Author's Note: I am so terribly sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I know it's been well over a month (or maybe two, I forget) since I last posted. Unfortunately I had to deal with a particularly stubborn case of writers block along with the greatest obstacle I have ever faced, my laziness. But now that this chapter is complete, I submit it to you, the readers for your pleasure.
Disclaimer: As much as I regret it, I do not either own Evangelion or Godzilla.
Chapter 14: The Tragedy of Aftermath
The sun rose, signaling the beginning of another day. The citizens of Tokyo 3 emerged from their long night in the shelters to find that their once glorious city was no more. In its place lay a sea of unending rubble. The mighty metropolis, which had withstood attacks from the terrible beings known as the Angels, weathered the storms of the angry Godzilla and had even survived the wrath of Mother Earth in the form of Battra and his siblings, had been eradicated over the course of a single night by the kaiju, King Ghidorah. Not a single building had been left standing.
But the people of Tokyo 3 were by necessity a hardy breed, who did not give up in the face of adversity. If they had been otherwise, the city would have been snuffed out long ago. So it was with resignation that the men, women and children of Tokyo 3 went out and began to remake their city.
Before long, some of the hard-working men and women of NERV joined in the cleanup effort. Among them were the first through third children. Shinji and Asuka were desperate to find their friends. Rei simply could not stand the closeness of the underground complex anymore. Ishiro had remained behind for reasons that he did not disclose to the others.
Rather than try to mingle with the crowds of people and try to find their friends, Shinji and Asuka opted to find an elevated perch from which they could obtain a better view. That would make the task of finding Hikari, Touji and Kensuke much easier. Rei disappeared into the crowds.
As Asuka turned to look around her at the people milling about below, her ears caught a distinct sound coming from somewhere nearby.
"Shinji! Asuka!" It was Touji. He was running up to their position, waving his arms frantically. The look on his face was not encouraging. As he reached the base of the pile of rubble where the two other children had situated themselves, Touji stopped and doubled over, catching his breath. "It's…Hikari," he said between gasps, "She's hurt bad!"
"Where is she?!" demanded Asuka at once. Touji surprised her by reaching up and grabbing her arm. Asuka yelled as she nearly toppled over onto the overexcited young man. But Touji ignored her protests, literally dragging the redhead down the rubble-strewn street, back the way he had come. Shinji followed behind them, keeping pace. He was more than a little worried. It would have taken something incredibly disturbing to make Touji so much as touch Asuka. That he was now holding her by the arm and dragging her along behind him like some kind of rag doll made him believe that the situation was even worse than that.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the entrance to one of the many shelters around the city. The fact that the doorway had partially collapsed told Shinji that it had suffered an incredible amount of abuse during the battle. A quick glance inside confirmed his suspicions as there was obvious evidence of a cave-in that had only been recently cleared enough to allow the occupants to exit.
All around the doorway were dozens of people, lying on stretchers, blankets, futons, whatever worked. From the looks of things, Shinji could tell that many of them were victims of what had to have been a collapse. The shelter must have lost its structural integrity at some point, he reasoned. However, what he saw next wiped any further thoughts from his mind.
A bloodied and battered Hikari lay on a blanket that had been folded over to cover her body from the early-morning chill. Red stains were visible up and down the length of the cover, showing the unfortunate young girl had been and might still be bleeding prolifically. And Shinji didn't even want to think about the possible complications that came with having open wounds covered with a fabric that was most likely very much less than clean.
Asuka's protests at Touji's rough treatment died on her lips as her eyes fell on Hikari. Gasping in horror, she fell to her knees next to her friend. Reaching down, Asuka grasped Hikari's shoulder and gently shook her. "Hikari," she whispered, tears falling down her face, "Please wake up."
Asuka's words brought Shinji back to that time so many months ago when it had been he, at Asuka's side that had said very similar words. He too felt his legs beginning to give out. A look at Touji told him that his friend was suffering even worse. The girl Touji cared a great deal for was dieing before his very eyes and there was nothing he could do to help.
Touji seated himself next to Hikari and brushed her cheek with his flesh and blood hand. Tears were running down his face as well.
Shinji tore his eyes from the tragic spectacle, only to find that more than a dozen just like it were occurring all around him. All of these people were injured and some were even dieing. Not all of them had loved ones who could be with them in their final moments. That reminded Shinji, where was Hikari's family?
So curious was Shinji as to the whereabouts of Hikari's parents that he almost missed Rei coming up to them. He was surprised to see a chrome metal case, the size of a large brief case, clutched by the handle in one hand. She carried it with such care that he had to wonder just what the contents of the case were that she would be so careful with them.
Rei walked right up to them and knelt down beside Hikari, across from Asuka and Touji. "Do not worry," she said, "A solution has been presented."
Both Asuka and Touji looked at Rei incredulously. "I didn't know you knew that much first aid," commented Shinji.
"It is not necessary," replied Rei, shaking her head. Opening the case, she withdrew what looked like a syringe and a vial of some kind of amber liquid. As Rei filled the syringe with the substance from the vial, Shinji caught a whiff of a smell that vaguely resembled…blood.
"Is that LCL?" he asked. Rei nodded.
Shinji was confused. He had heard Ritsuko speculate at some time or another on the possibility of using LCL to treat extreme injury by using it to supplement the body's vital fluids. But such treatment required a full submersion in a vat of undiluted LCL. And NERV just didn't have the facilities, or the funding for that matter, for that kind of treatment.
Rei carefully rolled back the blanket, then reached down and rolled up Hikari's sleeve to expose her upper arm. Taking the syringe, she carefully injected the liquid into Hikari's arm. After withdrawing the needle, Rei promptly disposed of it in another compartment of the briefcase. She then rolled back the blanket that covered Hikari farther, exposing the girl's grievous wounds. Shinji was shocked to see that some of which were closing right before his eyes.
"What is that?" he asked.
"It came from Ishiro," answered Rei.
Then it hit Touji. "It must be that regenerator stuff he's been working on."
"That's right," agreed Asuka, "If he was able to successfully regenerate his hand with that stuff, then mending a few broken bones and open wounds will be a piece of cake for this stuff."
"According to Ishiro," added Rei, "It also eliminates infections and even cures every known disease."
"Wow," exclaimed Touji, sitting back and happily watching Hikari recover, "If he started marketing that stuff, Ishiro would be the richest guy in the world in less than a week."
"Excuse me," said Rei, "I must administer the serum to other critical patients." After closing the case, Rei pulled out a notebook and wrote Hikari's name down on it. "In case any abnormalities occur," she said, noting their curious looks, "This will help NERV keep track of those who have been exposed to the regenerator serum."
Shinji and the others nodded. Rei went over to the next patient and repeated the process. Touji, Asuka and Shinji remained at Hikari's side, carefully monitoring her recovery.
"Oh," said Shinji, "Bye the way, do you have any idea where Kensuke might be?"
Touji looked up from Hikari. "Not a clue," he replied, "Kensuke wasn't in the shelter with us."
