Tales of Evangelion CH4
Ozette Inn: Desperation and Forgiveness
How many times do I have to say I don't own the rights?
"It is still a fair distance to Ozette. There is a risk of encountering creatures along the way." Presea stated.
"Then we need to do some reorganization." Lloyd thought. "Professor, I'm taking you out of the lineup along with Collette, Asuka, and Sheena. They may need your help while we're fighting. I'm keeping Shinji and Rei out as well because they're the ones that are carrying the others. That leaves five of us. Regal, I'd put you in, but we need quick victories, while still getting our health back. I want Genis and Presea in the game, along with Zelos. Zelos, if you see anyone struggling, use First Aid. Otherwise, go for long distance attacks. The same goes for you, Genis. Presea and I will try to knock them for a loop and destroy them quickly."
The party got changed, and the group began to trudge towards Ozette. Suddenly, a figure popped out of the shadows.
"This'll be a piece of cake." Lloyd commented upon seeing the two Giant Caterpillars and Gold Beetle. He and Presea moved in. He jumped high into the air. "Rising Falcon!" He did a diving slash against the caterpillar, stunning it.
Presea moved against the second one. She swung her axe up twice, raising the caterpillar high in the air. "Resolute Infliction!" The girl switched targets to the Gold Beetle. She jumped and slashed. "Ayea, ayea!"
"Hee, hu, ha! Deyie!" Lloyd swung his swords around, making a grunt with each successful hit. The caterpillars turned towards him and reached out with their metallic legs. Lloyd blocked it. "No way!" The second caterpillar attacked from behind with a rolling attack, and it broke his guard, sending him into a dizzy fit.
A blue-white ring surrounded Genis. "Chill out! Ice Tornado!" A giant whirlwind with chunks of ice swirled around the three insects, doing intense damage. "Found your weakness."
A red ring enveloped Zelos as the beetle counterattacked Presea. "Time for a cookout. Eruption!" A lava dome bubbled up, tossing one caterpillar and the beetle into the air for three hits. The caterpillar disappeared.
"Psi Tempest!" Lloyd launched into the air, cracking his swords against the struggling beetle. It dies. "You like that?"
Presea moved over to the final caterpillar and blocked its incoming metallic leg attack. She hopped backwards and took two low swings and a jab at the creature. "Fiery Devastation." She swung the axe down, causing rock and fire to jump out in a shockwave. She lifted it up into the creature, and the caterpillar exploded into a puff of thick black smoke.
The battle ended. Lloyd holstered his swords as Presea dusted herself off. "Presea, nothing beats you and your axe!"
"It appears there is nothing left to fight, we should move on."
"Cold."
They continued to walk on. They got to the road that leads to the town of Ozette and paused for a quick break.
"Ozette is close now. We should get underway as soon as possible." Presea stated.
"Have a heart, Presea, I mean look at them!" Lloyd waved his hand towards the rest of the group. Sheena was sitting on a rock with her legs straight and stiff, trying desperately to stay awake, but it was a losing battle. Asuka slept peacefully in Shinji's arms, who was out of breath for carrying her for so long. She refused to release her grip on the boy as she slept. He didn't have the heart to wake her to get her to remove herself from him, nor the extra set of balls he'd need after she kicked the first pair off for touching her. Rei sat down, Indian style, with her eyes closed. Once in a while she would dip a towel in water and drape it over Collette's head, who was lying in front of her. Raine did her rounds, checking on the three participants in the crash. Lloyd walked over to her. "Professor, how are they doing?"
"I'd have to say that we'll need to stay in the Inn for at least two days. Asuka will be fine after a good night's sleep and some small bandages. If we can get her fever to break, Collette will be ready as well. Fortunately that mud pack is keeping her cool. Sheena will most likely take the longest. Both of her legs are severely sprained, and she's not one of the most cooperative of patients either. What little work I can do here, she snubs."
"Why can't you use your full healing abilities right now?"
"Are you stupid? Magic attracts monsters like nothing else, so only the villages are safe to practice magic in."
"So we've got to get them to the inn. No choice in the matter."
"Exactly."
