Asuka's POV:
Since when had sleeping become so tedious? I tried to keep my eyes closed, and all I could see was a pitch black. I was afraid, scared of what hid in the darkness. Dreams…nightmares…despair…haunts from the past. Mistakes came back. Why…I had fallen…I saw her face, and then his, and then my own. I felt ashamed of it. I wanted them to stop, but when I forced my eyes open, I couldn't even see the difference, because the room looked so dark…as if it was consuming everything.
My friends were all gone. One by one, they were driven away by the Angels. I wondered if there was any point staying in this ruined city any longer. I wouldn't know; I didn't want to think about it. Every broken piece, every piece of rubble, every burnt concrete, and the large lake born from her ashes reminded me of my failure…my failure to protect and save…
Hikari had left. She was my best friend. Would I ever see her again? I wouldn't know. She left because I couldn't do what I did best. I thought I could pilot Eva…and I thought I was the best…but then I couldn't move it. What was the difference between those normal human beings and me if I couldn't even make it walk? No…I couldn't…and in the end, I just stood there and watched her die. One of the reasons I stopped wearing the neural clips…I just couldn't see the point wearing it anymore.
She saved me before, but I couldn't return the favour. Proof that I was useless…
And what would Shinji think of me now? I wouldn't know. I never asked. He hid in his room, and I hid in mine. Was he blaming me? At least he managed to move his Eva. Misato was away all the time, and when she was home, it was Shinji whom she went to, not me, never me. Then again, perhaps she did nothing wrong. Rei meant to Shinji more than she meant to me. I guess Rei's death would hit him harder than it did to me, so I couldn't blame Misato.
I shed no tears, for I couldn't find a good reason to cry. Should I cry for myself? For Rei? Or even for Shinji? There was pain, sorrow, regrets…but I didn't cry.
I tried to feel around, and my hand caught his. I could still hear him breathing. It was the only sound apart from the water droplets hitting the ground from the ceiling.
I didn't know who to turn to anymore, and out of despair, I came back here. As always, he was understanding and I felt that I had nothing to hide from him. He seemed to be glowing with light, but then again it could be just my imagination. He said he was the Fifth Child, but strange that he never went to NERV. Perhaps it was better this way. Kaworu said he didn't care whether he pilot or not, because in his opinion, Eva was a weapon. And weapon brought nothing but destruction. In a way, it made me feel less useless than I probably was.
Rei was dead. Shinji was broken. Misato didn't care. Hikari had left. There was no purpose in staying here any longer. I should just leave the city and find a life somewhere else. Perhaps…perhaps he would come with me? I wouldn't know, wouldn't dare make a guess either. Every part of my body felt spent and exhausted, but I stood up and walked out of the small room into the night. I glanced at my watch. It read three o'clock in the morning.
The wind felt cold, but I hastened my pace. I needed to get back to Misato's apartment, pack my belongings, and then hopefully I could leave before getting caught. There was no car at this hour, making the streets seem even quieter, making me feel even lonelier. It didn't matter. Why should I care? I wouldn't come back here ever again once I left.
Soon after, I arrived at her apartment. The walk didn't feel very long, but I was surprised to see that I wasn't alone in the corridor. Three familiar technicians stood there just in front of the door, with one of them pressing the doorbell repetitively. I didn't want to meet them, didn't want them to see me. They reminded me of NERV, something I was hoping that I would forget. So I decided that I would let them finish their business first and come back later.
I turned to leave, but before I could do so, Maya spotted me.
"Asuka? Asuka is that you?"
I ignored her, hoping that she would do the same for me too. I started walking down the stairs before I heard someone chasing after me.
"Asuka! Where're you going? Come back here!" It was Makoto.
"Just leave me alone!" I yelled back, trying to escape but he caught my wrist before I could run any further. It must be the sleep deprivation and fatigue, or else I wouldn't have been caught so easily.
