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Lycanthrope 2: The Prophecy
Chapter Twenty-One: A Real Ikari
Shinji looked around the room he was in and frowned. "Where the hell am I?"
"NERV."
"I see," Shinji said as he glanced at the woman standing beside his bed. "Are you okay Asuka?"
"No," the red haired woman said. "Are you?"
"No." Shinji sat up and groaned in pain. "What the hell?"
"You were shot," Asuka said.
"I've been shot before. This hurts more."
"It was silver."
"Oh," Shinji said simply. "Of course it is." He swung his legs out of the hospital bed and stood up.
"Ritsuko said you shouldn't move," Asuka said. Shinji ignored her and looked around for some clothes that were more appropriate then a hospital gown. "Over there." Shinji nodded gratefully and quickly pulled on the blue jeans and T-shirt that had been set aside for him. "Your leather jacket got destroyed." Shinji shrugged and sat down so he could pull on his old combat boots. "Your hardballer was destroyed too."
"They can be replaced," Shinji said simply. "How are Jen and Mana?"
"They're as good as can be expected," Asuka said.
"How long have I been out?"
"A week," Asuka said. She hesitated slightly before continuing. "Bob and the vampires decided to go ahead with the attack."
"What happened?" Shinji asked.
"The vampire entry team was decimated," Asuka said. "Craven crawled out of there minus both his legs below the knee."
"What about Rei, Touji, and Aggie?" Shinji asked.
"They're fine," Asuka said. "Do. . .do you want to talk or something?"
"Not right now," Shinji said. "I have somewhere I need to go and someone I need to see."
"Need some company?" Asuka said.
"You can come if you want."
(:ii:)
Asuka looked around the tiny bar and then back at her sire. "What are we doing here?"
"Looking for her," Shinji said. "There she is." Asuka turned and saw a young woman with red highlighted black hair.
"Lucifer?"
"Of course," Shinji said. He stepped past Asuka and walked towards the small table that the fallen angel occupied. Asuka quickly caught up with him.
"I've been expecting you," Lu said.
"Sorry if I kept you waiting," Shinji said as he sat down. "You know why I'm here."
"Of course I do," Lu said. "You're here to try and make a deal to get Yuki back." Shinji nodded. "There are problems with that."
"Such as."
"I deal in souls," Lu said. "You don't have one is problem number one."
"I do," Asuka said instantly.
"No," Shinji said flatly.
"But. . ."
"I said no," Shinji said, his voice dropping several octaves. "There will be no argument." Asuka almost shrank back. "I will not trade you for her."
"Okay," Asuka said.
"I do trade in favors as well," Lu said. "You're doing a big one right now. If you can finish the job than you'll have a marker you can call in."
"Done," Shinji said. "What else?"
"I do have Yuki's soul, but her body is already corrupted," Lu explained. "I can't create a new one. You'll need a soulless proxy of some kind."
"Where can we find a body that doesn't have a soul?" Asuka asked. "Shinji?"
"Of course I know where one is," Shinji said. "So we have a deal? I finish off SEELE and get a body and you'll bring Yuki back."
"It's a deal," Lu said, holding out her hand.
"Deals with the devil?" Asuka asked.
"You do what you have to," Shinji said as he shook the woman's hand. "You go back on this and I'll rip your throat out."
"The devil always pays her dues," Lu said. "You take care of your end and I'll take care of mine."
(:ii:)
"What do you mean he just walked out?" Mana winced and glanced at the woman standing next to her. Jen looked absolutely livid.
"There was nothing we could do," the nurse said. He looked like he was about ten seconds away from pissing himself.
"Calm down Jen," Mana said. "We'll find Shinji first and kill this bastard later." Jen glanced at her and took a deep breath. "We know that Asuka is with him, so he won't do anything stupid."
"Asuka is with him," Jen stressed. "She'll encourage him."
"Oh shit. We have to find them."
"That's what I've been saying!" Jen exclaimed as she pushed the door leading from the hospital wing back into the Geo-Front open. Mana quickly followed after her.
"There's Asuka. Asuka!" Mana watched as the red-haired lycan turned to look at them. "Where's Shinji?"
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked as they caught up to her.
"Where is Shinji?" Jen asked. "We know he left the hospital wing with you."
"I'm right here." Mana whipped around and stared at the man she hadn't even noticed before.
"Shinji?"
"Who else would I be?" the man asked. He kind of looked like Shinji if Shinji had shaved and gotten his hair cut short and spiked up with gel. Mana watched as he pulled off his mirrored sunglasses and stared at them with mismatched eyes. "Something wrong with you two?"
"You get in a fight with a lawn mower or something?" Mana said, lamely trying to cover her shock.
"Cute," Shinji said simply. He turned, the tail of his long black trench coat sweeping out behind him.
"And where are you going?" Mana demanded, following after him.
"I'm going to threaten Commander Katsuragi's life," Shinji said simply. "You want to help?"
"Technically, I still work for her," Jen said.
"You want me to ask her for a raise for you or something?" Shinji asked.
"That would be nice." Mana fell into step next to Asuka.
"How's he taking it?" she whispered.
"We might be able to get her back," Asuka said. "Just don't get in his way."
"Yeah."
(:ii:)
Misato winced as the door to her office nearly exploded off its hinges. "Shinji?"
"Oh God," Ritsuko whimpered.
"We need to talk," Shinji said simply.
"Alright," Misato said. "I've been taking care of Fleas for you by the way."
"Thanks," Shinji said as he moved to stand in front of her desk. "Rei is a clone."
"Yes," Misato said. "Almost everyone knows that already Shinji."
"When she died before you were able to replace her," Shinji said. "That means that you have soulless bodies somewhere in this God forsaken place, correct?"
