Author's Note: First of all, I would like to apologize for my long delays. Many things in my life got in the way of finishing this chapter and coming back to fanfics (a death and another writing project) however, now that I have the time to continue 'Never Look Back' (and the long-scheduled revisions to previous chapters) things should go fairly quickly. Many of my original ideas have been scrapped, but since I got a lot of good reviews regarding this fic, I'll go on ahead with it. Thank you VERY much for your patience.
Further notes: Since I don't want to go writing and re-writing as I go, I'm going to start this chapter as the 'rewritten' version so the following changes are to be taken into account (they will eventually be written in the earlier chapters, I promise).
1.The Inn at Okinawa DID contain most of the students on the trip. Among the dead are some of the Children's classmates. Poor Toji, I killed his Osakan ass. J/k about Osaka, but he IS dead. -.-
2.The money used to get Rei and Shinji out of Okinawa wasn't from an account but in hard, untraceable currency. No NERV Express for her.
Other changes will be written in and aren't significant enough to mention here, read back once I update the old chapters. So here you go, Chapter four. Oh, and yeah, I can't guarantee the 'freshness' of this writing, since most of my ideas and mental notes are waaay beyond their expiration date. Proceeding chapters I promise will be better. Oh, and feedback, as always is welcome. And a request: If anyone has seen the Japanese film 'suicide club' please email me with suggestions or ideas about how to include several jumping school children falling to their own deaths from very large buildings. Thanks. -
Disclaimer: Gainax owns everything. I mean, EVERYTHING....even this chair I'm sitting on. Kadokawa Owns my underwear, but you don't need to know that. Oops.
Chapter 4: Pathways to Enigma
Kaji Ryoji looked upon the debris of the inn at Okinawa and grimaced. There sure wasn't much left. The main building itself was in shambles, and there were still charred corpses everywhere. The smell of burnt flesh still lingered in the air; the trade winds refused to carry them away. The locale itself had long since stopped smoldering in most places, and now all that remained were the ruins and the NERV and U.N. security forces that canvassed the area.
Snorting, Kaji walked amongst the rubble, and reminded himself of his orders: Find the children, find those responsible, and deal with each accordingly. He knew from his own sources that he would run into SEELE along the way, but that was a matter of course. Both Ikari and Chairman Kihi were running parallel investigations on the matter, and Kaji was now caught in the middle, servant of two masters.
Slowly, the agent ascended the hill behind the burnt-out inn, his dark red tie fluttering in the light breeze that had picked up after much still air. On this grassy knoll, he spotted the Zen arch that stood untouched by the powerful explosions that rocked the surrounding landscape. Interesting, thought Kaji, this area wasn't affected...
After a careful search he discovered there were signs of occupation in that zone of the land they were canvassing. As of yet agents had not analyzed this part of the plot of land, but on a hillside near the garden, there were several depressions and odd items one would bring to a picnic. Among them, half stuck in the dirt, Kaji saw a gleam of white plastic. Bending low, he plucked the item off the ground. On the small card it was written:
IKARI, SHINJI,
Tokyo-3 Municipal High School District
Age: 14, Residence: C/o Katsuragi Misato
First Year
"Ara, it seems that I've been given a break," Ryoji smiled wryly, raising an eyebrow at the student ID card. Perhaps it slipped out of the Third Child's pocket? Most likely he didn't even know it was missing yet. But for Kaji, this was a little hunk of gold, proving the children had been somewhere else during the explosions. Even with the trouble identifying the bodies, there would be no Ayanami Rei or Ikari Shinji among them, he knew. Obviously there was something on their minds about living as EVA Pilots and somewhere along the line, the decided the attack was as good as any reason to get out of dodge.
Silently, he reprimanded himself. These children are in danger from all sides, including me. This is getting interesting.
With that, the NERV agent left the bombing site and went to the closest airport. It was time to do a little old fashioned detective work.