"Come on, let's go back to the apartment." He said, trying to sound concerned. I tried to wriggle my way out but his grips on my wrists were too tight.
I hated it. I hated it when people pretended to care. I hated it even more when people acted as if they understood. Their words were faked, and so were their actions. They only did them to trick others into believing that they were kind people; people who were only trying to help. I hated it, and I wasn't fooled.
"Let me go you asshole!!" I shouted again, still struggling.
"Misato's been really worried you know?!"
"What?" I asked, stunned and finding it hard to believe what he said.
"Come on, let's go back to the apartment." He said again. I stood still; my legs wouldn't let me move, for when I looked up, I saw Misato standing there towering over me. Kaji stood beside her. The other two technicians had caught up with me as well.
"Asuka, where've you been?" Misato asked. As if she cared…I didn't blame her. I didn't hate her either. I only hated myself. I hated the fact that everyone was now staring at me. Maya, Shigeru, Makoto, Kaji, Misato, Shinji, Rei…all staring at me. Why were they all staring at me?!
Wait…Rei? I looked more carefully. It was night time, but the corridors were brightly lit. It couldn't be a mistake. That girl standing there was indeed the Rei I thought was dead!
"R-Rei?" I found myself speaking out loud before realising it. How was it possible that she still lived? Her clones were all destroyed. Did she survive the explosion? Impossible…
"Ah…what a happy reunion!" Kaji tried to sound humorous, but I wasn't paying much attention to him. My eyes were still glued to Rei, who now had her hand held together with Shinji's.
"She's alive Asuka," Shinji smiled, "you don't have to worry anymore."
It was then I noticed that Makoto was no longer holding me. Slowly, I walked forward to Rei. The white light made her skin seem even paler and her eyes even redder, and when I stopped just in front of her, I could hear her breathing. My own heart started to beat faster. The feeling was almost identical to the one I felt during the night when Shinji and I went to NERV to stop her from committing suicide. Just as slowly, I let my trembling hand reach forward and touched her face.
It was solid. Rei was alive…A surge of emotion flooded deep inside me. Relief…joy…surprise…the heavy stone inside my chest was finally dropped. These two days had felt like eternity, but in the end, her being alive seemed to make it all worthwhile. I felt the urge to just embrace her in a tight hug, but stopped when Shinji spoke.
"You can stop blaming yourself too."
"Hmph! Whoever said I was blaming myself?" I tried to sound ignorant, but it didn't seem to have worked.
"Weren't you feeling bad?" The idiot asked. The smiles on Misato and Kaji's face made it even more embarrassing. To be honest, I wanted to smile too, to be happy, just like the people around me, but I couldn't. My mind kept reminding me of that moment when I failed to move my Eva. It just kept reminding me…
"No I wasn't! Why would I??"
"You were not sad?" Rei asked. She sounded a bit downhearted. I didn't want to openly admit it; I didn't want to show my weakness. I didn't want them to know that I actually missed her, but knowing Rei, she probably wouldn't understand what I was trying to do. The girl couldn't think properly. She would just take my words literally. So I tried my best to give a warm reply.
"Well, just a little bit." She smiled. So did Shinji…and everyone else…"Well, care to explain how you managed to stay alive?"
"Let's go back to the apartment first, shall we?" Kaji added in, "everyone looks tired and it's a little chilly out here." I didn't miss the glance he shot at the three NERV technicians.
"Ok, let's go back," Misato said and led us to the apartment. I tried to stay close to Shinji and Rei. Somehow, the adults made me feel out of place.
Once we arrived in the living room, Misato collapsed onto a sofa. Apparently, she hadn't changed her laid back attitude at all, although she was all gloomy just days ago. I guess Rei being alive kind of lifted the mood. Kaji sat down beside her. I didn't complain. They didn't bother me as much anymore. Maya, Shigeru and Makoto took their seats opposite the two lovebirds, and by that I meant the two older lovebirds. The younger ones were sitting on my flanks. It was then I realised that I didn't feel like leaving the city anymore. My original intention of coming back here had evaporated…Rei and Shinji were fine, so I guess it wasn't so bad after all.
