Four Leaf Souls

Chapter 6: Inner Heart

June 16th, 0930 hrs

Apartment 09027, NERV Geofront

1st Lieutenant Maya Ibuki sat at her kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee. As she sipped the now lukewarm liquid, her thoughts drifted towards the boy that seemed to be on everyone's mind these days: the Third Child, Shinji Ikari. The Commander had ordered poor Shinji into a quarantine facility for a week –long medical exam. Adding to that, her Sempai's "side project" had been revealed to everyone, including her, on the command bridge. Up until that test, Misato's new roomies had been a mystery to many. The good doctor's current theory was that this "Ran"-presumably a powerful psychic- had been able to briefly possess Shinji's body while his sync was above 500. During that time, a great deal had been revealed about Ora and Sue. According to "Ran", both girls were supposedly dead: Ora had been shot and Sue had committed suicide. Also, they had shared a very close platonic relationship with each other. In terms of affections, they shared a man named Kazuhiko Fay Ryu, a retired special operative of some sort. Sighing, she read her copy of the test evaluation a fourth time to try to understand what had happened.

1935 hrs.

Special Medical Quarantine Facility #0024

Suite 0336, NERV Geofront

"...but...but..." "No 'buts' Shinji-kun. I know you don't like needles, so let's just get this over with." Shinji Ikari, Third Child, Angel-slayer, and master of the violet beast flinched as Dr. Ritsuko Akagi cleaned a wicked-looking syringe. "EVA Pilot or not, you still need your shots." Resigned to his fate, Shinji sighed. Several moments passed in silence. "Where's Ora and Sue? What'll happen to them?" Ritsuko found that she couldn't answer. "I...I don't know..."

Katsuragi/Ikari/Sorhyu/Ayanami Residence

"I don't know." Rei Ayanami, although certainly not the most outgoing person, had latched onto the newcomers fairly quickly. "Have you asked Dr. Akagi?" Sue had been especially open to her. As a matter of fact, Rei had learned that Sue had been raised in a manner similar to herself. In a way, they were like true sisters. "She doesn't know either. All I know is that they're also being held in quarantine." Rei sighed in evident disappointment. "A damn shame too, Wondergirl. I was getting to like them."

June 19th, 1330 hrs

Office of the Supreme Commander, NERV Geofront

"This wasn't in the scenario." The ceramic mug was set down on the large desk. "Merely unexpected. However, I cannot allow their continued presence. Besides, useless things have no place here; I have already made sure that the Third Child understands this." Showing no outward reaction, Lt. Commander Fuyutsuki turned to leave. 'I must warn Dr Akagi.' "Oh, and one more thing..." Fuyutsuki stopped, his calm exterior barely in place. "Those two are not to be here by the end of the Solstice."

June 20th, 0530 hrs

Special Medical Quarantine Facility #0024

Suite 2274, NERV Geofront

Sue lay in her bed, her hand held above her. Now let your eyes go out of focus. Do you see anything? N-wait! I see...a light green-ish...something Ora's happiness and pride drifted through her link. Your doing great Sue! It took me a lot more tries before I could start reading auras, being a One Leaf then. Wait, you were a One Leaf? A flash of surprise and fear drifted through the link. There's someone coming. We'll continue later. Alright, and thanks. Breaking the link, Sue sighed. She could only imagine what was happening to Ora in the room down the hall. "Sue, can we come in?" Surprised, Sue sat up and pressed the button on the intercom. "Fuyutsuki-san? Is that you? Of course you may."

The windowless door opened, admitting Fuyutsuki, Ora, and Dr. Akagi. The doctor carefully closed the door behind her. "Wha? What's going on?" "Surveillance of this room has been temporarily disabled. Its safe to tell them," said Fuyutsuki, looking around. Not bothering to sit down, Ritsuko spoke. "You two are going to have to get out of here." Ignoring the women's confused expressions, she continued. "The commander wants you two to disappear by tomorrow."

0555 hrs

Special Medical Quarantine Facility #0024

Suite 2302, NERV Geofront

Dull cobalt eyes stared up at the bare white ceiling, unfocused and apathetic. So lost in his thoughts, the eyes' owner didn't notice the door to his room opening. "Shinji-kun?" Blinking, Shinji sat up in the bed. "Ibuki-san? Am I needed for something?" Maya went up to his bed and sat down in one of the chairs next to it. "Please Shinji-kun, call me Maya," she said, her cheeks tinted pink. "Actually, Kozou-san wanted to talk to you. He'll be here in a minute or so." Now despite Asuka's frequent claims to the contrary, Shinji was a master of the art of observation, specifically people watching. As such, he noticed Maya's concerned expression. "Is something wrong, Maya-san?" 'His eyes. Oh god, his eyes...' Maya couldn't stop herself from staring, rapidly losing herself in orbs of deep sapphire. What his voice couldn't convey, his eyes told all. 'Oh Shinji, if you only knew.'

"M-Maya-san?" Shinji was, at this point, very nervous: this attractive young woman he barely knew was hugging him. As the seconds passed, he grew more accustomed to the friendly contact and slowly retuned the embrace. "Thank you Shinji..."

Tokyo-3 Imperial Grand Hotel

Ambassadorial Suite; Rm. 1804

"...yes, I did. No I didn't expect it," said the man into the phone. "Look, you told me 'kid', right? That was no kid that was a boy, a little boy. How do you expect me to... NO! I'm not gonna do it!" By now the man was practically yelling into the phone. "Look, if this was for someone like Nixon, maybe, but a kid barely into middle school? Oh, really? Well whoop-de-fckin'- do! Do it yourself!" Cutting off his boss' reply, Marcus Ridge slammed the headset into its cradle. His normally slick hair was all messed and it looked as if he hadn't shaved. His loose tie and shirt flopping about, he sat down heavily into the desk chair. 'I never expected a child,' he thought to himself. "That kid, Shinji," he said to himself "What happened to that poor kid to make him do that?" "You really want to know?" "Who's there?" Another man stepped out of the shadows. "What do you want?" The man smiled. "The same thing as you." He walked over to the window, shutting the blinds. "Now I just happened to be able to 'listen in' on your little conversation. A smear campaign against a teenager? For shame. He's been hurt enough." Ridge looked at the man. "Who are you?" "You can call me Kaji..."

Author's Note: Sorry for not updating for such a long time. Well, the Bastard King is making his move and someone wants to bash Shinji on international TV. What's the deal, you ask? Well, I'm just as in the dark as you, so hang tight until the next update.

P.S.: Pairings Vote still up. Who should finally bag the slippery Third Child? (No slash, people)

P.P.S.: Think I should try an EVA/Warcraft crossover?