm alive.

For the first time in his short existence, he knew for certain that he had a purpose, a reason to exist. He could feel it, a nameless hunger that drove him.

He dragged the section 2 agent out of the foyer, and promptly began rummaging through his clothes for anything useful. He found a wallet with the man's ID card and a little cash. He smirked as he noted the mans name. Niles Edwards. Edwards wasn't too bad, but Niles? Not very impressive.

Taking the man's trench coat, he brooded over what it was he was really looking for. It certainly wasn't the pitifully small amount of money the agent had in his wallet.

Like the night it's a secret,

Sinister dark and unknown.

But he would not stop until he had found what it was that drove him.

I do not know what I seek, yet…

Throwing the coat behind him, he stepped outside into the darkened hallway

I'll seek it alone.

* * *

Asuka paced the floor of the apartment impatiently. It had taken Misato forever to actually wake up and realize something was wrong, even with Asuka shaking her screaming at her to wake up. Once awake though she took immediate action, contacting the Section Two agents positioned nearby.

Before heading downstairs to coordinate the search for the third child, she instructed Asuka to lock the door and not let anyone in until she got back.

Left with nothing to do, Asuka waited on the couch in the living room as patiently as she could.

That lasted nearly ten minutes.

She turned on the TV, flipping through the channels almost absentmindedly. There was nothing on, nothing that caught her interest anyway.

She had visited the kitchen, trying to find something to eat. Damn. Nothing but instant meals and beer. She closed the door and started looking through the cupboards for anything. Sheise, still nothing good. She tapped her foot irritably on the floor. She went back to the fridge, looking through it as thought something new might have suddenly appeared in the short time since she had last checked.

Dammit, where was Shinji when you needed hi…She cut off the thought mentally slapping herself. They would find him soon enough, then she would teach him to make her worr…

No, I am NOT worried, she though. I am merely… concerned for the well being of one of my fellow pilots.

She shuddered at how much that last thought sounded like something Wondergirl might have said. That had led to the current bout of edgy pacing.

She passed by Shinji's room, noticing the cold breeze that blew through it. She had never closed the window. She had actually been avoiding going into the room. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. Against the wall was the broken remains of Shinji's desk lamp, lying where they had been thrown. Whoever had thrown it had done so with enough force to dent the metal lamp and leave a good size hole in the wall. She didn't know what disturbed her more, the idea that someone else had been here and done that…

…or that Shinji could have done it.

Shaking the thought from her head, she walked over to the window and started to pull it down. When she did, she noticed something on the ground below. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like a boy in a white shirt, standing underneath a streetlamp.

Asuka didn't take the time to think. She just ran to the foyer, quickly slipping on her shoes and grabbing a raincoat and umbrella. She rushed out of the apartment and to the elevator, not bothering to lock the door as she left.

She threw on the coat in the elevator, noticing she was only wearing her shorts and t-shirt, but she would only be outside for a little while, so it wouldn't matter. What the hell was Shinji doing outside in the rain? It didn't make any sense. But once she got outside, and saw the small form standing on a far off corner, all doubts were pushed out of her mind as a new thought took hold.

That dumkomph had better have a good excuse for making me come out here, she fumed, opening her umbrella.

She stormed up to him, but it was only when she got loser that she realized she had been mistaken about his identity.

First of all, he wasn't dressed like Shinji. He wore a white dress shirt, but there was no blue t-shirt underneath, and she could see the skin of his chest where the top of the shirt was left unbuttoned. oversized, black trench coat hung loosely around his shoulders. His skin was pale, but unlike Ayanami his complexion was more ashen, as if he had been drained of blood.

His face was upturned towards a streetlamp, the rainwater streaming down on his face. The water plastered his dark, slightly wavy hair to the pale skin, the tendrils reaching down past his nose, and actually touching his shoulders in back. Though not smiling, the expression on his face was one of absolute bliss.

She watched him for a few moments in morbid curiosity before speaking. "What are you doing?"

His head jerked in her direction, water droplets flying from the ends of the dark strands of hair. "Asuka?" he said in surprise as he stared at her.

Asuka flinched at the sound of her name coming from the strange boy's mouth, partly from the deep, coarse tenor of his voice, and partly from the intensity of his cold, blue eyes. "How do you know my name?"

He smiled for a moment before answering, his smirk almost seeming devilish, "Well, who in Tokyo-3 wouldn't know the Pilot of Eva Unit Two, the great Asuka Langley Sohryu?"