A few feet away, Regal approached Zelos. "Zelos, what is the condition of the crashed Riehard?"
"Darned if I know. I'm not a mechanic."
"May I examine it?"
"Don't tell me you know how these things work."
"Just the basics."
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to look." He pulled out the Wing Pack, and a muddy Riehard popped out.
Regal paced around it, checked the underbelly and the rear engine, and gave it an attempted kickstart. The Riehard sputtered and died. He stepped away. "You can put it back in now."
"Fine." He put the Riehard in the Wing Pack again. "So how's it look?"
"Bad. The stabilizers and the rudder are bent out of alignment on the left side, the motor blades have fused together, and there seems to be mud clogging the air intakes."
"So skip to the point. Can you fix it?"
"No. This technology is more than I am capable of repairing. The only people we know that have the means to repair such a vehicle are our enemies."
"The Renegades."
"Exactly."
"Ahh, maybe we'll get lucky and find someone who can fix it outside of going to that base. I really don't feel like facing Renegades." They walked back to the others. "So are we ready to move?"
"Almost." Raine said. "I may not be able to use magic arts here, but I can help us all get to the Inn a little bit quicker. I want all of you uninjured to take one of these Energy Tablets. It's a temporary boost with no ill after-effects."
"Hey, what about me?" Sheena yawned. "I could use a pick-me-up right about now."
"Taking one of these makes it more difficult to heal. I won't give one to you."
"Listen you old maid. I want one of those pills." Sheena stood up on wobbly legs, she winced as she walked towards the blue-haired woman with a staff slowly. "If you don't, then I'll..."
"You'll what?"
"I...I'll...I'll just have to fight you for them!" Zelos and Regal stood behind her, waiting.
"Oh really?" Raine rolled her eyes and put a finger to Sheena's forehead and tipped her backwards. She fell backwards, past Regal and Zelos who stood watching, onto the hard earth.
"You guys! What were you thinking?!" Genis was stunned.
"Why didn't you catch her?" Regal asked Zelos.
"I thought you had her!" He responded.
"Hello? Shackles?! I can carry, but I can't catch."
"Eh, whatever. What's done is done. Pick her up and let's get moving." Regal lifted the girl over his shoulder and the group began to move again. Zelos thought, 'She's cute when she's out cold.'
They walked much farther, revitalized by the Energy Tablets. They saw the village of Ozette through the trees.
Shinji picked up speed and caught up to Presea. Her looks had softened slightly. Knowing Rei as long as he had, he took that as a good sign. "You seem a little more cheerful." He whispered, to keep the girl in his arms from waking.
"Ozette is my home. I have missed this place. It has an air of familiarity to it that I enjoy."
'This girl likes familiar things too? Was I like her at her age? Or is she more like Rei? Probably both are true to a point.' Shinji thought. "Well, I bet you want to see your family again, right? Who's the first person that you'll say hello to when you get home?"
"..."
"Presea?"
"I...my mother died when I was young. My father was dead for years, but because of my Crystal, I didn't take notice. Only recently did Lloyd and his friends help me bury him. And Alicia...her whereabouts are unknown. I hope to find my little sister some day. I have...no one left."
"..."
"..."
"I know how you feel. My mother died in a freak accident when I was three. My father abandoned me around that time as well. Now that I pilot for the government branch he runs, and seeing what he's become, he may as well be dead."
"The people of Ozette hate anyone different from them. The oppression of half-elves is terrible, and because of the condition caused by my Crystal, they oppress me as well."
"Why do they oppress you?"
"I have not aged for decades. Because of my youth, they all hate me. But thanks to Lloyd, I can live a life again. But I can never get my lost time back."
"I'm sorry."
"Nothing you can say will change that fact."
"Sorry." 'Damn, I really have to stop doing that.' "Um...then if you don't have anyone there that likes you, why do you want to go back?"
"Why do you still work for your father whom you hate?"
"Huh?"
"You obviously stay around for a reason. You can leave at any time can you not?" Shinji nodded. "Then why don't you leave?"
"Because I'd be running away? Because they need me?"
Presea shook her head, "No. You stay because something in that world is familiar to you and only you, even though you may not know exactly what it is. That is what brings me back to Ozette."