For some reasons, everyone was acting strange tonight. Makoto was giving Misato eye signals; Maya was playing with her own shirt; and Shigeru kept staring at Rei. Tension seemed to be growing.
"Well, is there anything you want to talk about?" Misato asked, finally breaking the silence.
Makoto's reply was more eye signals. Maybe he didn't want us kids to hear what he was going to say? Damn adults…maybe I should just leave them to their business.
"It's all right. Kaji's on our side." Misato said finally, to which Makoto let out a sigh of relief. Shinji and Rei just kept quiet, because it was their nature. I kept quiet because I had no idea what was going on.
"Are you sure we can trust him?" Makoto asked.
"He's the one who gave me the clues, which prompted our investigation." Misato replied, "I assure you that we can trust him."
"All right then, I've got some documents here you might be interested," Makoto said as he handled a pile of papers to Misato, "It's something to do with SEELE."
At the mention of SEELE, Kaji's face lit up. Misato flipped through the pages, carefully inspecting them. Her eyes were getting bigger and she seemed very pleased.
"Where did you get this?"
"The commander's office…last night, when some prisoners broke out," he directed his gaze to Kaji, and then to Rei and Shinji before continuing, "The headquarters was in chaos, we heard some gunfights too, and thought there wouldn't be a better opportunity."
"Well done Makoto!!" Misato nearly shouted. She looked very excited. I had no idea what was happening, but I remained patient.
"Well, it was not easy getting into his lair. Luckily, Maya was able to crack the security code."
Maya was now blushing quite heavily, "Ah…I-It was nothing…hehe…"
"It wasn't just us three. Many others want to help after we showed them…the evidence we collected from her apartment," Shigeru said as he glanced at Rei, "Some of them were giving false directions to the guards last night after they heard of the outbreak."
"Those monitoring the security camera did their part," Makoto added quickly, "too bad we still couldn't keep all the guards away from you."
"I see…so that's why it was so easy…" Kaji smiled, "Thanks guys."
"Once their suspicions were confirmed, everyone wants to help in any way possible. A lot of them have already resigned, I heard that even section-two is now lacking in personnel." Maya added gleefully. I turned to look at Rei. She had a faint blush on her now sweaty face. So now everyone knew about her and Gendo? How did they find out? Did she tell them herself?
"That's it then. Now we have the evidence to thwart both NERV and SEELE, all we need is to contact Interpol, and hopefully put an end to this madness." Misato declared confidently.
"No…those are just papers and documents…we still need one more thing." Kaji said solemnly.
"What?"
"We need a witness, not just any…we need a high rank NERV officer to testify what we have here…or else all we did would be for naught…"
"What about me? I'm the major, surely they'll listen to me?"
"I'm not too sure about that…"
I was quite surprised when Shinji decided to cut in, "I know someone who can help."
"Who?"
"Vice-commander Fuyutsuki."
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Kaji laughed, "He did help us escape after all! Well done Shinji!"
The boy blushed. There seemed to be a small smile on Rei's face too. I still didn't get the whole picture, and admittedly I was getting frustrated. Did so much happen while I was away? I must find out…I didn't want to feel useless again…but before I could speak up, Kaji continued.
"So it's set then. I will take these to the Interpol, and Misato will contact Fuyutsuki," he said and turned towards the technicians, "In the mean time, I'll be counting on you three to unsettle more NERV employees. Convince them to quit, the more the better. Without the resources, they wouldn't be able to recapture Rei."
"Understood, and we'll be counting on you to safely deliver the evidence to your friends."
"All right then, it's time for me to leave," Kaji said as he picked up a bag from the floor next to him. I didn't notice it was there before. He then handed a gun to Shinji. "Here, protect her. Keep your girl to yourself, don't let anyone snatch her away."