Shinji fell deep into thought, wondering where Kensuke might be. He could have been in any one of the city's shelters. But at the time of day when the evacuation had been ordered, Kensuke should have been with Touji and Hikari, as school was only just getting out when the evacuation had been ordered. Now that he thought about it, that explained why Hikari's parents were not present either.
It also worried him. If Kensuke was not here, then where was he?
"Shinji!" The shout came from the way they had come. Looking over, Shinji saw Misato sprinting up the path to him.
"What is it?" Shinji asked. He felt his stomach churn when he saw the look on Misato's face. He knew right then and there that whatever she had to say couldn't be good.
"You need to come with me," she said in a shaky voice.
Shinji nodded. "Alright," he agreed. He turned to the others, "You guys stay here with Hikari."
Misato shook her head. "Touji should come too," she added.
Touji looked slightly nervous, but he nodded and stood up to join them. Misato led them down the maze of streets and pulverized buildings. Her path led them to a large pavilion that had been set up. As they neared the vast canvas awning, Shinji fought the urge to vomit. The entire area was steeped with the smell of death. NERV had obviously converted this space into an open-air morgue. The implications of this revelation made Shinji's stomach condition even worse, if such a thing was possible.
Misato led them to a space under the pavilion. The ground was lined with row upon row of stretchers. All of them were covered with sheets. Each sheet covered the prone body of someone who had not survived King Ghidorah's attack on Tokyo 3.
When Misato stopped by one of the stretchers, Shinji swore that he felt his heart stop in his chest then and there. A sheet had been laid over the form of someone who couldn't have been more than a teenager. When Misao pulled the cover back, Shinji found himself staring into the barely recognizable face of Kensuke.
"How long will it be?" SEELE was once again in council.
Keel smiled. "Patience," he said calmly, "We have only just recovered the body."
"This will take a great deal of money," commented one of the other members.
"More than even the Evangelions required," added another, "All fourteen of them."
"Would not have the Eva series been sufficient?" yet another wanted to know, "In its battered state, NERV would have been hard pressed to survive our assault."
Keel was bombarded with further questions and assumptions. And then… "Silence!" he barked. The talking halted immediately. "I understand that most of you are unsure about this venture," he said calmly, "But I assure you that it will be worth the expense. Already, Pilot Saegusa in particular has proven a dangerous obstacle. If we are to attack while he still exists, then the chances are quite high that we shall fail."
"Then why not remove Saegusa from the position of an obstacle?" one of them wanted to know.
"You know as well as I now," explained Keel, "Saegusa is the 19th Angel. His abilities will thwart our every attempt to eliminate him. If we are to deal with the traitor Angel and the other members of NERV, we must launch an unstoppable force; one against which they cannot hope to stand."
"How can you be sure that the creature's power will compare to when it was whole?" yet another member asked.
"It won't," replied Keel confidently, "Its power will be incomparably greater than it ever was. The power of King Ghidorah will pale in comparison to Mecha-King Ghidorah."
Rei approached the steel door slowly. She wasn't sure if she should disturb the room's occupant. After all, he had not left that room since he last went in, not even to eat.
A slight squeaking noise brought Rei's attention back to the cart she was pushing in front of her. The food on the cart was not nearly as good as Shinji's, but it would be palatable at least.
When Rei reached the door, she hesitated slightly before reaching out and pressing the call button. The following silence seemed to last a long time. Several seconds passed before the answer finally came.
"Who is it?" the voice asked hesitantly, shaking slightly.
"It's me," answered Rei, hoping that, even as distorted as it was by the intercom, her voice would be recognizable to him.
"Come on in," said Ishiro. A second later, the door opened and Rei entered the room, pushing the cart ahead of her.
Ishiro pushed himself away from his desk. Had Rei ever had any experience with such things, she would have found the sight amusing. Ishiro, a boy a little younger than fifteen years old, sitting behind a desk and working like somebody three times his age would have been funny to anyone else. But as far as Rei was concerned, people did what they did. She never any reason to suspect abnormality.
Ishiro looked like he had been startled. Rei reasoned that he must have started when the buzzer sounded suddenly. Then she realized that she had never seen Ishiro actually startled.
"Are you alright?" she wanted to know.
Ishiro sighed and gave a half-hearted laugh as he sank back into his chair. "Not long ago," he said, "I would have known it was you before you even touched that button."
Rei nodded. "I understand."
Ishiro looked up at her. "Do you?" he asked sadly, "Do you know what it's like to go deaf or blind." Rei shook her head. Ishiro looked away again. "I feel that way. Part of the world, most of it even, feels closed off to me now and I feel as vulnerable as an infant." His hands shook as they gripped the arms of his chair harder. "I feel afraid Rei," he said quietly.
Rei decided to change the subject. "I have brought food for you," she said softly, gesturing at the cart and its load."
"Thank you." Ishiro favored Rei with his first smile in a seemingly long time as he stood up from his chair and made his way to the cart. He took the tray of food from the top of the cart and brought it back to his desk. Once he sat back down, Ishiro began to eat, swallowing down his food as quickly as he could manage.
When he was finished, Ishiro leaned back and looked up at Rei. "Is there something you wanted to ask me?" he inquired.
Rei nodded. "What are you doing right now?" she wanted to know.
Ishiro smiled. "I'm working on preparing more doses of regenerator serum. I trust you and the others are keeping records off all the people it's been administered to."
Rei nodded. Ishiro continued. "I'm not worried about mutations or anything like that. After all, if that were going to happen, it would have happened to me already." He flexed his newly regrown hand.
"You saved many lives today," said Rei, "The serum brought back even those who were on the edge of death."
"That's good to know," said Ishiro, "But I'm still guilt of the ones that couldn't be saved."
"They are not your fault," disagreed Rei.
"Aren't they?" Ishiro snapped. Rei was taken aback by the edge in his voice. "I could have helped. I should have known better than to do what I did. I thought King Ghidorah was another dumb, mindless kaiju and it played me like a fool. Instead, I ended up betraying you and the others. Had it not been for Asuka, we might all be dead right now."
"It doesn't matter," said Rei gently. She walked over to the desk and put her hand on his. "Whether it could control you or not, King Ghidorah would have come all the same. If it wasn't you, it would have been another."
"Oh I know that," said Ishiro, his voice almost a growl. "But I could have helped put a stop to things before they went too far. You don't understand. I was the one who contacted King Ghidorah; I was the one who gave it the opportunity to take control. I was the one at fault this time. And there's nothing you can say that will change that."
"The same is true of you," Rei pointed out. That got Ishiro's attention. "There is nothing you can do to change that either."
Ishiro took a moment to digest what Rei had just told him. Essentially, she had said that it was his fault and there was nothing he could say or do to change that. But her statement also implied that because of that fact, he shouldn't sit around and sulk because of it.
Ishiro met Rei's eyes. "Thanks Rei."
Rei nodded and smiled.
Ishiro decided to change the subject. "So how is everybody?"
Rei's expression became saddened. "Kensuke Aida was killed in the attack. He was on one of the buildings. It collapsed while he was still on it."