"I never thought of it that way." 'I guess we really are the same.'
Presea lifted her head, "..."
"We seem to be very much alike, Presea. In another universe, we probably could have been siblings. I hope I..."
"Shh." She pulled out her axe. "Lloyd!"
The requested boy turned around and she pointed with her axe towards some thick cover ahead of them. Lloyd nodded and drew his swords. "Genis. Zelos. Get ready."
"Go back to the others, Shinji. We're being watched."
Shinji looked up to the forest, and began to slowly move away towards Raine, Rei, and Regal. Lloyd kept his eyes on the forest ahead. "Genis?"
A red ring appeared under him, "Already on it. Fireball." Three balls of flame shot out of his Kendama. The cover brush disintegrated and an armored man riding a dragon lept out of his destroyed cover.
"Well played! I am Kei. Bounty hunter currently in the service of the Pope. I will take the Chosen One from you now, alive or dead makes no difference to me."
"Well isn't that swell? The Pope sure knows how to take a grudge too far doesn't he?" Zelos complained. "Look, if you want me, then you'll have to fight us for me."
"So be it. I'll just take your body to the Pope when I am finished."
"Ugh! We don't have time for this! We're almost to Ozette! Everyone finish him off quickly!" Lloyd said frustrated.
Presea charged the man on dragonback.
The battle began. Lloyd said, "I'm sick and tired of these guys. Let's go!"
Presea and Lloyd charged the dragon, which sent fireballs towards the girl. She blocked one hit, but got damaged by two more, forcing her to fall back. Lloyd jumped high into the air. "Rising Falcon!" He sliced both the master and the beast, and the rider jumped off.
Genis started off with a blue ring around him, and Zelos had a white one. Genis said, "Form a torrential vortex, and engulf the evil spirits!" He bobbed his Kendama up and down as he charged his spell.
Zelos finished his spell first, as the dragon fired a damaging volley at Presea again. "You'll love me now, huh? First Aid!" Presea recovered health. He then moved in to attack the rider hand-to-hand.
Presea moved in close enough to take a light swipe at the dragon. "Begin." The unison attack started.
Presea attacked first. "Resolute Infliction." She created two crescent arcs with her axe, blowing the dragon upwards.
"Eruption!" Genis's spell created a lava burst, causing three hits as the dragon was blown upward again.
"Sonic Thrust!" Zelos shoved his sword into the creature and it was pushed away.
"Beast!" Lloyd rammed his shoulder into the creature and swung his swords up, creating a blue illusion of a lion's head.
Shinji and Genis began to glow. "Ready to go!" Lloyd said. "Fiery Beast!" Lloyd sliced up, and slashed down with the beast illusion, jumped up again and when he landed, created a big explosion. The unison attack ended and the dragon was slain. All that was left was the rider.
The rider, Kei, began to block as all three physical fighters moved in for the kill. They hacked and slashed with their respective weapons, but still weren't able to break his guard. Genis formed a green circle. "Try this! Wind Blade!" Green crescents surrounded the rider and he was lifted into the air, breaking the guard. Wind cutters sliced into him as Zelos and Lloyd jumped into the air, slashing him some more while the getting was good. Presea was the last to follow. She upturned her axe and took the final blow as it sank into the rider. He was defeated.
The battle ended. Presea spoke the ending words as she turned around and leaned on her axe, "Do not think ill of us."
"Let's hurry up and get them into the village." Lloyd said as they came back from the battle.
"Indeed." Presea said.
"Yeah. I'd say we could all use a good shower and a change of clothes. Aw, man! My pants are ruined from that mud!" Zelos complained.
"That's not mud on your pants, it's even worse." Genis smiled.
"Then what is...nevermind. I don't want to know." Zelos shook his head.
"Fortunately I know some water spells that with a little soap will take that dragon dung right out." Genis smiled wider.
"I said I didn't want to know! Eech!" Zelos shook his feet.
The crew arrived in the village, which was a very dark green place, built on roots of giant trees. They made their way to the inn. Fortunately it was the first building on the left of the entrance.