A surge of pride flashed through her for a moment. What he said was certainly true, though she still felt a little uneasy in the presence of this strange boy.

Though, he seemed oddly familiar…

"I know you, don't I?"

She really didn't recognize him. Not that she had ever really noticed him before, but he had changed, and she would have to notice him now. He laughed to himself as he thought, After tonight, my little love, you will never forget me.

"We've never actually met before," he answered, which, of course was completely truthful. "To tell the truth, even if we had, you still don't think you would remember me."

He looked Asuka up and down. What would Shinji do right now? Apologize? Run? Hide? Well, sorry Shinji, not this time. No place to run, No place to…

"Well, what's your name then?"

"Hyde…" he said with a slight smile. "Edward Hyde."

"So, what are you doing outside, in this kind of weather, this late at night?" She asked, with a slightly superior tone to her voice.

He smiled. "I happen to like the weather. The wind, the rain, the thunder. Can't you feel the energy in the air?"

Asuka realized she could feel the power in the wind, in the dark air, but she did not like it at all. It was uncomfortable. She was used to being in control, but this, there was no controlling a storm. It felt so much larger, so primal that it almost seemed malevolent. She shivered as the cold wind blew past her bare legs.

"And what, may I ask, are you doing outside, in this kind of weather, at this time of night?" he asked, turning her own question against her.

"I'm looking for a… a friend of mine," she stated timidly. "When I saw you out here, I thought you might be him."

"Really?" he said, interested. "Who's your friend?"

"Shinji Ikari," she said. "he's one of my roommates."

"Ikari… Ikari…" he said, as if searching through a file folder for the name. "Oh yes, he's friends with Suzuhara and Aida, right? Funny, I just can't see you being friends with him."

Asuka narrowed her eyes at the boy. "And why is that?" she asked, a threatening tone to her voice.

He shrugged, using the motion to bring the trench coat higher up on his shoulders. "I don't know, he just seems to be too much of a wimp for you."

Asuka decided that she really didn't like this boy. "And what would you know?" she said mockingly, "He's probably braver than a little boy like you cold ever pretend to be."

He laughed at her verbal jab. Finding it interesting that she would be defending his more withdrawn side. Perhaps there was more to her feelings than he… Yes, he remembered now. She was the reason he had done this. And looking at how beautiful she was, he could reason why.

"Well, since I'm not stupid enough to freeze to death out her, I'll be going now." Asuka turned to leave.

Hyde panicked. He had to keep her here, stop her from leaving. She couldn't go just yet

"Wait," he said.

Asuka turned.

I have a thirst that I cannot deprive…

Her eyes went wide at the touch of his lips pressed against her own, her body going rigid with shock. Her grip on the umbrella loosened and it fell to the ground, the wind slowly carrying it away. The boy inhaled deeply, trying to capture the sweet, berry scent emanating from Asuka, drinking in the taste of the kiss, taking in every sensation he could from the experience.

…Never have I felt so alive.

He pulled away and smirked at her.

The sound of Asuka's slap echoed off the concrete walls of the buildings.

His eyes narrowed in anger. Driven by the stinging in his cheek and the humiliation he felt, he grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and returned the slap with the back of his left hand. Asuka's eyes went wide, as she cut the inside of her lip with her teeth. Shock and fear flashed across her face, before she found her anger once more. She pulled back to slap him again.

He caught her wrist in his left hand before she could land the blow. He could see the fear in her eyes as he squeezed her wrist. He pulled her closer and she tried to pull away, but he managed to hold on, pinning her arms across her chest.

Tightening his hold on her, Hyde leaned close and whispered, almost growled, into Asuka's ear, "No one touches Edward Hyde."

Asuka was unable to break free, his icy voice causing her to shudder in fear, his breath brushing past her skin causing goose bumps to rise up on the back of her neck. The smell of his breath lingered on her nose, and on her tongue from the abrupt kiss. A smell like LCL.

Like blood…

Oh mein Gott… his breath smelled like blood.

Asuka's mind raced, searching for any means of escape from this monster of a boy. She had to get away. Find any opening. Take whatever opportunity presented itself.

Still keeping her arms pinned, he brought one hand up and ran his fingers through her glistening coppery hair.

Asuka stomped on his foot, hard, and he let go. She ground her heel into his foot one last time and ran. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. After a time, she looked back over her shoulder, expecting to have escaped.

