Well, hope you liked the last chapter, absolutely no one! Because apparently no one is reading this, because there are no real legitimate reviews...sob

Well, whatever, at least Madness has a good amount of positive input, and so does shudder FoD, kind of...

Well, enough chit chat and "Well"s, let's get on with it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or its characters. Gainax does, and they rock. Who else could create both Evangelion and FLCL?!

The Ruins of Tokyo 3, Japan

Misato Katsuragi's Apartment

Asuka Langley Sohryu stood over the crumpled form of the Third Child as he grumbled and groaned on his futon, in his sleep. His screams and groans had awakened her, and she was ready to give him a piece of her mind, once she managed to get him out of whatever nightmares were breaking him.

"Pervert!"

"Idiot!"

"Third Child!"

"Shinji!"

Still Shinji Ikari would not budge, the depressed teenager rolling around in his sleep, moaning and groaning as the terror of his dreams brought their full weight upon his crumbling sanity.

"Pervert!"

"Idiot!"

"Hey Third Child!"

Shinji stumbled back from the vision of Asuka at the end of the hall, glaring at him with eyes full of contempt and rage.

"So...she hated me from the beginning...didn't she...Why is she here with me in this hell?"

Rei appeared behind him, dressed in her school uniform, she stared at the back of his head as she spoke.

"Every single life-form has the power to return to their original form. Every life-form has the power to live"

"What? I don't understand...Why would she come back? Did she want to be with me? Did I bring her to this misery?"

Shinji let out a sudden yelp as the landscape around him changed, and his eyes opened wide as he saw a small red-haired girl running past him.

"Mommy! Mommy! They chose me! I'm an Eva pilot, I'm going to protect mankind all by myself"

Shinji's eyes widened in realization. Some how, this was her, maybe when she was younger. He could no longer tell his memories from her memories..

He chased after her as she continued running.

"The best in the world, it's supposed to be secret, but I'll tell you, mother! Everybody is so nice to me, and I'm not even lonely anymore, even without father!"

"Asuka! Asuka!"

Shinji was directly behind her as she ran through the door, and his eyes as well as her eyes, fell on the slowly swaying body hanging from the ceiling.

"M-Mommy?!"

Shinji stared at the little girl as she shivered and shook with great emotion.

"I'm sorry Asuka...I can't...I can't help you...you're too much like..."

Shinji fell to his knees, shivering and dry sobbing as the world behind him disappeared. Once again Rei stood behind him, her monotone voice picking up again.

"Your pain is similar, it is what binds you together and yet drives both of you apart..."

"You still didn't answer my question, Ayana...Rei...Rei, tell me the truth!"

"The things you perceive are the truth."

Shinji stumbled backwards as Toji appeared beside him, alive and well, that familiar voice to his right.

"Things within you."

The Third Child let out a soft choking noise as Misato Katsuragi appeared in front of him, no gunshot wounds, and no blood on her body.

He slowly touched his mouth in recollection as she spoke, expecting her blood to still be there, that awful bittersweet taste.

"And the things recorded in your memory will be your truth."

Rei spoke once more from behind Shinji, he did not turn, but he knew it was her, he could almost feel her familiar aura, and of course no one else had that unmistakable soft voice.

"There is a truth that changes through the time."

"What? I don't understand, Rei, this is the truth? The result of everything, is this?"

Toji and Misato nodded mechanically.

"Out of many truths, this is one."

"That's the result you wanted, Shinji."

Shinji stiffened, and spoke with a wavering and clearly confused voice.

"I wanted!?"

Rei Ayanami's soft voice wafted into his ears once more.

Yes. Destruction, the world where nobody was saved.

NO. It's that nobody saved me.

Gendo Ikari appeared to Shinji's left, the man's cold eyes boring past the tinted glasses and into his son.

"Nobody can save you."

Toji nodded, moving closer to Shinji.

"This is what you wanted."

Misato spoke again, her voice chilling the Third Child to the bone.

"Destruction, Death, the return to nothingness, all of these did you wish for. This is reality.

"What is reality?! Rei? Tell me!"

Your world. With time, with space, with other people, a world of your own. The world where how to accept things and how to perceive things is absolutely up to you. It's your world, only given to you now."

Rei paused, and moved closer to Shinji, he could feel her brush against him, and suddenly everyone else but he and the First Child disappeared.

"That is reality, Shinji."

As Shinji turned his head to Rei, she grew slightly taller and her hair turned from blue to brown. Shinji stared at his mother, Yui Ikari.

"As long as you want to live, everywhere will become heaven. Isn't that right, Shinji?"

She smiled, and put a cold hand on his shoulder as she spoke his name.

A shiver ran up Shinji's spine and he stumbled backwards, pushing his mother away. His eyes strained but no tears fell, and his face grew red and angry.

"No! No! No! You're lying! You were all lying! I am alive, and there is no chance for me in hell, I am in hell! Nothing is alright! I failed everyone, I failed Misato, I failed my father, I failed...Asuka..."