They entered and Raine went to the counter. The receptionist greeted them. "Welcome to Ozette! How can I...oh my!" She stopped as she saw the three injured girls.
"As you can see, we've had a few mishaps along the way. We need a room for three and a room for five for a couple of days."
"Eight people, ma'am? I count eleven."
"Eleven? Oh yes. I forgot about our new friends. I need a room for five and a room for six."
"The cost is 300 Gald a night per room. Payment is due before checkout."
"Fine by us. Where are our rooms?"
"The second floor, numbers 201 and 202. The men's bedroom is on the left and the women's bedroom is on the right. The bath area on the second floor will alternate between exclusively men's and exclusively women's every four hours. You will find the schedule in your room."
"Thank you."
Lloyd paced back and forth in the room while Shinji, Zelos, and Genis sat on the beds, with Regal leaning up against the wall. Periodically the boy would look to the closed door, shake his head and resume pacing.
"Lloyd, will you please stop that? You'll wear a hole in the floor." Zelos said.
"Will you shut your trap for once in your life?" Lloyd snapped at him.
"Woah, take it easy there, Lloyd. Don't get so worked up!" Genis stared at him.
"Indeed. Continuing your present path will only lead you to more anxiety." Regal commented.
"I've got to do something at least. I can't stand this! Damn, what did Rodyle do to her? I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. Why is it that she's always the one to suffer?" Lloyd shouted.
"But you shouldn't rant the entire time!" Zelos said.
"And why aren't you ranting? Sheena's in there too you know! It's pretty obvious you've got a thing for her."
"I've got a thing for every girl, Lloyd. It's my masculine charm. Anyway, she'll be fine. She's exhausted and only has sprained ankles. She's been through worse."
"Yeah, remember, my big sis isn't just our teacher, but she's a great healer too. And with the knowledge that Unicorn Horn gave her, she'll make them good as new. Heck, even Rei is over there. She may have some earthen medical experience we've never heard of." Genis smiled and fell back onto his bed.
"That's true. At first, I had my doubts about our visitors. But it seems that they are a blessing to us. Asuka saved Collette without thinking twice. Rei is creating a rapport with Presea and is helping Raine with the others, and look at Shinji right now, sitting there stoically." Regal smiled, closing his eyes.
Shinji sat on the bed with his legs curled up to his chin, staring at the door. His eyes were completely steady. Lloyd walked around the boy, who hardly even blinked. "I don't think that's stoicism."
Genis sat up and turned towards the boy in question. "It looks like he's either really depressed or in shock. Hey, Shinji. You all right in there?"
Zelos walked over and knocked on the top of his head. "Hey, cut it out. You're starting to scare us here." The boy only moved his eyes to the people in front of him, then back at the door.
"Ok, this kid is starting to freak me out. Anyone know how we can snap him out of it?" Lloyd backed away from Shinji.
Regal approached. "Let me try. Now don't any of you laugh at what he does." He whispered in Shinji's ear. "An Angel is attacking. Rei and Asuka can't get out to fight. What are you going to do?"
Shinji's eyes went wide and his face turned pale. He jumped up and dove for the A-10 headset on his nightstand. He fixed it to his head and stood up. "I've got to get to the Eva cages before the Angel gets to NERV! I'll need...." His eyes focused on the boy in red leather in front of him, and he sat down on the bed again. "Oh, it's you guys. For a while there, I thought it was a dream. Where was I just now?"
"You spaced out. Regal brought you back." Genis pointed to the said man.
"Thank you sir." Shinji said, and Regal nodded.
"You're worried about them aren't you?" Lloyd asked.
"Yeah. It should have been me getting hurt, not Asuka, not Sheena, not Collette. I'm always the one that gets hurt. Now that someone else is hurt, it hurts even more."
"Best not to think too much about it. Try concentrating on hoping for the best."
"Someone should take their own advice, Lloyd." Zelos chimed and Lloyd muttered something unintelligible. "So Shinji, let's talk about stuff. You and Asuka seem to know a lot about each other. I know you two are coworkers and all, but how long have you two been dating?"
Shinji started sweating bullets, "Wh...what? Dating? Asuka? Sh...she wouldn't let me even if...if...even if I wanted to."