Hyde was still behind her, a look of predatory amusement on his face, the tails of his coat flailing in the breeze.

And he was gaining on her.

She directed her vision forward again, lengthening her stride as much as she could. She had to keep running, she couldn't stop, couldn't let him catch up to her, just keep…

She slipped where the wet sidewalk met the road. Momentum continued to carry her forward, her knee and right arm dragging against the rough asphalt as she landed. She painfully pushed herself up of the ground, her gasping breaths hissing between her clenched teeth. Her legs hurt too much to stand, but she still tried to drag herself to her feet. She turned as a bright light fell on her face, her wet skin glowing bright white against the night.

Asuka could only stare, wide-eyed as the bright headlights of the van sped towards her, the impact inevitable. There was a muted whimper of alarm and fear, and the loud squealing of wet bakes and tires as the driver tried to stop.

She closed her eyes and prayed that it would be quick. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life a comatose vegetable in some sterile hospital room. Asuka cried out as she felt the heat of the headlamps on her face.

The black van came to a stop less than a meter in front of her, sliding sideways on the wet pavement. Hyde froze, the lights blinding him. The passenger door on the van swung open as the Section Two agent trained his gun on the second child's pursuer.

The side door slid open, Ramirez grabbing the shaken and bleeding Asuka and pulling her into the van, as Yamane yelled at the boy to get on the ground, ready to fire on the visibly angry boy at any moment. He relaxed as Hyde started crouching down as if to comply.

The boy lunged like a wild beast, charging the van's door. Yamane fired, his shot going high. Hyde pushed against the door, slamming all his weight into it and momentarily stunning the agent. That short time was just enough for him to escape into the darkness.

Yamane shoved the door open again, aiming his gun into the gloom of the night. There was no sign of the boy, and no indication of where he had gone. He slowly backed up and got in the van.

"Ramirez, get Major Katsuragi on the line. Tell her we've found the second child, but there is still no sign of the third and Edwards is still missing." He turned toward the driver. "Kimura, get us out of here.

A pair of cold, blue eyes watched all of this from an alleyway not far from the intersection. Hyde laughed to himself as he watched them drive away. Twice he had outwitted the ineffective agents tonight.

There is no battle I couldn't survive…

Feeling like this!

Feeling alive!

He ran through the shadows, back towards the apartment building. He could not understand why Asuka had rejected him. He was everything that Shinji was not, and yet she had not only rebuked his advances, but had defended his other self. Yet, it did not discourage him. In fact, quite the opposite was true.

Like the moon, an enigma, lost and alone in the night.

He rode the elevator back up to the floor below Misato's apartment, stalking silently towards the open door.

Damned by some heavenly stigma, but blazing with light.

He walked past the unconscious agent, pausing for a moment, recalling the rush he had felt as he had attacked. He smirked at the blood on the back of his head, and gave the man another good kick, which caused the man to stir slightly.

It's the feeling of being alive.

Filled with evil, but truly alive.

He tore off the coat and hid it in a nearby closet, Suddenly feeling tired. He leaned forward, clutching his head pain suddenly struck him. Pulling back his hand, he noticed a clump of dark wavy hair clutched in it. Apparently, Shinji was coming back out. But it didn't matter. He had found what he was looking for. He stumbled a few steps and collapsed.

It's a truth that can not be denied.

As he drifted off, the night's events replayed in his mind, the sensations locked into his memory.

It's the feeling of being Edward Hyde.

* * *

Edwards groaned as he woke up. His head was killing him and he felt dizzy. Rubbing the back of his skull, he winced. His hand came back covered in blood, which he was fairly certain was his own. He grabbed his mike. "Team one."

Ow. It hurt even to talk.

"Edwards!? Where have you been?" came a high-pitched voice over the line.

"Out," he winced. "Whats going on?"

"Well, lets see. The third child has gone missing, The second was attacked, and on top of that we almost ran her over and lost her attacker."

"Might have been the same guy that got me, I'm right underneath the Major's apartment." He picked up his dead flashlight and smacked it a couple of times. The beam came back on and blinded him for a moment.

Yamane came on the line. "Then it's a good chance the third has been abducted. I'll notify the Commander immediately."

"You can hold off on that for a moment." He said, his light shining on the unconscious form of a boy with unruly brown hair. "I've found the third child."