Shinji blushed heavily; even Rei had a slight blush. I turned to look at Misato. She was looking energetic and hopeful, but in her eyes I saw pain and worry. It was then I realised how much Kaji meant to her. I wondered if I would ever felt this way. It seemed that everyone had finally found their soul mate, and I was the only one left alone.
"I'll drop you off at the port," Misato said as she stood up, "and then I'll go to NERV and see if I can persuade Fuyutsuki."
"Sounds like a good plan." Kaji replied as we all walked to the main door.
"Would you three like a lift?" Misato asked the three technicians.
"Well…actually…if possible…" Playing with her own shirt again, Maya wasn't able to continue, so Makoto said it for her.
"If possible, we'd like to stay with the children and protect them until you come back."
I wanted to say something, for I had been keeping quiet all this time, but in the end I didn't know what to say. It was more like they wanted to protect Rei. Honestly, I didn't think they would be of much use if the NERV agents came searching for us, but I appreciated their sincerity nonetheless. And the smiling face of Misato told me she felt the same way.
"All right then, if you insist. Help yourself in the kitchen. I'll be back as soon as I can."
And with that, she left together with Kaji. It was time someone gave me a complete story of what happened. Maya and Makoto went to sit on the sofa; Shigeru went into the kitchen. Rei and Shinji were still holding hands. Unable to take it anymore, I pulled them apart and pushed Shinji away. I knew it was mean, but I had to do this.
"Ok, Rei and I need to have a talk," I said to Shinji, "you go serve the guests."
"But-"
"No buts. I'll return her to you once I'm done." Without waiting for him to reply, I grabbed Rei's hand and stormed my way back to my old room.
Once we were inside, I sat her down on my bed and took a chair myself. Her face told me she didn't have a clue of what I wanted. I would've asked Shinji to enlighten me, but I figured he was the sort of person who would leave out a lot of details. The white light from the desk lamp made Rei look almost ghostly. There seemed to be something different about her too, although I couldn't point out exactly what it was. Like Kaworu, she seemed to be glowing.
Listening to Rei's version of the story was just like listening to a dead commentator. Under such circumstances, I wouldn't have complained, but Shinji once told me Rei had a beautiful and lively voice. I guess she only reserved that talent of her for the little idiot. I wasn't very surprised when she finally told me how she had been revived and was now a pure angel. It wasn't much different from a half-angel, so the shock was not there. However, I was pleased and relieved that she didn't need those accursed pills anymore.
The part where they escaped from the prison ought to have been very exciting, but needless to say, Rei's version was pretty boring. I guess it didn't help when she kept darting her red eyes towards the direction of the living room all this while. I knew she wanted to stay close to Shinji, but a few minutes of separation wouldn't do her much harm. She also mentioned something about the Trinity, but try as I may, I couldn't understand what she was talkingabout. I didn't want to miss anything, so I kept pressing for details. The best part came when she finally told me that the reason why I hadn't been able to move my Eva was because Gendo sabotaged it. I knew it all along…I was still the best.
"HA! I knew it! I knew it! No wonder I couldn't move the damn thing!" The world felt bright once again. I was very happy with the revelation. It seemed that there was no reason for me to feel so depressed after all. Yes…things weren't as bad as I had thought. Hours ago I had been bathing in despair and planning to leave this city, and now I was back to my glorious self.
Rei didn't seem fazed by my out burst. "May I leave now? I wish to be with Shinji." She said, standing up.
I didn't want her to go so soon. I guess I wanted someone to share my joy, but I figured she was probably aching to return to Shinji. And I couldn't blame her…not after what they had gone through.
"Yeah yeah off you go, I need some sleep too," I replied and gave her back a slight push towards the door. Rei nodded her head and walked away, but before she left, she stopped, turned around, and put on a warm smile.
