-2016, TIME UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN PLACE-
Shinji Ikari opened his eyes, and the world was once more.
It took him a few minutes to realize he was awake, or at least aware, although he wasn't sure if he was dead or not. He was laying down, somewhere-- his hands, at his sides, moved, and raked coarse gritty sand betweens his fingers. An ululating roar from all around turned out to be the oacean, its waves breaking and lapping against the shore. He saw a field of purple sky, fading to a deep blood color around the horizons, like a horrific welt in the sky.
Whether it was dusk or dawn, Shinji neither cared nor knew.
Slowly, gingerly, he turned his head to the left.
Asuka Soryuu Langley stared at him, her face blank and expressionless, the left eye hidden by a gauze bandage that looked like it had been cleaned recently.
"Ikari," she said, her voice escaping from her cracked bloodless lips like a breeze sighing through a tree.
Shinji sat up, carefully, in case anything was broken, and was more than a little relieved and curious when nothing was.
He looked to the left and only saw an endless stretch of beach, the sand glistening like salt crystals in the scarce light. Rising out of the orange-tinged ocean like a lost scarecrow stood silhouetted monolithic figures, arms stretched out from its sides in a posture of mock penitance. It took Shinji a moment to realize they were the white Mass-Production Evangelions, but nothing fazed him anymore.
Is this all a dream? he heard, but wasn't sure if that was his own voice, or Asuka's, laying beside him.
He looked at her, and under her bandages, he saw his own blank expression reflected back at him. Her right arm was bound together in a sling, he just noticed, and her red hair fanned out on the sand like a scarlet halo.
It reminded him exactly how Ayanami looked, the first time he met her. She had fallen off her gurney as the Third Angel's attack shook the GeoFront, and she lay splayed on the Evangelion holding docks like a discarded doll.
Ayanami.
The name came unbidden, and he blinked, almost reeling backwards.
He didn't remember if the vision was real or a hallucination, but an image slowly emerged in his mind-- a giant Rei Ayanami, her bare albino's skin unblemished and glowing like fresh-laden snow. He was in the Evangelion-- or was he?-- floating in midair, and Ayanami was reaching out for him. When he looked at her again, her face was gaunt, her cheeks hollowed out, and her pupils oily impenetrable black orbs, in that horrific, beautiful face.
Ayanami. What are you?
Shinji wrapped his hands around Asuka's neck, and began squeezing. Tiny noises escaped from her, and he squeezed harder, wanting to hear her whimper, or scream, or beg for an end, one way or another.
His mouth twisted into a snarling, silent rictus.
"Shi...inji," she managed to say.
His eyes snapped wide open, as he realized what he was doing-- either that, or he realized that it wasn't Ayanami he was hurting.
He collapsed over her still form, but he did not remove his fingers from her neck. His hair cast shadows over her eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his cheek barely touching hers.
She said nothing in return, but only continued to stare skywards, not seeing him. Two shooting stars traced brilliant trails across the gangrene heavens, appearing and disappearing like a weak sodium flare.
"I hate myself," he said, to no one in particular.
Shinji Ikari opened his eyes, and the world was once more.
It took him a few minutes to realize he was awake, or at least aware, although he wasn't sure if he was dead or not. He was laying down, somewhere-- his hands, at his sides, moved, and raked coarse gritty sand betweens his fingers. An ululating roar from all around turned out to be the oacean, its waves breaking and lapping against the shore. He saw a field of purple sky, fading to a deep blood color around the horizons, like a horrific welt in the sky.
Whether it was dusk or dawn, Shinji neither cared nor knew.
Slowly, gingerly, he turned his head to the left.
Asuka Soryuu Langley stared at him, her face blank and expressionless, the left eye hidden by a gauze bandage that looked like it had been cleaned recently.
"Ikari," she said, her voice escaping from her cracked bloodless lips like a breeze sighing through a tree.
Shinji sat up, carefully, in case anything was broken, and was more than a little relieved and curious when nothing was.
He looked to the left and only saw an endless stretch of beach, the sand glistening like salt crystals in the scarce light. Rising out of the orange-tinged ocean like a lost scarecrow stood silhouetted monolithic figures, arms stretched out from its sides in a posture of mock penitance. It took Shinji a moment to realize they were the white Mass-Production Evangelions, but nothing fazed him anymore.
Is this all a dream? he heard, but wasn't sure if that was his own voice, or Asuka's, laying beside him.
He looked at her, and under her bandages, he saw his own blank expression reflected back at him. Her right arm was bound together in a sling, he just noticed, and her red hair fanned out on the sand like a scarlet halo.
It reminded him exactly how Ayanami looked, the first time he met her. She had fallen off her gurney as the Third Angel's attack shook the GeoFront, and she lay splayed on the Evangelion holding docks like a discarded doll.
Ayanami.
The name came unbidden, and he blinked, almost reeling backwards.
He didn't remember if the vision was real or a hallucination, but an image slowly emerged in his mind-- a giant Rei Ayanami, her bare albino's skin unblemished and glowing like fresh-laden snow. He was in the Evangelion-- or was he?-- floating in midair, and Ayanami was reaching out for him. When he looked at her again, her face was gaunt, her cheeks hollowed out, and her pupils oily impenetrable black orbs, in that horrific, beautiful face.
Ayanami. What are you?
Shinji wrapped his hands around Asuka's neck, and began squeezing. Tiny noises escaped from her, and he squeezed harder, wanting to hear her whimper, or scream, or beg for an end, one way or another.
His mouth twisted into a snarling, silent rictus.
"Shi...inji," she managed to say.
His eyes snapped wide open, as he realized what he was doing-- either that, or he realized that it wasn't Ayanami he was hurting.
He collapsed over her still form, but he did not remove his fingers from her neck. His hair cast shadows over her eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his cheek barely touching hers.
She said nothing in return, but only continued to stare skywards, not seeing him. Two shooting stars traced brilliant trails across the gangrene heavens, appearing and disappearing like a weak sodium flare.
"I hate myself," he said, to no one in particular.