Ishiro gulped. "No," he whispered. Granted, he wasn't feeling all that much grief as he had not known Kensuke very well at all, but… "How is Shinji taking it?" he wanted to know.
"Shinji has been unresponsive ever since he learned," replied Rei.
Ishiro frowned. That sounds like the old Shinji, he thought. He wasn't a psychologist, but he had a fairly good idea of what was happening. Losing Kensuke must have triggered a regression.
"What about the others?" he asked finally.
"Suzahara is grieving as well. But he is reacting in a more positive manner than Shinji. Horaki is attempting to help alleviate his pain," Rei said.
"And Asuka?"
"Asuka is doing her best to comfort Shinji," finished Rei, "But she is having little success."
Ishiro nodded. "I can understand that."
"Is there anything we can do?" Rei asked.
"I'm not sure," answered Ishiro, "For once, I really don't know."
Asuka sat in the living room of their home. She had had little to do since the cleanup began. School, of course, had been canceled due to the fact that building was leveled. There was little she could do in helping to repair the damage done to the city. And worse of all, Shinji just wasn't responding to her.
Home, of course, no longer referred to the apartment she, Shinji and Misato had lived in for almost the entirety of their time in Tokyo 3. Instead, they were staying in one of the large skyscrapers that had been lowered into the geofront prior to the attack. Those buildings that had actual living space were being taken up by a great number of NERV personnel, construction workers and all manner of other people involved in the restoration of Tokyo 3. The blocks that had been lowered down had suffered minimal, if any damage. Asuka could now understand what Ishiro meant when he said this was actually a spin-off of the notion of using a similar system for protecting key buildings from kaiju attacks.
Their new "home" wasn't too bad. It was even more spacious than their old apartment had been. Being the Sub-Commander had its advantages, including first pick of living space, which was in short supply now that the majority of the city was gone. As it was, most of the civilians were either being housed in what amounted to a refugee camp. Others were moving out to other, more intact cities around Japan. In fact, Asuka wouldn't be surprised if a few people weren't making plans to leave the country.
Losing Kensuke had been a hard blow for Shinji, she understood. As much as Asuka disliked Aida, she knew that he was important to Shinji and that Shinji was hurting badly. Asuka remembered how it felt to lose her mother. She imagined what it would be like if Hikari had been taken from her life in the same way that Kensuke had been taken from Shinji's. Asuka didn't think she would be able to bear it.
Shinji was locked up in his room. Asuka was really beginning to worry. He hadn't eaten anything since Misato had shown him Kensuke's body. If Shinji didn't eat soon, he would waste away. Asuka was afraid that he might try something like what she did when she was in so much pain that she couldn't bear it.
The old Asuka would have been more than willing to barge into Shinji's room and try to beat some sense into him. But Asuka, fiery as she still was, couldn't bring herself to do something so cruel to Shinji. Besides, he wasn't exactly the type who responded well to the whole tough love notion. That would most likely make things even worse.
The door opened and Misato came in, her arms full of all the food she could carry. Fortunately, among the buildings that were protected from the attack, a few of them contained restaurants and even small grocery stores. Fresh food was now quite a scant commodity in Tokyo 3, as almost all means of production and storage of said food had been eliminated.
Asuka stood up and went to help Misato put away their supplies. As soon as everything was in the refrigerator, Misato turned to regard Asuka. "How is he?" she asked.
Asuka turned to look at Shinji's room. "Not good," she said in an uncharacteristically soft voice, "He still won't come out and he still won't talk to me." Asuka was close to breaking down right then and there. "I've tried everything I can think of Misato!" she sobbed, "What can I say that will make him feel better?"
"I don't really know," answered Misato as she took a seat at the kitchen table. She had removed a can of beer and was slowly sipping at it. Misato was no longer into the habit of chugging down a can first before drinking a second one at a leisurely pace, the widespread chaos and ruination had taken a bite out of her zeal for alcohol, an astounding feat considering that alcohol was normally Misato's solution to depression. Of course, it might have been just because beer, like everything else, was in considerably short supply.
"Perhaps," mused Misato, "It isn't words that Shinji needs." When Asuka looked at her questioningly, Misato continue. "It might mean that he just needs to not be alone, to have someone there who can just be with him. That might help more than any words."
For the first time that day, Asuka smiled. "You might be right," she agreed. Then her smile turned from pleased to, mischievous. "Just when did you get so smart Misato?"
Misato just returned Asuka's smirk. "Hey," she said superiorly, "You can't have this job for almost a year and not pick up some tips on how to do it properly." With that, she finished off her beer in one gulp.
They heard a door outside the kitchen, in the hallway open. Both Misato and Asuka jumped up, hoping that it might be Shinji. As they ran out into the hallway, they saw that it wasn't him. Pen Pen was emerging from the bathroom where he had, no doubt, been helping himself to a nice long soak.
As shocking as it seemed, Pen Pen had come out of the attack completely unscathed. Apparently, he had seemingly just wandered into one of the shelters when the first alarms had begun to wail. There were times Misato and Asuka began to doubt that the penguin wasn't perhaps even smarter than they were. After all, the shelter he had picked had been one of the few that were undamaged in the attack. Perhaps Pen Pen had psychic powers too. They would have to ask Ishiro about that.
Asuka quietly opened the door to Shinji's room. Shinji lay on his bed, completely motionless, but wide awake. A closer look confirmed Asuka's suspicions that the young man was listening to his portable tape player.
It was what he usually did when he was in a depressed state. In fact, a while ago it was something he did frequently. Shinji would lay there on his bed and listen for hours on end while the same cassette tape played over and over again. As far as he was concerned, that player was the only constant in his life. It had been there when his father hadn't. When everything around Shinji was changing, there was still that same player, playing that same music, always the same, like a rock of stability to which he could cling amidst a world of chaos, threatening to tear him away and swallow him alive.
Even though the thing was practically an antique, made obsolete by the not so recent advent of CD and MP3 players, Shinji still remained devoted to the cassette player that he had. It was what he could count on to always be there.
Asuka knew that Shinji had probably not heard her enter. After all, the way he listened almost hypnotically to that music of his, when that thing was playing, he pretty much wasn't aware of anything else.
Shinji was indeed oblivious to his surroundings. Thus, he was more than a little surprised when he felt a pair of arms slipping around him and a body pressing against his back. Asuka held him in a tight embrace, noticing for the first time, how tense Shinji's muscles actually were, despite his relaxed posture.
As Asuka's arms tightened around him, Shinji felt the pain and emptiness inside him slowly going away. He unconsciously relaxed and began to feel the tears welling up in his eyes. It had been a long time since Shinji had ever actually cried. For the most part, he simply let it build up inside him. But now, Shinji finally began to let it go. Turning around, Shinji returned Asuka's embrace and buried his face into her shoulder. As he wept into the girl's shoulder, Asuka's only response was to hold him as tight as she could. Gradually, Shinji's sobs grew softer, until Asuka realized that he had cried himself to sleep. Not willing to leave his side, Asuka held onto Shinji, letting herself fall sound asleep as well.