"Thank you for being concerned about me, Asuka."
"Whatever, don't get mushy with me now, you hear?"
Rei nodded her head again. "I will see you again later."
I waved my hand in response. She left and closed the door behind her. The room was silent once again, but I was glad about how things had turned out. Curiously enough, the one person that came to mind at this moment was that silver haired boy. He was the one who lent me his hand when I was feeling down. He listened to me, and his replies were always encouraging. He gave me a sense of self-worth when I thought I was useless. I wanted to tell him that everything had miraculously turned out fine…and I wanted to thank him.
But right now, I just wanted to rest. My eyelids were feeling so heavy. I let myself lay down on the bed. Strange…I never knew it was so cosy before…maybe it was just my imagination…or maybe I was simply too tired…Yes…tired…but happy…
Slowly, my body started to feel light. For the first time in days, I was able to close my eyes peacefully. It was all right…I wasn't afraid of the dark anymore. Smiling to myself, I drifted off to sleep.
Hours later, I experienced a rude awakening. Maya shook me violently back to consciousness. It was already noon and the sun was shining brightly from the window. My eyes were still feeling groggy; normally I wouldn't have taken it lightly if someone woke me up in such manners, but there must be a reason why Maya was acting this way.
"Asuka wake up! They're coming," She whispered quietly, "We must go, now…"
"What are you talking about? Who's coming?"
"The section-two agents, Shigeru and Makoto saw them coming when they were looking out for us downstairs…now come on!" She replied and pulled me out of the bed.
I felt revitalised immediately at the mention of section-two agents. They were well-trained special forces, and would do anything to achieve their goals. We left the bedroom and went into the living room. Shinji and Rei were already there, their faces looking worried. The boy had the gun firmly held in his right hand. Makoto and Shigeru were here as well, but they didn't look as if they possessed any weapons.
"Ok, is everyone here?" Makoto took the role of the leader.
Maya started counting; there were six of us altogether. "Yes, all here."
"All right then, let's go," Makoto said, "Is there a backdoor here? They're coming from the front, wouldn't be wise to exit from there."
"There's a stair leading downwards at the back," Shinji replied, his voice shaking, but determined, "It's in the kitchen."
"Ok, everyone to the kitchen now."
We tiptoed to the kitchen, with Makoto leading the way and Shigeru bringing up the back. Once we were there, Makoto opened the door to the backstairs and looked down. His face changed.
"They're coming up this way too. Is there another way out?"
"N-no…there isn't…" Shinji replied, his free hand holding Rei's.
And then the doorbell rang. Makoto walked back to the living room. Maya and I followed closely behind while the rest stayed in the kitchen. He turned on the monitor connected to the video camera outside. We saw five men dressed in black suits, all of them from section-two. The one standing in the middle kept pressing the doorbell. His long grey hair was tied in a pony tail; there was a long scar on one side of his face. This appearance made him stand out from the rest.
Makoto's eyebrows were drawn tightly together, "This isn't looking good."
Time was running out. The doorbells were beginning to sound rushed. I hurried back to the kitchen and peeked downstairs. Like Makoto said, there were three men heading towards us; another was down on the street guarding a black Mercedes. I remembered taking shooting lessons in Germany before. Now if only I could put it to use and take down those bastards here…
"Shinji, give me the gun."
I waited, but there was no response. The agents were already approaching the stairs, and once they started climbing the stairs, it would be near impossible to aim at them. I turned my head around and saw Shinji still standing there.
"What are you waiting for? Give me the gun now!"
"What are you going to do?" He asked.
"What else? Shoot them of course! There's no other way out, we must take them down now!"
Shinji took a deep breath. He seemed to be hesitating. I was about to scold him again when he finally said, "Let me be the one to shoot then." He started walking towards me. I was surprised at first, but I recovered and snatched the gun away from his hand when he was standing beside me.
"Look Shinji, it's nice you've somehow become a man, but I can do it better than you. I was trained before, and you weren't."
