/In Pains Wake/
- lawless priest -
05 - Justice
Rain fell heavy on the deserted streets of Tokyo 3, clouding the world in a dreary gray mist. It was fitting. I would have smiled, but that would have been inappropriate, and it probably would have made me look like some sick fiend, especially with what was about to go down. So I didn't, but frankly I really wasn't in the mood for smiling anyway.
Footsteps sounded behind me, signaling the other's arrival. I didn't turn to look, I knew who it would be.
"Is it time?" I simply asked.
"Yes, Section - 2 has them and is awaiting us."
"I didn't expect you to come."
"She is an employee of Nerv, and a pilot at that."
"Is that the only reason?"
"No, there are... people should not have to go through."
I looked over my shoulder with a grim smile, "Keep talking like that and you'll lose that "Most well respected Bastard" title of yours.
He gave a even grimmer smile, with not a small amount of malice behind it. "When this is over, there won't be any doubt towards my title." and with that, he briskly walked away. His remark wiped my smile away. He was right and I knew it, but I'd be getting a title as well when this was over, but I didn't care. This moment was already decided the moment I found Asuka bleeding and bruised.
Wasting no time, I followed my father, the Commander of Nerv for the first time in my life, fully in agreement.
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/IPW/
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To say that the cells within the Geo-Front were dark was a serious understatement. I knew from experience how it felt to be stuck down in one of those dank featureless, desolate holes. So I knew how the kid in front of me felt. I say kid because he was just that, a kid, but it didn't bother me. He gave up those moral protectors like rights and innocence the moment him and his friends laid a hand on her.
Not a word had been said during the walk here, everyone involved was either too lost in their brooding or were just following orders. I did note that a few of the guards from before were present, the ones who had came when I found Asuka. Their faces were blank, but the moment we had the cell opened, I didn't miss the content look of approval on there faces.
Stepping into the room I noticed that I was serenely calm as if this was some normal occasion. I was a little disturbed, but one look at the one in front of me pushed away any sense of doubt. I would finish this, I would make things right. Justice I would show them justice, and righteous fury as well.
Looking him over, I was quick to note his state, the bruises weren't all that hard to miss. Apparently Section 2 had shown him and his friends their disapproval on the ride over. It didn't matter. I walked up to him slowly, but with purpose. If it wasn't for his pathetic state you could say he was a handsome boy, a little older than me, probably in High School. He must have had gotten a lot of attention, maybe one of the popular kids with lots of friends. His defiant stare gave me the impression that he obviously thought highly of himself and almost certainly thought that he would be set free and that he would have our asses.
"Tetsuya Watanabe?" the guard called out.
"Yeah, I'm Tetsuya Watanabe ..." He was about to say more, but the guard interrupted him.
"Son of Takehito Watanabe of the Nippon Media Industries?"
"Yes, that's my father. You ignorant punks had better let me outta here.
I blocked out his rants. Months living with Asuka had helped me perfect that particular skill. A rich punk, fitting. He must have thought that he could get away with anything. He was so wrong, so wrong.
"Do you know why you're here." that was my father's deadpan voice cutting into his tirade. The boy looked a little frighten for a moment, my father voice can do that to people, but the instant passed and he shouted his ignorance.
"Some time ago you and your friends met a young girl, a young girl under Nerv's employment and protection. It was rather foolish of you to leave your 'spendings' on her person, and the fact that you didn't use any contraceptives, tracking you all down was fairly easy."
All the while he talked I watched the proud fool revert to a scared boy almost instantly and his reaction to hearing that she worked for Nerv was priceless. His eyes looked ready to bulge out of his head.
My father, Gendo Ikari, the Supreme Commander of Nerv's cold piercing stare left him frozen in terror. It must have dawned on him that this was beyond his father's sphere of influence and that he was in some serious shit.
Finally my father looked to me and with a stiff nod, and I stepped forward again. I don't know what the kid saw when he glanced at me, but his old haughty glare was replaced by one of confusion, and dread. Up until then I had kept a blank face, almost reminisce of the Commanders usual expression, but now all of the fury and the anguish from before, sitting beside Asuka's bed as she cried, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop the terrible sobs coming from her tortured throat. The feelings of hatred and disgust were almost blinding and it most have been written on my face, for the fool in front of me scrambled back as if scolded by intense flames.
He looked from me to the guards and back again, a pleading look in his eyes, as if asking them to do something, that he didn't deserve this, to do anything to him, just get me away from him. But they stood stoic and I advanced further, my hands clenching and unclenching at my sides.
Here was the moment, here was my enemy, now was the time and without preamble I begin to wail on him. To be clear, this wasn't like your typical fight by any means. I didn't give him a chance to act at all, blow after blow fell connecting with feral accuracy. I didn't swing blindly, ever blow was well placed, with the exception of the few that he managed to block. I aimed for the head, wanted to beat it into a senseless mass of pulp, pulverizing his nose and ears. When he began to blocked those I moved to his chest and stomach. Kicks to his shins and knee caps distracted him allowing access to his head again and I took it with out hesitation.
His cries and whimpers went unnoticed by me for the most part, only when I hit something that seemed to make him scream out louder did I become aware. One such area was his groin. I am not a violent or cruel person by any means, so the thought of hitting anyone there never crossed my mind, but after months of fighting the angels and facing death so many times, attacking my opponent and hurting them was the only thing that appealed to me. Where I hit them didn't fit into the equation anymore, only that they bled, and he did.