Miyagi-
Asano Residence
Sunlight began to stream into the dank and dusty room from the East, filtering in through slits in the blinds and hitting the sleeping faces of Shinji and Rei. The room was quiet save for the chirping of birds, and drone of cars passing by outside. Yet inside, nothing stirred. If one looked hard enough, they would be able to see the motes of dust in the air, bathed in sunlight, fluttering about noiselessly.
This light, hitting the closed eye of former Eva Pilot Ikari Shinji, served as a wake up call for the sleeping youth. Before he opened his eyes though, he felt a warm mass against his side, and a soft susurration near his ear. Something or someone was next to him, he surmised, as he cracked his eyes open. It took some seconds for them to focus, but eventually, he was able to get his bearings.
Laying next to him was Rei, sleeping peacefully with an arm draped over his chest. When she got there, he didn't know, but he could see that her futon had been dragged to his side as well. 'Why did she come over here?' wondered Shinji in slight disbelief. But before he could even voice such a question, he was suddenly too uncomfortable with the concept of being so close to Rei. She was a comforting presence, but what if she woke up, and caught him staring at her like that? And what of the sudden erection in his pants?
'Damn it, this isn't the time to be horny!' Shinji thought, gripping silently about his own perversion. He couldn't even lie next to a girl without thinking perverted thoughts. But before he could get too deep into his own pathetic musings, the sight of Ayanami's sleeping form captured his full attention.
A porcelain face rested near his shoulder, eyes closed, and mouth partially open, close to his ear. Soft, ice blue locks were draped haphazardly across those subtle features, serving like a screen, protecting her eyes from the sunlight. All in all, the scene was beyond words for the Eva pilot in their beauty. Idly, he wondered if he'd ever thought of Rei as a beautiful person, and realized he really hadn't until now.
"Rei-chan..." he muttered absently, awestruck. His reverie on his companion did not last long though, since those words brought Ayanami out of her sleep without delay. Her hues opened quickly, glinting with reflected light, pools of vermillion staring directly into Shinji's own blue eyes. They seemed to look directly past him, to something in the far distance, beyond him. It made him feel quite ineffectual, and ill-at-ease all over again.
"Yes, Shinji-kun?" said Rei quietly, barely moving her lips. She could not tell what time it was, but from the feeling in her bones she could assume she slept in quite some time, unusually so. What she wanted to know was, what had Shinji awoken her for? "Is something wrong?"
Shinji stammered for a moment before managing a cheerful reply, forcing a bright smile onto his face. Rei's suddenness and lack of good humor made it difficult for him to speak easily with her, even now. "Good morning, Rei....uh, why were you...." He trailed off, unsure of how to phrase his question.
Rei sat up abruptly, examining her situation. It was indeed late in the day, and morning was nearing afternoon. It made sense though, considering they ran on little sleep in getting this far. It would only be natural to make up for it. Shifting her legs under the sheets, she noticed that she was indeed entangled with Shinji, Then she remembered.
"You were experiencing troubling symptoms, thrashing and groaning. I attempted to put a halt to them so you could continue sleeping, Shinji-kun." She informed him emotionlessly. If there had been affection in her actions, they were very-well hidden under her flat tone and expression.
"Nightmares, you mean?" asked the boy with a confused look. Did Rei know what those were?
"Nightmares...?" replied Rei, in an equal amount of confusion.
"Bad dreams, you know?" he tried to enlighten her with another forced smile.
"I do not dream. I would not know, Shinji-kun." was her answer. Somehow both of them realized that Shinji had not been expecting that, and a partial moment of mirth was shared between them. Shinji was surprised, however, that Rei did not dream. 'Maybe that's a good thing though', he surmised, 'that way you can't have nightmares.' But at the same time, he pitied her, because dreams meant hope. Hope of better things in life. After all, wasn't that why they left NERV? Evidently they still had many things to work out as human beings, but on different levels. Shinji immediately felt more responsible for her in that regard. If he could only barely take care of himself, he figured he should repay Rei the favor by helping her live. That train of thought though, suddenly brought a memory back to him unbidden.
He looked from Rei's photograph on the ID card to Ritsuko and Misato, after hearing their accusations that he looked quite interested in it.