Thus, she wasn't aware of Misato opening the door to check in on the two. Seeing the two children slumbering peacefully in each other's arms brought a pleased smile to the woman's face. "Maybe now he won't feel so much pain," whispered Misato to herself. With that, she closed the door, leaving the children to their rest.
Tumbling end over end, the massive, elongated piece of metal continued its sluggish journey towards the world of its creation. The Lance of Longinus, pulled from its rocky resting place on the moon by the passing of King Ghidorah, had fallen back into Earth's gravity and in due time would return to the place from whence it came.
It stood alone, a gold and chrome goliath, a melding of metal and flesh. Already, the majority of King Ghidorah's ravaged body was being replaced with new, metal parts. On the inside was a network of both wires and veins that entwined themselves in so complex a way so as to make it impossible to know where the machine ended and the monster began.
The monster's heart had been replaced by something much more powerful, a massive, red sphere that was a replica of those found in the Evangelions. The changes on the outside were even more noticeable. Gigantic solar panels substituted for the dragon's wings. Around each of the golden-scaled ankles was a thick, metallic bracelet, connected with tubing and wires to the main body, which had been encased in thick plates of armor. A series of vents ran down the back armor, undoubtedly for providing an outlet for the heat that would be produced by such a tremendously powerful thing. King Ghidorah's two surviving heads rested against heavy scaffolding in an almost comatose state as workers applied a metal collar, also connected to the main body to the base of each neck. The central head had yet to be replaced, but already, the steel alloy mechanical head that would take its place was being completed, not too far away.
The scientists working on this awesome cyborg had been some of the same ones who had worked on the Evangelion projects and thus had experience melding metal with flesh. They and thousands of laborers had worked nonstop on the cyborg since the day they had recovered the body. They worked in shifts so that someone was always continuing the monster's development. The numbers were carefully balanced in order to maintain the optimum number of workers, not too few or too many, at any time. The costs of this venture already exceeded those of the entire Evangelion program and then some.
All of this data went directly to the members of SEELE, who maintained an almost hawk-like watch of the entire program.
"It will not be much longer now," explained Keel.
"What will we do once the creature is complete?" wanted to know one of the council members.
"We will continue with the original plan," explained Keel, "Only the Eva series will coordinate their efforts with that of Mecha-King Ghidorah."
"In other words," interjected another member, "You are simply using this astronomically expensive creation of ours to add to the firepower of the original task force."
"Exactly," replied Keel, "Despite our best efforts and latest advancements and even the damage taken by NERV, there is still the possibility that the Eva series could be defeated. However, with the unstoppable might of Mecha-King Ghidorah added to our force, NERV will not stand a chance in the impending battle."
"However, we are still giving NERV and extremely dangerous weapon," said yet another member, "Time. The longer it takes to rebuild King Ghidorah, the longer NERV has to repair and replenish its own assets."
"I afforded that fact into our initial calculations and found the amount of time that NERV would have to have little bearing on the outcome." Keel sneered confidently. "Yes, they will be able to fully repair all four of their operational Evangelions in the time they have, but nothing else. The Evangelions will have no support whatsoever. And when we coordinate our attack with a ground assault team that will strike into the halls of NERV itself, there is no way that we can lose."
Asuka woke up before Shinji did, for once. Careful not to disturb the boy's rest, Asuka extracted herself from his arms and made for the bathroom. Misato, apparently, had already left for work. After showering, brushing her teeth and taking care of various other hygienic necessities, Asuka went back to her own room, wrapped in a towel. She picked out an outfit for the day. As Asuka finished dressing, a pair of voices sounded from behind her. "Greetings chosen of Mothra," they said in unison.
With a shout of surprise and several choice words from the German language, Asuka whirled around to behold a pair of tiny women standing on the pillow of her bed. "Who are you?" she demanded in a shocked tone.
"We are the Cosmos," they both replied.
"And we will be at your side when you need us from now on," one.
"We are servants of Mothra," said the other, "But now that she has passed her power to you, it will be you that we serve until Mothra is born again."
Asuka took a moment to digest this. First she had been given powers that she had no understanding of and a task she had no idea on how to perform. And now she had a pair of pint-sized handmaidens. Was there no end to the bizarre turn the world had taken?
"So," said Asuka after a moment, "Do you two have names?"
"I am Mona," said the first.
"I am Lora," said the second.
"Okay," said Asuka after a moment, "It's a start. So now what?"
"Only time will tell what is in store for us," said Mona sagely.
"Well that was only a little cliché," muttered Asuka, "I was hoping to speak with this Mothra about what's happened to me, but she's obviously dead."
"Oh no," protested Lora, "Mothra is not dead yet."
"She is close to death's door, but she has yet to cross over to the other side," added Mona, "However, if you desire to speak with her, it should be sometime soon, for she does not have much time left."
"Okay," said Asuka, "And where do I find Mothra?"
"On Infant Island," said the twin fairies together.
"And that would be…where?" Asuka raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"We are not familiar with the methods you humans use to find your way," explained Mona.
"But if anyone has the means to discern Infant Island's location in a manner that you could understand, it would be your friend Ishiro," added Lora.
"Ishiro?" wondered Asuka, "Why would he know where your home is?"
"Ishiro Saegusa's mother was close to Mothra, she probably gave him the location of Mothra's home," said Mona.
"So I guess I need to talk to Misato," said Asuka, "To make sure that it's alright to go. And I need to talk to Ishiro to see where it is that I need to go." She sighed. This kept on getting weirder by the second. Then she smiled. "But first," she said, "I need to make breakfast for Shinji."
Shinji awoke to the sound of birds outside his window. He carefully opened up his blinds and let in the morning light. The room he had now was actually a little larger than the one he had had at their old apartment. As he sat up, Shinji raked his brain, trying to remember the night before. He vaguely recalled the intense pain he had been suffering when someone had taken him into her arms and soothed him.
Shinji smiled, feeling much better. But as he thought about it, the memory of Kensuke came back and that emptiness once again settled into his heart. Who would be the next to go? Misato? Pen Pen? Ishiro? Touji? Rei? Asuka? Shinji wasn't sure if he could handle losing someone else.
Trying as hard as he could to push those gnawing doubts out of his mind, Shinji found easy distraction with the gnawing of his stomach. When was the last time I ate? he wondered wryly. Getting out of bed, Shinji got dressed and went out into the hallway and made his way to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast.
Shinji's surprise was complete when he opened the door and his nose was flooded with the scent of pancakes, sausages, eggs and toast. Asuka was putting together a nice Western style breakfast. However, she had the telltale signs of learning to cook in a college dorm. She could make great food, but ended up making the kitchen into a disaster zone along with it. That thought made Shinji snicker.
"May I ask what's so funny, Third Child," said Asuka as she turned around. Her voice carried a playful tone, quite unlike the scornful one she used to use when addressing him by that title.
"I was just thinking about how you learned to cook, but somehow missed out on how to clean." Shinji was trying to keep from bursting into laughter at the sight.