"Then how do you know all about her? Have you been stalking her?"
"What? No! Why...why would you think that?"
"I'm just playing around, take it easy! But come on. How do you know about her?"
"We...kind of...live in the same apartment."
Zelos fell back onto his bed in astonishment, "You actually live together? Wow, you are a lucky SOB! So, have you slept together?"
"A few times."
"WHAT??!!"
"It's not like that! We had to do some training so we could defeat this one tricky Angel, so Misato moved her in with us and forced us to do everything toge..."
"Time out. Who's Misato?"
"Miss Major Misato Katsuragi, my guardian and commanding officer."
"She cute?"
"My two friends, Touji and Kensuke always say that she's a babe, but..."
"I can't believe it! You live in a house with two beautiful women, and you're not head-over-heels for one of them? What are you, an icicle? I know! You must be into Rei!"
"N...no!"
"Cut it out, Zelos. You're making him uneasy." Genis scowled as Shinji turned red.
"He's blushing! Ok, what happened? Did you see her naked or something?" Zelos said again.
"Hey, Zelos! Stop this! You're getting way too personal here!" Lloyd said.
Shinji's blush deepened, "I don't know why I'm telling you this, but once, at her place. I was delivering a package, and I caught her getting out of the shower. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, I slipped and fell on top of her."
Zelos rolled out of his bed, laughing the entire time, "I never would have guessed it! Shinji the player! Oh that's sweet!" He climbed back onto the bed. "Oh I envy you; I wish I was in your shoes."
Shinji's blush disappeared in a split second, and he was in Zelos' face before anyone saw him move. "No you don't. No one should ever envy me. You don't know the hell I've gone through."
The entire room became completely silent. All eyes were on the sad boy who stood in front of Zelos. The tension was broken by a knock on the door.
"Who is it? Come on in." Lloyd asked.
The door opened and Raine entered. "Well, I've done all I can for tonight."
"How are they?"
"Asuka's sleeping right now. She should be fine tomorrow morning, but she'll most likely want a large breakfast. That fall took a lot out of her. Sheena refused to sleep, so I had to sedate her. I've given her some herbs combined with some of my spells to heal the muscle. Tomorrow I'll need to borrow Genis to make some ice for her."
"No problem there, sis." Genis smiled.
"And what about Collette?" Regal asked.
"Collette is a bit of an odd case. She regained consciousness, demanding that I not check her for injuries, and then she fainted again. I respected her wishes and only treated her for her fever. It's already broken, so she may be up by tomorrow afternoon. Rei is keeping an eye on them all."
"So they'll all be fine in a couple of days?" Zelos wondered.
"Yes." She answered, 'But what worries me is how afraid Collette is for anyone to touch her.'
"Thank God." Shinji spoke. "That crash could have been deadly."
"But a little quick thinking on Sheena's part gave them the upper hand. Even so, they are lucky." Genis said.
"Where's Presea?" Regal inquired.
"She's joined Rei. Those two seem to have bonded." Raine responded.
"Well...as much as those two introverts can bond." Zelos smiled.
"That was cruel, Zelos." Genis said.
"Hey, any of you know what time it is? I think the bath is ready for the guys' turn. I don't know about you, but I sure could use one. That mud really sticks to you, especially if you work up a sweat fighting bad guys afterwards." Zelos ignored Genis.
"Oh yeah, I sure need one." Lloyd said. "I'll come with you. How about you guys?" He turned towards the others.
"I do not need to bathe at this time." Regal said. "I'll wait until the next shift."
"Don't mind me. I'll wait as well." Genis said.
"I think...I'm better off going later." 'Hopefully alone.' Shinji said, "If you leave your dirty clothes with me, I'll see what I can do to wash them."
"Okay, fine. Well, off to the tub for me!" Zelos said.
The community bath was empty save for the two teenagers who sat in the hot-spring like room. Zelos and Lloyd leaned back in opposite sides of the pool, soaking in the feeling of cleanliness once again.
Lloyd spoke with his eyes still on the ceiling. "Hey Zelos?"
"What? You're ruining the mood of the place, Lloyd."