"But I was trained when piloting Eva! I know how to shoot!"
"Don't give me that crap! Just shut up and trust me this time!"
There was no time to lose. Without waiting for his reply, I aimed the gun at one of the agents. To be honest, I wasn't very confident myself, but under such circumstances, there was no other solution. It was either we stopped them, or they killed us and took Rei away. I just needed to stay focused. The first shot would be the easiest one, because after that, they would be alert, and they would start firing back. I guess I was putting my own life on the line here.
I was about to pull the trigger when one of them spotted me.
"There they are! Get them!" He shouted.
It would've become an impossible task, but to my surprise, the second agent standing behind him raised his arms and gave his head a quick twist. The first agent then fell silently to the floor. The third agent took out his gun, turned around, and fired four shots at the one guarding their car. In a flash, it was two dead men lying on the ground, and two other living men who didn't seem hostile towards us. One of them took out a white handkerchief and waved at us; the other put away his weapon. They then started rushing up the stairs.
I turned around. Shinji and Rei were both looking at me.
"Well…hehe…that was easy…" It reminded me of a similar situation during the one time when NERV had an electrical shutdown. It was then Makoto and Maya ran in here to the kitchen. Their faces were pale.
"They're coming in!" Maya looked scared.
I didn't have time to think. There was another gunshot and then the front door was kicked open. I heard footsteps approaching and peeked into the living room. Seconds later, five men appeared. Out of instinct, I fired a shot at them and then hid quickly behind the wall. There was a scream, followed quickly by some rustling sounds of the furniture. I guess they were now hiding behind the sofas. I just hoped that shot at least managed to take out one of them.
They were probably waiting for their comrades from the backdoor, for there was a long silence before an agent spoke.
"Drop your weapon! Give us Ayanami Rei, and we promise we won't hurt you!"
There was another long silence. Neither of us made a move. I tried to peek into the living room, but withdrew immediately when they tried to shower me with a rain of bullets. That was close. Panting heavily, I glanced at the three technicians. All were looking worried. It seemed that I had been given the responsibility to fight the agents. Damn adults could never do anything right.
Rei and Shinji crouched close behind me. With the gun in my hand trying to protect them, it almost made me feel like a big sister to them both. I guess people did rely on me. It would have been a nice feeling if I wasn't so scared myself.
"Asuka, give me the gun," Makoto whispered, but I was reluctant in giving it to him. The weapon not only gave me a sense of duty, but also security.
"Asuka, give it to me now!" He repeated.
Hesitantly, I handed the gun to the technician. We all kept silent as Makoto peeked into the living room. He was forced back straight away when the enemies started firing ruthlessly at our direction. The bullets hit the cupboard, breaking most of the plates and glasses. It was now a mess in the small kitchen.
A few tense moments later, we started hearing footsteps approaching from the back. They grew louder and louder until finally, the two agents we saw just now arrived in the kitchen. Not knowing they were on our side, Makoto and Maya quickly stood between them and Rei.
"Do not worry," One of the agents said as he brandished his gun, "We're here to protect you."
"What are you talking about?" Maya asked.
"We're not working for Gendo anymore." He replied as they both took positions behind one side of the walls. "Stay back and let us take care of this."
I slowly moved away and let them took over. It was a relief that they were here. Sweat formed on my forehead as I thought about how lucky we were to have them both aiding us. Otherwise we would have been finished easily.
Without any further delay, they started shooting at those still loyal to Gendo in the living room. A fierce gunfight ensued. We just watched from a side, hoping silently that these two friendly strangers would emerge victorious. They would fire a few shots and then hid behind the wall immediately after. Once they emptied their ammo, they changed rounds, reloaded, and started attacking again.
In the midst of people shouting "traitors" and other bad words, we heard several screams. And then there were more gunshots and chaos. It was when one of our friends stopped firing that we realised one of the screams had come out from him. His right hand was injured and bleeding badly.