"I was going to clean after I finished making you breakfast," she said in a superior tone.
"Any real cook knows you should clean as you go along," retorted Shinji.
"Is that so?" inquired Asuka slyly, "Well. Who died and made you head chef?" Asuka silently cursed her poor choice of words as Shinji's face fell once again. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "I didn't mean to remind you."
"It's okay," whispered Shinji in reply, "I just need some more time."
Asuka silently set a plate full of food in front of him, along with a mug of coffee. "Just remember," she said after a moment, "That you still have us."
"In a way," replied Shinji, "That's what scares me."
"Why?"
Shinji looked down at his reflection in the black swirling liquid within the mug. "Right now I have all of you. But Kensuke just reminded me that I could just as easily lose you, any of you, just like I lost Kensuke."
"Damnit Shinji!" Asuka's fist slammed down on the table across from him, "You aren't the only one who's lost someone! And you're not the only one who was hurt when Kensuke died. How do you think Touji's feeling right now? He and Kensuke were friends way before you ever showed up. If anything, this probably hurts him as much, maybe even more than it hurts you."
That made Shinji stop. "I can't be selfish can I?" he mumbled.
Asuka pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "No," she murmured into his ear, "You can't. I lost my mother, Misato her father, and so many other people have lost the ones they love since Second Impact.
"When I lost my mom, I felt like I couldn't ever be close to anyone again. That's why I was such a bitch when you first met me. But thanks to Ishiro, Touji, Kensuke, Hikari, even Rei, and especially you, I found out I could trust again Shinji." Asuka rested her head on Shinji's shoulder.
"I guess that I have to learn that I can't run away from my pain anymore," said Shinji.
"You've already learned that," replied Asuka, "You only have to learn that you don't have to not run away from your pain alone."
"Thank you Asuka," he said. Shinji wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Asuka reciprocated. Shinji rested his head on her shoulder for a moment.
When they parted, Asuka smiled. "I guess it's time for you to finish your breakfast. And then we'll see what we can do."
"Yeah," agreed Shinji. They ate breakfast in comfortable silence. When they were finished, Shinji went out to visit Touji.
Asuka cleaned up the dishes to the best of her ability. The day wore on and found her sitting on the couch in the living room, in front of the television, switching listlessly from channel to channel. The front door opened and in came Misato. Asuka looked up and her faced brightened immediately.
"Back already," she observed, raising an eyebrow.
Misato gave Asuka a tired smile. "Yeah, I thought I'd have lunch with you and check on Shinji."
"Shinji went over to see Touji," replied Asuka.
"Did you two work things out?" asked Misato.
"Yeah," said Asuka, "Shinji's feeling better now.
"That's good," commented Misato, "That makes my job so much easier."
Asuka nodded. "By the way Misato, could you call Ishiro? There's something I need to talk to the two of you about."
"You want to go where?" asked Ishiro and Misato at the same time. The two of them exchanged glances as they regarded Asuka. On Asuka's request, Ishiro had come out of his lab down in headquarters to visit with them. Asuka wanted to talk to Ishiro and Misato at the same time and get it over with.
"It's called Infant Island," reiterated Asuka.
"And where did this come from?" Misato wanted to know.
"Them." Asuka inclined her head at the two fairies that had suddenly appeared on the coffee table in front of the couch where Ishiro and Misato sat. Misato blinked. A second later she let out a surprised yelp and leaned back away from the Cosmos. Ishiro merely inclined his head in greeting to them.
"I understand," said Ishiro, "You wish to converse with Mothra so that you might achieve a better understanding of the nature of the power that she has bestowed upon you."
"That's about the size of it," agreed Asuka.
"And you want us to pack up and head out just like that," demanded Misato, "To an island that we have no idea of the location of…"
"That's not entirely true," interrupted Ishiro, "I have heard of Infant Island from my mother. She has never been there herself, but she was closely involved with a survey team that was sent to the island during her tenure with G-Force. That team was the one that discovered Mothra's egg in the first place."
"Wait a minute," interjected Asuka, "From what I heard, Mothra was pretty old in the first place. But if your mother's friends found her egg, that couldn't have been more than twenty or so years ago, I thought Mothra was older than that."
"And she is," replied Ishiro, "But Mothra is the reality behind the legend of the phoenix."
"The phoenix," Misato was slightly confused.
"You don't know that story?" inquired Ishiro. When they shook their heads, he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "The phoenix is a mythological bird that was immortal, or so to speak. You see, every time the phoenix died, it would burst into flame and a new one would be born from the ashes.
"So it is with Mothra. When Mothra dies, she leaves behind an egg that hatches into a larva. That larva evolves into the new Mothra. How long Mothra lives between death and rebirth is not a sure thing."
"That is correct," agreed Mona, "Depending on how much of her strength Mothra uses, she can live for a very long time or a very short time."
"And the egg sometimes remains dormant for years," added Lora, "In fact, the last egg that Mothra hatched from was several centuries old."
"In any case," finished Ishiro, "The point is, I have a fair idea of where to find Infant Island. You see, when my mother passed away, she left me all the data she had ever gathered on every kaiju she had ever studied. That included Mothra. According to what I read in mom's files once, Infant Island is somewhere in Indonesia."
"That narrows down our search to only a few dozen," grumbled Misato.
"The exact location is in the files, I am certain of that," said Ishiro, "I'll look it up for you Asuka. Then, if it's alright with the higher ups, we'll plan a trip there."
"Sounds good to me," replied Asuka.
"I'll check it out with my superior," said Misato, referring to Fuyutsuki, who had taken over after Gendo Ikari's incarceration, "But it's going to be tough. Between the kaiju and the Angels, I don't think the Commander is going to be happy about losing another one of his pilots in such a critical time."
"What is more critical," explained Mona, "Is that Asuka learns more about the nature of her powers. However, we are not privileged with that information."
"The only one who can tell her is Mothra," finished Lora.
"Once Asuka learns full control over the power Mothra has bestowed in her, she will become a new light for humanity," said Mona.
"But Mothra will not be with us much longer. If you want to meet with her, now must be the time," Lora said to Asuka.
"It seems, that the best tactical advantage lies in allowing Asuka to master her powers," agreed Ishiro, "That might be of interest to your Commander."
"I'll see what I can do," said Misato with a sigh, "But I don't see how he's going to go for this."
"Do what you can," was all that Ishiro had to say.
"Thank you Misato," said Asuka.
"I am sorry to say that I cannot approve this Major Katsuragi," insisted Fuyutsuki, "I can't allow another one of our pilots to go off on a kaiju hunt when one of the four we have is already incapacitated as it is, not to mention that the Third Child is less than fit for combat himself. According to Dr. Akagi, he may be on the verge of another breakdown."
"But Commander, it could mean a great deal to the defense of Tokyo 3," exclaimed Misato.
"How so," Fuyutsuki wanted to know, "We are putting our faith in something we can't even begin to understand. Dr. Akagi and her staff cannot even confirm that this so called power that Pilot Sorhyu is said to possess even exists. None of their tests have revealed the slightest change in the Second Child."