"Sorry but, I wanted to apologize."
"For what? Oh, is it about when...."
"It was a baseless accusation I made, and I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. I was mad at myself for letting Collette get hurt, but I took it out on you. I'm sorry."
"Relax Lloyd. I know how you feel. I get worked up and say things I don't mean too. But I can understand where you got those words from. I do seem to attract all of the ladies. Even so, my divine right as the Chosen of Regeneration forbids me from doing anything of the sort. If I did something like that, I'd be stripped of my title and banished."
"I'm sorry. I was a fool."
"That's what love turns people into."
"Love?"
"You know it."
"You ever been in love before Zelos, I mean for real? Not just the girl of the month club."
"Ouch! That one stung! But actually yes. I fell head-over-heels for one girl a few years ago, but she didn't return my affection, so I moved on."
"I see."
"Hey, could you pass me the soap?"
"As long as you don't try to take advantage of it." Lloyd smiled.
"If I promised that, then I'd never get clean. Soap is meant to be used, humans aren't." Zelos also smiled.
"Heh. Point. Here." He tossed the soap over.
Collette was restless in her sleep, she tossed and turned. "No! Stay away! What's happening to me!? Aaahh!"
Presea looked on at the scene, then up at the girl who shared her personality, "Should we not wake her?"
"It would be wiser not to. Though it is a restless sleep, sleep is still sleep. It refreshes the mind and body." Rei said, her gaze transfixed on the tormented girl.
"I fear she may hurt herself."
"If we do anything to restrain her, she will cause more harm to herself and us then she can do now. You forget that she is as strong as we are, if not stronger."
"I see."
She continued to convulse in her bed. "No! Stop! Get off of me! Get off of my body! Don't change me! Don't change me! NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!" With the last word, Collette sat up and screamed.
With all of the commotion, Asuka rolled out of her bed and landed with a painful thump. She looked up, holding her reddened forehead. "Ow! What happened?!" She looked around the room and saw Rei and Presea staring at a very stressed out and out of breath Collette. Sheena continued to sleep.
Collette began to sob in her hands, and Presea began to get up, raising an arm in preparation to talk to her. Rei put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "We have no experience in such matters, Presea. We may make things worse then they are. Let us leave this to the ones who know. We shall observe."
"It feels wrong to do nothing."
"But it is the only thing we can do correctly for the time being."
Asuka stared in disbelief at the two girls whispering to each other. 'Insensitive dolls. Can't they see that the girl needs help?' She went over and sat at Collette's side. 'They haven't changed her clothes for her. Thank God for small miracles.' She put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey."
The girl sat up, exclaimed, and wrapped Asuka in a hug. "You're okay!"
"What did you expect? I'm not that easy to get rid of."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"You got hurt because of me. I'm so sorry."
"And you were saved because of me! If Sheena and I hadn't come to save you, you'd be a blood smear on some poor guy's property."
"Thanks for that. But even so, it's still my fault. I'm sorry."
"Gyah! Enough with the "sorry" already! I get enough of it from Shinji as is."
"Hehe...sorry."
"In three worlds, THREE WORLDS! Why am I the one that runs into the only two people in three worlds that constantly apologize unnecessarily?"
"Sor..."
"Collette, would you like to be knocked out again? Because I'd be happy to oblige if you finish that sentence!"
"Hehe. So, where is..." Collette gasped as she found the object of her question. "SHEENA! Oh great goddess, what happened to her? Is she alive?"
"She is only sedated." Presea answered.
"She refused the correct treatment for her sprained ankles, therefore, Raine sedated her. Sheena will be out for a few more hours at least." Rei responded.
"So she's only got sprained ankles? Thank goodness." She got up and walked over to the sleeping black-haired ninja.
Asuka took another look at the blonde's back, and she saw some green peeking through the mud, which was beginning to crumble. She quickly moved next to her and whispered in her ear. "Collette, I did what you asked of me with your back, but the mud I put on it is starting to fall off. We need to get you changed without the others noticing."
Collette paled, nodded, and turned to the other girls in the room. "Um, is it okay if Asuka and I go to the bath? I mean, we are kind of dirty, and I could use some relaxation after that nightmare. We are allowed to leave, aren't we?"