All of us were looking at him worriedly. His face was pale and sweaty; it looked like the bullet had shot a hole through his wrist. These people…why were they doing this for us? They were not even familiar with us… And why were we, the ones threatened by those enemies out there, cowering here in fear and letting strangers do all the dirty work? It just…it just didn't seem right. We needed to do something.
I caught Makoto off guard when I snatched the gun back from his hand. And then I proceeded to take over for the agent, but before I could, he stopped me.
"Which one of you here is Mr. Ikari?"
Shinji stepped forward. "I am."
The wounded agent took a glance at Rei before staring straight at Shinji. "We managed to kill one of them and injured another two, but I don't shoot well with my left hand."
Upon hearing this, Shinji's eyes rolled over to the other agent. The injured one noticed it, and he continued, "My friend here is a new recruit, unfortunately, he won't be able to do much against Yamazaki and his men. Besides, there're more down there in the car park, acting as backup."
"What are you trying to say?" Shinji asked.
"You must leave now. Take the back stairs. The way is clear, and there's a car down there. Use it, go to a safer place."
"B-but what about you two?"
"We'll stay here and cover for you. Now go!"
"Why…" This time, it was Rei who spoke, "Why are you doing this?"
I didn't know if others saw it, but the man's eyes looked almost sympathetic. It seemed that he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring out the words.
"Are you doing this to protect me?" Rei asked again.
He stared at her, looking as if he was trying to see through her before answering, "No, I'm just protecting our mother Earth. The rumours are out. They need you for Third Impact."
Before anyone could say anything further, a black oval object flew through the air into the kitchen. It was too late when I realised what it was. There was a blinding flash and a few more screams. I tried to open my eyes, but all I could see was a pure white. I rubbed my eyes with both my hands, and looked harder. Still nothing…Several gunshots followed. And then there was a tense moment of silence.
My heart started beating faster. Through the thick fog, I saw two bodies falling down, although I couldn't tell who they were. A few tall shadows walked around, pulling and shoving the others to the floor. I was lucky that none of them came to me, however.
Slowly, the haze faded until all were clear once again. My eyes recovered. Four other men stood in front of us, all dressed in black suits; two of them had bullet wounds on their shoulders, another only had a burn on his left arm. I looked around. Both Shinji and Rei looked unhurt; the three technicians were still trying to get their eyesight back; the two agents who had helped us were now dead on the kitchen floor.
"Useless fools," The man with the scar said as he rubbed his right hand on his burnt arm. "Now let's see which one of you did this."
His eyes darted back and forth, finally stopping at Rei.
"Miss Ayanami, I presume?" He smiled wickedly, his scar pulling his face into an ugly grin. Shinji quickly put his arms protectively around Rei. The man laughed again. "I'll take care of you two later…"
It was then I realised that I had dropped my gun accidentally when attacked by the flash bomb. Instantaneously, I tried to feel around for the weapon without taking my eyes off that man, but I couldn't find it. My hands stopped when he redirected his gaze to me.
"Looking for your toy little beauty? Ah yes…I remember it was a red-head." He said menacingly, "You shot me didn't you?"
"Too bad the bullet didn't go right through your skull!" I shot back, and regretted it.
He came over to me and grabbed me by the collar. The tall man then started raising his hand and I felt the ground left my feet. He stopped when my face was level to his. It was getting hard to breathe properly.
"Remember my name, you little bitch. It's Yamazaki. Remember it well."
Suddenly, I felt a force pulling me, and when I realised it, I was flying through the air, before being smashed into a kitchen chair. My head was spinning and my bones felt like they were broken in pieces. I tried to stand up, but a painful kick on my stomach kept me down. I started to taste something sweet in my mouth, and when I coughed, blood came out.
There was no time to recover. I felt my hair being grabbed and pulled by a rough hand. My body reflexively arched backward. I screamed.