I lost count of how many times I kicked him there, or anywhere for that matter, only the fact that he was still breathing kept me going.
He had to suffer, I would make him suffer for all of the pain that he had caused, all of the agony that he had put her through, all of the wounds that I couldn't fix, that the doctors couldn't heal, I would return to him ten fold.
"That's enough."
Those simple words cut through my blood lust like Asuka's sobs had cut through my heart. I stood, numb to what had transpired, my hand raised in the air, ready to fall on his unprotected face, my mind empty and disquietly peaceful. Turning to the others, my clothes soaked in blood, I must have been some site.
I said nothing as I stood. Not bothering to wipe of the blood, there was too much anyway, I walked out of the cell. The guards didn't look at me and I didn't look at them.
"Come." That was all my father said as he lead our little trope towards the next victim. No, they weren't victims. They were scum and I was here to explain that to them, in detail. And I did.
The others fell to similar circumstances as their previous comrade had. All of their high blown egos shattered by my fists and scattered by my kicks. Their torture only ending with my father's voice.
In the end they were left in their pitiful states, battered and broken, much like Asuka had been. I had to close my eyes as I was assaulted by images or her rape. I kick out at the last fool to block it out. His cry brought me back. Much of what happened next became a blur. I remember father telling me to come and I did. Somehow I ended up in some room while my wounds were tended to. Apparently I had broken a few fingers against their faces and in my blind rage I hadn't noticed. Some of my ribs were broken and there were cuts and bruises all over my body. Blood coated everything. My once white shirt was far from white now.
Not all of those scum had gone down easily, but down they had gone. They may have been angry at me for attacking them, but they had nothing on the passionate ferocity that burned in me at the site of them.
Truthfully, I didn't care about wounds. I knew it wasn't over. They were still alive and would be for sometime. Their suffering couldn't end that quickly. No, they had to suffer far more than just a mere physical beating and they would. But not now. I had to go see Asuka.
Section 2 dropped me off at the hospital and I made it up to her room. I'd soon be in one of my own, but I had insisted on seeing her first. The guards understood and obliged.
It had been sometime since she had told me to avenge her and I had returned many times to inform her of my progress. Every time I came, even if it had nothing to do with my vow, I could see the life returning in her eyes, especially when I was giving her one of my progress reports.
I spent much of my time in her room or talking to Kaoru. I didn't tell him about my vow, everything else yes, but not that. That was only between me and Asuka. Even so, the white haired pilot and I were fast becoming friends. It was strange that I could actually be... not actually happy when I was with him, but certainly better than I had been. Kaoru's smile and charm could not chase away all of the old demons, but he did help push them away.
"You look like shit." Asuka greeted me with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back or try. It hurt too much really. Non-the-less I was glad that she was doing well. She wasn't exactly as she used to be and I don't think she'd ever be. Things like this change people and it changed Asuka. I just hoped it was for the better.
"Maybe, You weren't looking so good yourself not so long ago."
"Whatever, it's this hospital food. It's no better than Misato's. I swear I can't wait to get back home and have a real meal."
"So you like my cooking?" the question was asked innocently. No ulterior motive evident.
"Like I'm really going to answer that." The German girl responded, but I saw the look in her eyes, bring on another smile.
We didn't say anything for awhile. I sat in the chair by her bed much like before and we looked at anything but each other. Eventually she asked the question.
"So... how did it go?"
"It... it went well." How was I supposed to answer that. I'm not my father, I'm not used to this kind of thing. "They are still alive." I said.
She looked up at me confused for a second, then angry. All she asked was "Why?"
"When my hands heal up, I'm going back again."
Asuka didn't say anything after that for a long time. "Are you, I mean are they going to... torture them."
"Probably. Father said he'd tell, me. There are some other things, but..." I cut myself off. She didn't need to know those things. Asuka may have been mad, but she's not sadistic. She didn't need to here what else father and I had planed.
I could tell she knew there was something more, but she didn't ask and I wasn't going to tell. "Let's just say that, it isn't over."
"What isn't over?" I didn't even hear anyone come in the room, but there stood Misato in the entry way. Her face was full of confusion, but all of that disappeared when she saw me. "Oh, my god. Shinji!" She all but crushed me to her, my ribs cried out in torture.
"You're going to kill him if you don't stop Misato!"
The lavender haired released me, only to immediately throw a barrage of questions my way. "Shinji are you alright? Where have you been? What happened to you? Do I need to call a doctor? Oh, god Shinji, don't you leave me too!"
"I'm fine Misato. I... I just got in a fight on the way over." I look at her, she seemed to be on the brink of tears. 'She really cares. I thought... I thought she was just doing her job, but she really cares."
"Oh, Shinji, Asuka. I've been so scared for you too. I don't want to lose you two. You're like the children I've never had." My commanding officer and guardian said all of this, sobbing the whole way. Asuka and I just looked at each other with similar stunned expressions on our faces. We never knew how she really felt. No one in our little dysfunction family really know how to express their feelings. It was no wonder why we got along so well while others just looked on us as if we were crazy just to stay around each other. We were all the same, lonely, needy and afraid, afraid of ourselves and the past, but at that moment, none of us cared.