Rei nodded, "Raine left specific instructions that when you awoke to let you go. The men's bath hours should be complete, so the bath will most likely be unoccupied."
"We have prepared you some towels and a change of clothes near the door, Collette. Unfortunately, we have no extra clothing similar to what you Earth-comers wear." Presea pointed to the nightstand for the closest bed to the door.
"Damn. I really don't want to wear this plugsuit much longer. It doesn't offer that much protection against the elements and it's really hard to move in it outside of Eva." Asuka looked at her soiled plug-suit.
"That's okay." Collette walked over to her travel bag. "You can wear one of mine." She pulled out one of her uniforms with orange trim and tossed it to Asuka. She also pulled out another one with red trim and offered it to Rei. "You'll need something to wear too, Rei."
"I...dislike red."
"Hmm, how about this then?" She rummaged through her pack and pulled out one with green trim and Rei accepted. "I'm sure you two aren't exactly the same size as me, but with a few changes, I'm sure it'll work." She walked back to her spare blue-trimmed uniform and towels next to Asuka.
"Thanks, Collette. I've got to say that you have excellent style. Of course I'll need to alter it, but I'll do that later. Well, we're off to the bath! We'll try and save some soap and hot water for you two." Asuka called to the two introverts as she left the room.
The two girls walked towards the bath with cheerful looks on their faces. Lloyd and Zelos, returning from the bath, met them halfway while drying their hair.
Lloyd ran up to the girls once his sight was free of his towel. "Collette! Asuka! You're awake!"
"Yep! We're heading towards the bath. We could use a good cleaning, and a bit of refreshing after that ordeal." Asuka smiled.
"I'm no expert, but shouldn't you two be resting?" Zelos pointed out.
"We've been sleeping the whole trip here! You think we need rest?" Collete said.
"Heh. Point. Okay, we'll let you off the hook this time. I forgot that you slept through two battles and didn't wake up once when they carried you here."
"Carried? Who carried us here?" Asuka looked quizzical.
"Well, Rei carried Collette. That girl is about as strong as she is." Zelos said.
"Rei's hiding a lot of secrets isn't she?" Collette stated.
"Aren't we all?" Asuka replied, and Collette flinched inside.
"And Shinji carried Asuka." Lloyd smiled.
"He WHAT?" Asuka cried.
"Um...carried you here?"
"You mean to tell me that stooge not only touched me, but he held me? I am SO going to kill him!" The red-head burned with anger.
"What's a stooge?" The other three inquired at the same time.
"Nevermind. I'm gonna take a dip in that bath, then I'm coming over and kicking Shinji's ass." She shook her fist in the air. The boys backed away slowly, then after getting far enough away, dashed off.
Asuka struggled with her plugsuit while attempting to undress behind the changing blinds. She hit the release switch multiple times, but nothing occurred.
"Damn it!" She said. "Hey Collette, could you give me a hand here?"
"What's up?" Collette stood up, fully clothed.
"My plugsuit's out of power, so I can't get it off like I normally would. I need you to reach the manual release for me."
"Um, okay, if you're sure." She walked behind the screen. "Where is it?"
"See the small knothole under the left shoulder blade? Reach in and pull out the center."
The blonde obeyed, "Okay, now what?"
"Twist it to the right, and then pop open the cap. That'll reverse the suction and the suit will become loose enough for me to handle from there."
The girl once again followed directions and after a hiss, the plugsuit became loose and wrinkly. "Wow! That's cool!"
"First time I've heard that. Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Collette walked back to the opposite side of the screen as Asuka started to disrobe.
Silence entered the room and decided to make its home there. It seemed like ages before one spoke. "Collette, I think we need to talk." Asuka said as she came out wrapped in a bath towel, holding her folded plugsuit in hand.
"Yes. Yes we do." The girl went around to the changing screen and slowly began to undress. "And before you ask, I don't know what it is, but I'm afraid of it."
"What happened to you up in the sky? It looked like you were in major pain."
"I was. It hurts so much when it spreads."
"Spreads? You mean it's gotten worse?"