"We did," Misato said.
"Did?"
"A few months after you left we were ordered to turn over everything pertaining to Ikari's attempted Third Impact," Misato explained. "The spare parts were part of the package."
"Where are they now?" Shinji demanded.
"That's unknown," Misato said. "That's the official word anyway. The truth is that SEELE undoubtedly has them. Even with Ikari gone those bastards have a lot of say in what the UN does."
"Damn it," Shinji spat. He took several deep breaths to calm himself. "I take it you heard what happened to the vampires trying to take care of Keel, right?"
"I heard," Misato said. "Keel could be anywhere in the world by now."
"Jake can find him," Shinji said simply.
"Well of course you have my permission to order him around," Misato said.
"Thanks," Shinji said as he turned.
"Shinji?" Misato called. The man paused as the door and looked back at her. "I'm really sorry. . .about Yuki."
"You should feel sorry for Keel."
(:ii:)
"I'm serious," Jen said. "He's so different that its like he isn't the person he was."
"His mate died," Mana said. "For lycans mating is a once in a lifetime life long thing. They have one mate for their entire existence."
"They do?"
"I'll explain it later," Asuka said. "I think he knew what was going to happen."
"It's possible," Mana said. "Species like yours and mine can sense things like that."
"But why wouldn't they had told us about it?" Jen demanded.
"They probably didn't want us to get hurt or something," Mana said.
"That's right," a new voice said. Jen whipped around and stared at her sire. "We thought that you would have gotten in the way if you knew. Best to keep casualties at a minimum."
"Do us a favor and stop trying to protect us," Asuka growled. "You had no right to keep this from me."
"As your sire I did and still do," Shinji said coldly. "There are no 'rights' between you and me, understand?" Jen glanced at Asuka and saw that the redhead was staring at Shinji in complete shock. "Understand?"
"Yes," Asuka managed.
"Good." Shinji sighed. "It's for your own good. . .all of you."
"I'm not one of yours," Mana growled, "but I do respect your wish for privacy."
"Thank you," Shinji said simply. "I'm going to attack SEELE. Are you three in?"
"Of course," Asuka said quickly. "At least I am."
"Like we would say no," Jen added.
(:ii:)
"Nice piece." Jake jumped in surprised and cursed at the guide spring of his latest hardballer flew through the air. The intruder in his office caught it was a speed no human could manage.
"Don't do that Shinji."
"I need you to find Keel," Shinji said as he set the spring on Jake's desk. "I already have permission from Misato."
"It may take some time," Jake said. "After the failed assault last time I know Keel is going to be damn near impossible to find."
"You can do it," Shinji said.
"Probably," Jake said. "I heard you managed to get your hardballer destroyed."
"Yeah," Shinji said, holding up his right hand and carefully peeling his black leather glove off. "Took a good part of my flesh with it."
"Ouch," Jake commented as he stared at Shinji's badly injured hand. "How long before the muscle starts to grow back?"
"A week," Shinji guessed, "maybe three. Probably shorter though. I heal fast, even for my species."
"Give me a week and I can have a new weapon ready to go," Jake said.
"I have a gun." Shinji reached under his jacket and pulled out a truly massive silver revolver.
"Holy shit," Jake said. "What is that, a .454?"
"Yeah," Shinji said. "Took it from someone who tried to kill me in Spain."
"Alright," Jake said. "I'll give you a call when I find the information you need."
"Thanks."
(:ii:)
"Shinji?" Bob knocked on the door in front of him and waited again. "Shinji!"
"What?" Bob jumped in surprise and turned to stare at the man who had spoken.
"There you are."
"Here I am," Shinji said simply as he punched a few numbers into the keypad and stepped into the NERV officer's quarters. "Come in." Bob stepped into the room and sat down in one of the chairs. "How's Craven?"
"It's not the first time he's lost a limb," Bob said. "He's taken to the temporary prosthetics like a fish to water."
"Good," Shinji said.
"I heard what happened here," Bob said. Shinji was silent. "How are the others taking it?"
"As well as possible," Shinji said simply.
"No offence," Bob began, "but you seem quite calm."
"I have to be," Shinji said. "It'd be poor for morale if I freaked out."
"I see," Bob said. He watched as Shinji spread his weapons across the bed and began to examine them. "You're going ahead with the attack."
"I have to," Shinji said. "I have a deal to hold up."
"Deal?" Bob repeated.
"With the devil," Shinji said.
"You're trying to bring Yuki back, aren't you?" Bob asked. "Shinji that is just stupid."
"She wanted to live," Shinji said simply. "She'll live. I'll make sure of it."
(:ii:)
"So he ignored you too?" Asuka asked as she watched as her grand sire walked out of Shinji's quarters.
"No," Bob said. "He answered all my questions. . ."
"But you got the feeling that he was a hundred miles away," Asuka said. Bob nodded. "Stand back," Asuka said. She had a plan. She punched in the number and stepped into Shinji's room. She couldn't tell if he even looked up because of his sunglasses. "Shinji?"
"Yes?"
"You're acting like your father." Asuka steeled herself for the inevitable explosion he would direct at her. It didn't come.
"I suppose so," Shinji said simply. "I never really understood my old man until now. Funny, isn't it?" Asuka stared at him as he ran a cloth through the chambers of one of his revolvers.
"Uh. . .yeah," she managed. "Don't forget to eat sooner or later."
"I won't," Shinji assured her. "Good night." Asuka turned and walked out of the room.
"Well?" Bob asked.
"My head hurts."
-End
(:ii:)
-Author's notes. Starting towards the climax now. I believe there are only one or two more chapters left. I'll try to make them good for you guys and gals.