"Nonetheless," replied Misato, "We already have considerable evidence that this power does indeed exist."
"How so?"
"In the battle with King Ghidorah," answered Misato, "When Unit 02 began to glow and actually functioned for several seconds outside of its normal operational parameters and struck a mortal blow to the enemy kaiju."
"Despite that" said Fuyutsuki, "I still cannot give approval for this expedition. We need every hand here right now. I'm afraid that that's all I have to say on the matter."
"But…"
"Good day Ms. Katsuragi."
The door to the Commander's office slid open. Misato came out; her shoulders sagging and a depressed look on her face.
"I take it that the Commander did not give approval for our little field trip," commented Ishiro, who was waiting outside for her.
"No," sighed Misato, "There's nothing more I can do."
Ishiro watched her go. I don't want to reveal the existence of the Cosmos to more people than necessary, he thought, But, they may be our only remaining option. Ishiro turned around and made a beeline for the Katsuragi/Ikari/Sorhyu residence.
The door slid open and Ishiro tentatively poked his head around the door. "Commander?" he asked softly, "May I speak with you?"
"Are you also suggesting that Pilot Sorhyu go off on this crazy search for a certain kaiju?" asked Fuyutsuki with a sigh. It had only been an hour since Misato had tried to convince him. And now the Sixth Child too. Of all the times I don't need him to be a maverick, now is the last time I need it.
"I'm afraid so," replied Ishiro, prompting another tired sight from Fuyutuski.
"I said the same thing to Major Katsuragi an hour ago," he said as calmly as he could manage, "I can't possibly give authorization for that. There is no concrete proof you can offer that will convince me otherwise."
Ishiro walked up to Fuyutsuki's desk, keeping his hands behind his back. When he reached the aforementioned piece of furniture, Ishiro withdrew the box he was holding from behind his back and set it down on the desk. "I submit for your approval the requested concrete proof," Ishiro said loftily as he lifted the lid on the box.
The Commander's eyes nearly blew out of their sockets. The Cosmos rose from the seats in the box and bowed slightly to Fuyutsuki. "Greetings friend," they said in unison.
Fuyutsuki wiped his forehead and leaned back in his chair. "I need a seat," he muttered to himself.
"You are seated, sir," said Ishiro.
"I'd think I was drunk, but I haven't had anything to drink since Ghidorah attacked. Who are you two?" Fuyutsuki leaned forward to regard the Cosmos.
"We are the servants of Mothra," explained Mona.
"The girl, Asuka, is Mothra's chosen," added Lora.
"Chosen?" Fuyutsuki raised a skeptical eyebrow.
I'm willing to bet that Asuka did the same thing when she found out, thought Ishiro to himself, smugly.
"When Mothra's life began to slip away, she gave a portion of her power to Asuka," said Mona.
"We were told that you are the one who decides whether or not Asuka can visit Mothra to learn more about her powers," said Lora.
"So that's it," groaned Fuyutsuki, "I have to hand it to you Ishiro, I'd never thought anyone would come up with something as crazy as this. So this is supposed to convince me that Pilot Sorhyu should go out to find this Mothra."
"That's about the size of it," agreed Ishiro.
Fuyutsuki rested his elbows on the desk and rubbed his temples. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered to himself. "Fine," he burst out, "You can take Sorhyu to find this Mothra thing. But I want her back as soon as possible. She is one of our last able pilots and we need all the pilots we can get right now."
"Yes sir," replied Ishiro gleefully.
"Written permission will be filed by tomorrow morning. I'm giving you a full three weeks to get this over with, but that's a generous envelope. If you're not back before then, I'll have some very choice words for you and even a reduction in your salary." Fuyutsuki groaned.
"If I recall correctly, we pilots don't have a salary," replied Ishiro, "But now that you've brought that up…"
Another, louder groan filled the air, followed by an undeniable command, "Out!"
"I still can't believe that you somehow managed to convince the Commander to allow this," exclaimed Asuka as the ship skimmed across the water. It was a fairly small vessel, certainly no cruise liner. But it was fast and served their purposes. After arriving at the closest airport, the pair of pilots, along with their guardian, Misato were given the fastest ship the local government could supply, an experienced pilot, and they were off.
"I just hope it's okay to leave Shinji alone at home," mused Misato as she joined them on the deck. The ship being no cruise liner meant that the ride was anything but smooth. Misato was just returning from the head after a particularly ugly bout of seasickness.
"Rei said that she would look in on him frequently," replied Ishiro, who was digging around in his satchel.
"That girl had better not make a move on my Shinji," growled Asuka.
"Perish the thought," said Ishiro distractedly, "Eureka!"
He pulled a map and practically waltzed into the cabin. "Follow me ladies," he shouted gleefully behind him.
Ishiro spread the map out on the table inside. The map displayed in considerable detail a large island. The words over the map identified the landform as Infant Island. Ishiro pointed out a part on the map. "According to what was in my mother's files, Mothra's home should be around here."
"You don't know for sure?" asked Misato.
"The last expedition to the island was the one that found Mothra's egg. The island hasn't been touched since." Ishiro shrugged his shoulders. "This is our best guess."
"It had better be right," growled Misato, "We only have three weeks and it's going to take us more than a week to get there, which means it will take that time, maybe even more for us to get back. We can't afford to waltz far and wide across that island because your guess was off."
Indonesia, like many island nations, had been devastated by the Second Impact. As the ice over Antarctica melted and sea levels rose, islands large and small were the first things to go, many of them completely submerged under the newly enlarged sea. And now, even with the receding sea levels as the world recovered from the catastrophe, many of those islands had yet to reappear. Indonesia had been one of the worst hit. Only the largest and northernmost islands had survived Second Impact even partially, which meant the only working airport in the country was practically next door to the mainland.
Infant Island had been in the southern region of Indonesia. A NERV satellite scan, taken just before Ishiro and the others had left, showed that, surprisingly enough, the island was still there and to all appearances completely untouched by the rising sea level.
Ishiro had been depending on the Cosmos for help, but almost immediately prior to their departure, the twin fairies had vanished without the slightest trace. Thus, Ishiro, Asuka and Misato were forced to leave without them. Ishiro only hoped they weren't in any trouble.
Infant Island was big. There was no doubt about it. Asuka understood immediately why Misato was worried. If Ishiro's guess was even the slightest bit off, it could take days, even weeks of searching through the thick jungle to find their true destination. While Asuka understood that Fuyutsuki was a much more lenient Commander than Gendo Ikari, he still wasn't one who could be disobeyed lightly. In addition, the circumstances in Tokyo 3 were dire. If an attack were to occur, the city would be virtually defenseless. They had to get this over with and quickly.
The boat pulled in at the base of a rocky cliff. Ishiro looked up and sighed. "We're going to have to climb that to get where we're going."
"Just great," grumbled Misato as she shifted the heavy backpack she was carrying. In fact, they were all carrying packs, filled with all the essentials so that they might last at least three days, maybe even five if they stretched their rations well enough.