"Yes." Collette said weakly.
"How bad has it gotten?"
"Come around to this side and see for yourself."
Asuka went around behind her and Collette slipped off her torn robe. "Oh my..." Her back was almost entirely covered in blue-green patches.
"It's spread a lot, hasn't it?"
"N...no. It's not that bad."
"Nice try, Asuka. I've been hiding this for weeks now, so don't you think I'd recognize my own lies about it?" Collette continued to disrobe and Asuka walked back to the bath.
She removed her towel and jumped in. "Ah! Now this feels nice!"
Collette lowered herself into the water next to her and dunked herself. "You're right! I needed this like nothing else."
"Aside from a cure." At that statement, the room went silent. For a long while, no one said anything. Finally, Asuka broke the ice that had frozen over the hot water. "Collette, what are you becoming?"
"I don't know. It feels like I'm crystallizing. My Cruxius Crystal might be trying to take over my body, or I might be turning into a giant Exsphere." She put her head down. "I might even be turning into a monster."
"Like the ones we fought before?"
"No, hideous giants that are extremely powerful and once human. Lloyd knows about that. His friend Marble turned into one of them, and we've seen Clara on the rampage as one of them."
"I see. Is that why you were trying to kill yourself?"
"Wh...what?!"
"Collette, my hearing was good enough to get parts of what you were saying. You were trying to commit suicide to prevent the others from suffering."
"No...that's not what I was doing! That wasn't my intention at all!"
"Collette, you can stop lying to me now. I can see through your ruse. I've been through it myself."
"You! You've tried...."
"No. I haven't, but I've gone through all the arguments in my head."
"How could you know?! You're not me! You're not being taken over by some...THING! Where do you get off...."
"My mother hung herself." Collette bit down on the words she was to say when she heard that line. "It...it's not something I like to talk about. Not even Shinji knows. I think you should know though, because I have one of your secrets now. Here's mine."
"..."
"She went insane, my mother. She tested out my Eva and went mad when I was a little girl. She just sat in a hospital bed feeding that little rag doll like it was ME! ME! I was alive, and she just referred to me as 'THAT GIRL!' The day I became an Eva pilot, I found her in her room, hanging from the ceiling, with the doll right next to her. She killed me in her mind, and let her body follow. It was a double suicide. I swore I wouldn't cry again after that, to become stronger, smarter, and independent."
"Asuka...I..."
Asuka stood up and towered over the girl, "Your reasons are flawed. You want to protect them from suffering because of you. I've suffered because of my mother's death. I know what I've become and I hate it, but I'm who I am. And don't you tell me that your situation is different because LIKE HELL IT IS! You're death will only torment the others, and you'll be failing your entire people if you die. They've placed their hopes and dreams on you, just like Earth has placed their lives on us Evangelion pilots. If you die, then you'd be considered a failure. I don't care what it takes, but you'd better get out of that frame of mind, or else."
"I...I see. I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"And I didn't want to tell anyone, but it feels good now that I've gotten it off of my chest. Don't you agree?"
"Yeah, I felt I was going to explode if I didn't tell someone. Hey, Asuka. What was the 'or else?'"
"Or else I'd kill you, resurrect you, and keep you alive in torture while wishing you were dead. Pass me the soap, would you?"
"You have very violent tendencies, Asuka."
"Blame it on my mother's stupid suicide."
With that, the girls began to enjoy their bath.
As half of the crew slept inside while the other half waited in line to use the bath, a brownish-red headed figure looked down at the Inn from the edge of the root that held the shop above it.
'They seem to be getting along. That's good. They could all learn something from this.' Kratos thought.
'I wonder if I should tell Lord Yggdrasill about them. No. He'll find out eventually through others. It isn't necessary to tell him.'
'The other side must be in total chaos right now. What could Yggdrasill be planning? His dreams are still of rescuing Martel, then why does he continue the assault on the other side when he is so close to doing so?'
He turned away and began to walk with his thoughts. "Good luck, Lloyd. Shinji."
(Author's Note: What's Kratos hiding? What's Yggdrassil hiding? And when will I ever get to the plot? You'll find out sooner or later.)