Asuka slowly brought her ear close to Shinji's face, curious at what he was whispering. His hot breath tickled her ear and she blushed slightly, and then even more deeply as he heard what he muttered.

"Asuka..."

She shook her head and whispered in contempt.

"Pervert..."

"...why...do you hate me?"

Asuka shook her head, which was slumped over on the large wooden face of the table.

"Asuka, please...help me..."

"You don't understand a thing! Don't come any closer, pervert!"

Shinji clenched his fists. He couldn't give up, not now. The Third Child slowly approached the crumpled Second Child and reached out towards her.

"I understand...Asuka"

Asuka stiffened as more words left Shinji's lips as he drowned in his dreamscape.

"...I need you Asuka...please...I love you..."

Asuka stood with a huff, moving towards the surprised Third Child with a look of pure fury in her blue eyes.

You don't understand. Idiot! Do you think you really understand what I'm thinking?

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him close to her in anger.

Shinji could feel her warm breath blowing against his cheek.

"Do you think you can help me? I'd rather die than be with you."

Meanwhile the words of hate were simply bouncing of Shinji, he was too absorbed by their proximity. He was no pervert, but he was mesmerized by the beauty of her face, so close to his, and moved in without realizing what he was doing or the future consequences.

Asuka didn't see it coming, she simply felt Shinji's sleeping face draw closer to her, and jerked her ear away to face him and see what he was up to. In that moment, their lips met, and her eyes opened in surprise.

Shinji kissed her tenderly, enjoying the full drink of her warm lips.

Asuka let out a shuddering moan and began kissing him back, but then quickly caught herself, pulling back and sending her hands grappling onto Shinji's neck.

"You pervert! You think I'll let you take advantage of me?! I'll kill..."

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Asuka's eyes lit up in rage, as she pulled back and wrapped her hands around Shinji's neck, squeezing tightly, an embrace of death.

Shinji's eyes slowly opened, and he stared at her distantly, and then closed his eyes once more as Asuka squeezed even more tightly.

Rei stared at him, her eyes boring through his soul. He suddenly felt very lightheaded and also slightly manic.

"Rei?! Is this, is this a dream? Can I dream alone?"

"That would not be a dream. It would just be a projection of reality."

"Then... where is my dream?"

"That is the extension of reality. "

"My... where is my reality?"

"That is at the end of the dream"

Shinji let out a gasp as his eyes opened wide to the sight of Asuka, her face twisted in rage, her hands tightening in their death grip around his neck.

As the air left his throat, the hands around it tightened, letting nothing pass through afterwards.

He stared up into Asuka's eyes as she strangled him. He smiled as he realized what she was doing, and in the end why she was doing it.

"She's always hated me...at least I will finally reach peace...at least it's at her hands..."

Shinji smiled deeply, a serene smile of one giving up on the world, and ready to embrace death.

With the last bit of his energy, he slowly brought up his left hand towards Asuka's cheek. Asuka braced herself, preparing to guard herself, expecting Shinji to defend herself. A shiver ran up her back as she felt Shinji's hand instead brushing against her cheek, caressing it fondly as his peaceful smile deepened and became even warmer.

A tear ran down her face as she continued choking even harder.

"He doesn't understand me, acting like a wimp even when he's dying, like he's some saint!"

An odd choking sound left his lips, and she moved her head closer to his as she choked him roughly, despite herself.

"As...Asuka....thank you..."

Shinji's hand fell limp and his chest heaved once more and then stopped, his serene countenance still unchanging, his blue eyes staring off into space.

Asuka suddenly released his neck, as multiple tears fell off her face and down onto Shinji's cold body.

"What have I done?! Shinji?!"

She grabbed the Third Child by the shoulder and shook him roughly by the shoulder.

"Pervert?"

"Idiot?"

"Third Child?"

"Shinji?"

"Shinji! No, don't leave me here, don't leave me here alone..."

The Second Child frantically grasped Shinji Ikari's limp head by the chin and pulled it towards her face. She stared into his eyes and took in a breath, she hadn't much time.

Asuka's lips clamped against Shinji and she began breathing air into him while pumping against his chest.

"Shinji?!"

Shinji Ikari's eyes slowly opened as he felt Asuka's lips pressing against his.

"What happened? Where was I? Ah...I remember...We were kissing..."

Asuka's eyes opened wide as she felt Shinji tenderly kissing back. She drowned into their mutual warmth, but a part of her still resisted and managed to give her the energy to pull back before she succumbed completely.

Yet this time she did not strangle the Third Child, and simply stared at him silently as he stared up at her with a lopsided grin.

"Hi...Asuka..."

Asuka lowered her head to hide the tears and her pinked cheeks, and muttered under her breath as she lightly pushed the Third Child away.

"Idiot..."

That was kind of short, but I've gotten used to writing long chapters for Madness, medium chapters for FoD, and kind of short surreal ones for Darkness, it just fits with the style of the story, and besides I like cutting at exactly the right moment....

Next chapter, things will get a lot more interesting....This isn't just your regular A/S angst post-3I fic, so just stick with me here...eheheh...

See you later...