"Hey," protested Ishiro, "I did the best I could. And according to the map, this is the shortest route to our destination. It's either an hour climb up this thing or we circle around to the closest thing this island has to a beach and spend four or five days trekking cross country, finish our business and spend four or five days trekking back. It's your choice of course…Major."
Misato cursed fluently under her breath. "Fine," she exclaimed after a moment, "Let's get going." Ishiro led the way as they began to head up the cliff.
The cliff wasn't actually that steep. The terrain was full of rocky protrusions that made it much easier to climb and they made good time, even with the weight on their backs. However, there was a great deal of lose rock, making the trip somewhat hazardous. But they managed to make their way up the cliff without mishap.
At the top, the rock wall leveled out into a massive dirt ledge. The ground was mostly flat, but about ten yards from where Ishiro and company reached the top, it dipped down in a sudden depression. The depression was of an ovoid shape that vaguely resembled an egg. It reached another sheer cliff wall, where it extended into the rock of the cliff itself. Ishiro walked up to the edge of the depression and crouched down to look into it. "So this is where Mothra's egg was found," he whispered. The other two barely heard him.
"If this is where Mothra hatched, where's the shell?" Asuka wanted to know.
"The egg hatched out at sea," replied Ishiro, "This is where it was initially found. A deal was made with the corporation that owned this island to haul the egg back to Japan. Midway, it hatched and the larval Mothra escaped."
"We are glad you made it."
Ishiro yelped and nearly fell over forward into the egg's former resting place as the twin voices rang out in unison. Misato dropped her backpack and went for her gun out of instinct. Asuka just jumped three feet into the air.
After recovering from the shock, Ishiro whirled in the direction of the two voices. "A little warning would be convenient!" he yelled at the Cosmos as they emerged from behind a cluster of flowers.
"We are sorry," they both replied.
Ishiro wiped sweat from his forehead. "Well," he said, "Now that that's out of the way, did we come to the right place?"
"Almost," said Mona, "But there is still a little further to go. Follow us."
"We will take you to Mothra," said Lora, "She does not have much time left, so we must hurry."
"Let's go!" shouted Asuka.
They followed the Cosmos behind a stand of trees. There, they went into a tunnel. The tunnel itself had the unmistakable signs of being manmade. It was dark inside the tunnel, so they were forced to get out their flashlights. As Ishiro looked around, he spotted something on the wall. Going up to it, he ran his hand over the rough stone, brushing off a rather thick layer of dust to reveal a painting.
This was no primitive caveman painting either. It was done with incredible detail; the image dictated was unmistakably that of Mothra. As Ishiro continued to brush away the grime, more of the image was revealed.
"That's Battra!" Misato pointed out as the second figure was revealed.
"This painting must dictate the battle that took place between the two of them so long ago," mused Ishiro, "The battle that preceded the coming of man and brought about the end of an advanced civilization."
"That is correct," agreed Lora.
"This is the battle that occurred between Mothra and Battra many millennia ago to decide the fate of the race that preceded your own," said Mona.
While Misato and Asuka marveled at the image and the story it told, Ishiro wandered deeper into the cave. Farther down, he encountered what he thought might be another mural. Carefully brushing away the even thicker layer of dust, Ishiro was shocked by the image before him.
"This is…" He analyzed the image very closely, concluding what it depicted without a doubt.
"Misato, Asuka, over here," he waved them over to where he stood.
"What is it?" Misato asked.
Ishiro pointed to the image. "This depicts a legend from Shinto mythology."
"Shinto?" Misato raised a confused eyebrow.
Ishiro's eyes widened. He turned to Asuka to see what she thought. He was taken aback when he saw Asuka giving him a very similar look. Ishiro sighed. "And you call yourself Japanese," he groaned.
"Well," demanded Asuka tapping her foot impatiently on the ground.
"Shinto was the original religion of Japan. It has been widely practiced in the country since before the days of its birth as a religion all the way up until Second Impact. It might very well be one of the longest living religions in the world. It predates Christianity by several thousand years." Ishiro sighed again.
"Anyway," interrupted Misato, "You said this image is from Shinto mythology, what is it?"
The mural depicted a humanoid figure doing battle with a colossal eight-headed dragon. "This is the story of Orochi, the eight-headed dragon that was slain by the storm god Susanoo. According to legend, Susanoo found a magnificent sword in the dead serpent's body. He gave that sword to his sister, Amaterasu, the sun goddess, who eventually gave it to her descendant, the first emperor of Japan, along with the two other pieces of the Imperial Regalia."
"Now those I remember," said Misato.
"Good," snapped Ishiro, "At least I won't have to explain that too." He leaned in to examine the drawing more closely. "There's something strange about this portrayal of Susanoo. There's something familiar about him that I can't quite place."
"Come," said Mona quietly, interrupting Ishiro's reverie, "Mothra awaits." Lora nodded in agreement.
"Alright then," said Asuka, more than a little nervously, "Let's go meet Mothra."
The tunnel went on for a long time. Or at least it seemed a long time. The three visitors to Infant Island were too enthralled by the wonders of the cavernous passage that they didn't bother to check any of the many time-keeping instruments they had brought with them. No more paintings were visible on the cave walls. But their place was taken by spectacular cave formations formed by the slow passage of water through the stone of this ancient labyrinth.
After a considerable amount of time walking, the travelers came to what seemed to be some kind of doorway. It seemed the right size for an average human being. The Cosmos led the way in. Past the doorway, the tunnel opened up into a massive circular room. The cavern curved upward and would have formed a dome had the top not been open the sky. Stars gleamed down through the opening, indicating that the group had been on the move for quite some time.
But what really drew their attention, was the creature at its center. Mothra was a creature of tremendous size, with a wingspan easily matching that of Battra. And yet, there was a certain delicate aspect to Mothra that belied her size. The kaiju's body was covered in a light fuzz of various colors. Her wings were a mosaic of equally brilliant hues. Two, sky blue eyes, having the appearance of well cut sapphires, shone from Mothra's head like azure beacons. Beneath those eyes, a pair of black mandibles opened and released a piercing keen.
Asuka felt her teeth rattling at the sound. Being this close to the actual monster made her realize just how powerful and beautiful Mothra really was. The projections Mothra had sent to Asuka through her dreams paled in comparison to the real thing.
Mothra keened a second time. This time, Asuka heard the words in her head as if Mothra were speaking perfect German. "Greetings my dear child."
Asuka, not able to think of anything else to do, bowed slightly. The gigantic moth's eyes twinkled, with what Asuka thought to be laughter. She heard it even more plainly when the creature spoke again.
"You have many questions for me," observed Mothra.
"Yes," agreed Asuka.
Mothra's massive head tilted downward and up again, urging Asuka to go on.
"This power you gave me," said Asuka, "What does it do? How does it work? What am I supposed to do with it?" Her voice grew slightly more frantic with each question. Ishiro and Misato loitered off to one side, completely forgotten. Mona and Lora had disappeared completely.