"You like this, don't you? Huh? That'll teach you a lesson, bitch!"
I spat at him. "Fuck you."
And then there was a slap. My face was burning. Ant then there was another slap, and another, and another, and then I lost count. Yamazaki only stopped when Shinji ran forward and tackled him. I was dropped to the ground, but I couldn't think properly.
"Stop…Stop it…" I heard someone saying, but couldn't tell who it was.
Through my blurred vision, I saw Yamazaki grabbed Shinji and slammed him onto the dining table, breaking it into half. The boy cried out in pain. Makoto and the others weren't able to help. The other agents had their guns pointed at the technicians. Rei was sitting there with her knees drawn to her chest, and her head hidden in her arms.
"Stop…Stop hurting them…" She said again, trembling.
Yamazaki pulled Shinji up by the hair. He then scooped him up with his strong arms and held him horizontally in the air. The boy was silent, but still breathing with his chest heaving up and down. I tried to stand up and save Shinji, but couldn't gather my strength. In despair, I watched Yamazaki get ready to break Shinji's backbone.
"STOP!!!"
Suddenly, there was a burst of orange light, and then Yamazaki was sent flying and crushing through one of the concrete walls. Dusts scattered around. When the air finally cleared, Shinji was lying on the floor, moaning in pain, but at least alive. Yamazaki, on the other hand, was lying silently beneath the rubbles, not moving anymore.
The other three agents immediately aimed their guns at Rei, who was still cowering at the corner.
"No!!!" I shouted. A few gunshots were heard afterwards.
One agent fell down, being hit on the head; another clutched his chest tightly before stumbling to the floor, where he lay lifeless; the third one was shot on the hand, thus making him drop his gun. Then, out of nowhere, Misato sprinted forward and kicked him on the groin, forcing him to kneel down and gasp in misery.
She pointed her desert eagle at his head, "Never step into my home uninvited, remember that," and then she fired.
"Major!!" Maya ran forward and cried into her shoulder.
"It's ok…It's ok…everyone all right?" Misato asked. The other two technicians got up as well.
I gathered what strength I had left and stood up. My legs felt a bit wobbly; my cheeks were still burning, probably badly swollen too, but overall I was feeling fine. Shinji somehow managed to compose himself and crawled over to Rei's side. He was hugging the still trembling girl.
"Get the children," Misato ordered, "We're leaving. It's not safe in here anymore."
Makoto and Shigeru went over and helped Shinji and Rei get up. Misato had to half-carry the wrecked Maya. I wiped the blood off my mouth and spat out a broken tooth. It was strange, but I somehow felt tough and confident. I took more hits than anyone else, and yet I was the one who didn't need help moving around.
We took the back stairs down to the black Mercedes below, but we barely made it. Halfway down the stairs, more agents arrived at the apartment and started shooting us from above. Misato fired back, taking out two of them. We rushed down the remaining steps as fast as we could, and the enemies gave chase. Once we were down there, Makoto got into the shogun together with Maya; the rest of us climbed into the backseat. Shigeru was taking care of Shinji, who wouldn't let go of Rei's hand; I sat down beside the shaken girl.
More gunshots were heard. I kept both Rei's head and mine low as bullets hit mercilessly at the window. Misato hurried into the driving seat, started the engine and we sped off away from the building.
I never thought it was possible for Misato's reckless driving to be so useful, but today, I smiled to myself as she zigzagged her way through the heavy traffic. I looked back through the window. No NERV agents were in sight. It had been a close call, but we managed to escape from them.
"Any suggestions on where we should go?" Misato stated the obvious concern. No one was able to come out with any recommendation. All Maya, Shigeru and Makoto were seen by the section-two agents, and their apartments would most likely be searched very soon. It was lucky that they all lived alone.
"I know of a place." I replied. "We should be safe there."
"Where?"
"My friend's home…his name is Kaworu."