"You are confused about this power I gave you," chirped Mothra calmly, "I cannot tell you in complete certainty what it does, or how it works. It is different for each person. I first gave my power to another a long time ago. It occurred not long after my battle with Battra. I was weak from my wounds and the strength I had expended in the fight. So I gave my power to another of the Earth's creations and she became the mother of a new people."
"What people?" Asuka wanted to know.
"You."
A gasp escaped Asuka's lips. "You mean that you were the one who gave Lilith the power to create humanity."
"Since Battra had destroyed the ones who came before, she decided to begin anew. Earth's daughter wanted to give sentient life a second chance and thus allowed humanity to be born from her blood."
"So what does this have to do with my power?" Asuka wanted to know.
"Nothing," replied Mothra, "And everything," she added cryptically.
"What do you mean by that?" Asuka demanded.
"Lilith is but one example of how the power I gave you can be used," answered Mothra, "She has nothing to do with you because she was something completely different. And yet she has everything to do with you because you too can do incredible things with your power. But what those things are depend on what you choose to do with that power. How you use it, how you tap it are things that you will have to discover over time."
"Thanks a lot," growled Asuka under her breath.
"I am sorry my beloved child. You came such a great distance for answers that I cannot give. All that I can tell you is that your power is tied to your heart. And I don't mean that silly muscle that beats in your chest. Your heart, the center of your being will ultimately dictate how your power is controlled and what it does. Follow that and you will find your answers."
Asuka nodded silently. Then she turned to go.
Mothra's eyes dimmed. "I have very little time left," she said as Asuka left, "You, the one named Ishiro, step forward."
Ishiro came forward and stood before Mothra. "What is it you wish great one?" he asked softly.
"I knew your mother," said Mothra "She was very important to the survival of this world. I understand that you lost your powers because you overused them when you were dominated by the evil spirit of King Ghidorah."
Ishiro nodded. "King Ghidorah managed to take control of me because I got overconfident and tried to pit myself against something I don't understand."
"What little life I have left, I can use to restore your power. I know it is very important to you."
"But great one," protested Ishiro, "I can't take away the rest of your life."
"I can do no further good by hanging on to what little life I still have," replied Mothra, "Ultimately, I will simply whither away and that life will be wasted. You are a chance for me to do one last good deed before I begin the process of my rebirth. Please take my life."
Ishiro sighed. "If that is what you truly wish…"
"Thank you," whispered Mothra.
Mothra's blue eyes flared, sending streams of azure light to wrap around Ishiro. For a moment, the young man seemed to be trapped within a whirlwind of cerulean light. Then the streams poured into him, filling Ishiro up so that he began to glow as well. When the light faded, Mothra lay motionless, the light in her eyes completely gone.
Ishiro closed his eyes and bowed deeply to the lifeless kaiju. As he did so, the extreme edges of Mothra's body glowed a deep gold color and she began to disintegrate right before the humans' watching eyes. Mothra dissolved into a million dancing motes of light that began to collect in the center of the cavern and faded away to reveal a gigantic egg.
"And so it ends," observed Ishiro, "And begins again."
Their business having been concluded, there was nothing left to do but leave.
The boat ride back was a subdued one. Asuka was silent, contemplating what Mothra had told her, and what she hadn't. Ishiro had locked himself in his room and hadn't come out since they returned to the ship. Misato spent most of her time lounging around and doing what she did best, drinking.
After a full day in his cabin, Ishiro stepped out and sat down wearily on one of the couches in the lounge. He was tired and feeling a little sick from all the rocking. It was making it difficult for him to concentrate.
"What's up?" asked Misato.
"Oh, just checking up on current events," replied Ishiro, "I can see and hear practically anything, anywhere."
"Don't overuse your sixth sense again," remarked Misato smugly.
"I don't consider it a sixth sense," replied Ishiro, "Rather an extension of the previous five."
"Oh," said Misato, raising an eyebrow, "Find out anything interesting."
"I can't even get my mind out of my body," moaned Ishiro, "All this rocking is making it impossible to concentrate."
"Maybe you just need a change of scenery," suggested Misato, "Outside might work better."
"It's worth a shot," mused Ishiro. He stepped out. A second later, Asuka stepped in.
"Still trying to puzzle out what Mothra said to you?" asked Misato.
"No," sighed Asuka, sinking into the same place where Ishiro had recently been sitting, "I gave up. I'll just have to wait and see what happens. This search my heart stuff that Mothra suggested isn't helping at all."
"We apologize that this pilgrimage wasn't as much help as you hoped," said the Cosmos, who seemingly came from nowhere, causing Misato to jump into the air with a yelp before downing another beer to calm herself down.
"That's worth a lot," grumbled Asuka.
The door was nearly yanked off its hinges as Ishiro barged into the room. "Okay," he huffed, "I know that saying we have to hustle is an understatement, but now we really need to get back to Tokyo 3."
"Why the urgency?" asked Misato calmly, "I take it your powers must have worked all of a sudden."
"This isn't really time for that Misato," hissed Ishiro, "I just happened to drop in on SEELE, just as they were finalizing their plans for a major assault on NERV."
"Please say you're kidding," yelped Misato.
"I'm afraid I'm not," replied Ishiro, "I know everything except the how."
"Why weren't you able to get their attack plan?" Asuka wanted to know, "I thought you could psychically eavesdrop on their conversations without any problem."
"I used to be able to," replied Ishiro, "But at the very moment I would have learned what their plan was exactly, it was like somebody drew a black curtain between me and them."
"You've overused your powers already!" exclaimed Misato.
"That's not it," protested Ishiro, "Somebody or something deliberately cut me off from my contact. There's something about this whole event that even SEELE isn't aware of. There's someone else at work here."
"Coming from either of the Commanders," grumbled Misato, "That would be something I'm used to. But coming from you, that sounds even worse than your news about the attack itself."
She hauled herself to her feet. "Well," she said, "I'll talk to the captain and see if he can get this thing moving any faster. We'll have to really make tracks."
"We have to hurry," whispered Ishiro to himself, "This is worse than even I know."
The pieces are all in place. The game has already begun. The fools play with their pawns, not even realizing that they are pawns themselves. They try to pit themselves against me, even though I am playing both sides of the board. When the two divided are reunited, the fall of mankind will begin in earnest.
Author's Note: Deciding whether or not to kill Kensuke was the biggest decision I made and the one that stalled me the most when it came to writing this story. It didn't help that my sister, who doubles as my rather cynical proof-reader was practically begging me to kill someone off (makes you worry doesn't it?). Anyway, I hope no one really hates me for the fact that I killed Kensuke (okay, it was King Ghidorah, but we all know that the author is the one who's really responsible). And finally, I would like to warn that any Evangelion purists who might be reading this story, though most of you probably dropped this thing like a hot rock in the second chapter, that you should probably back out know, because I'm about to take the whole story behind the Angels and turn it upside down, inside out and just about any other way you can think of. I think I've thrown in a twist that even the most dedicated Godzilla/Eva fans will be hard pressed to figure out. But please do try.