"She isn't good at it though," said Dr. Akagi with a knowing look.
Confused, Shinji blurted out, "At what?"
"Living." Was Akagi Ritsuko's smug, a tad insensitive response.
Shinji chuckled to himself. As he came to discover, that day even, by entering the First Child's apartment, her being 'bad at living' was a gross understatement. But one couldn't blame someone on that if they didn't know how to live. Invigorated with his sense of responsibility and yearning to help Ayanami, he recalled one thing that tempered him: he wasn't good at living either.
Rei seemed to notice that Shinji had gone into a reverie, and gave him a penetrating, yet inquisitive gaze. "What is it, Shinji-kun? Do you find something amusing?"
Shinji sobered up a little and snapped out of it, but continued to smile. "I was just remembering when I brought you your ID card, and what Ritsuko-san said to me."
"How is that amusing?" she asked, at a loss for understanding. In some ways, he understood, watching her responses, she was like a child, and in some ways, completely adult.
Maybe this is what you get when you make an adult without being a child, reflected the former Eva Pilot. He shook his head. "It isn't as easy as that Rei. Humor is hard to describe, and I'm not one to do it. It's something that...I don't know, makes you feel happy and laugh, but at the same time doesn't." He shrugged.
"I do not understand." Rei answered coolly.
Shinji put his hands under his chin a moment, and thought, hard. Why did he set these kinds of traps for himself? Oh, how he despised his own incompetence. "It's like thinking something is ironic, or watching something happening, but sometimes bad, that is interesting."
Rei paused, and then furrowed her brow. "Such as watching Katsuragi-chii receive a scolding by Akagi-hakasei because of her drinking habits?"
Shinji brightened, and before he knew it, threw a fist in the air. "Yes! Exactly!" And he laughed too, because Misato always seemed to be criticized for her odd habits, from drinking to food. He still remembered the fiasco with the curry and instant noodles, and the very foul-tasting result.
"Then there are apparently, many things that are...funny." Rei concluded, almost as an afterthought, amid Shinji's whoop of achievement. "Shinji-kun?"
"Hai?" he stopped his antics and looked back across the futon at his companion, wondering what she would ask. Maybe it was time for them to head out and look for jobs.
Rei seemed to hesitate before asking, studying Ikari closely. "Why did you refer to me as 'Rei-chan' before?"
Shinji blanched. He really was only half-awake when he had said that. But she'd been awake, and heard it! His embarrassment showed, as he went from first a terrified gray—an instinctive reaction when spending time with that new girl, Asuka—to a beet red of shame. "I don't know, Rei, it just sort of, came out, you know?"
Rei digested this for a couple of seconds. Then, uncharacteristically, she seemed to smile. It wasn't much, just a tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You are fond of me then, Shinji-kun?"
Shinji hung his head, but couldn't hide his warm, wry smile, even as his dark brown hair hung in front of his face. "I guess so...you treat me well, Rei, and you protected me during the attack on the Fifth Angel, like you said you would."
The albino-like girl inclined her head to the side, weighing this. She didn't pretend to understand most people, and Ikari Shinji the very least of all. Unlike Commander Ikari, his son was a walking mass of complexes that she did not want to really sort out. He acted very differently from most children his age, she knew that much. It seemed he was always afraid, yet not of death. One who was afraid of death did not enter an Evangelion unit. He fought valiantly, and with passion. But what drove him? More importantly, why was he fond of her? Often enough Ayanami Rei wondered about the former, sitting waiting for Shinji to wake up from his multiple visits to the NERV Infirmary. Was that why? She couldn't fathom it really. She knew there were certain social rituals and rites people made when they got close to one another on an emotional level, but she never connected to them. That however, wasn't to be mistaken with the idea that she didn't have emotions. Rei knew all too well that emotions could cloud the mind, and they had, such as her misgivings following a long loyalty to Commander Ikari, whom she was fond of in a certain regard, then grew colder towards once she began to realize how they were being used, even his own son, who obviously was pained and wanted no part in it.
Yet what did she feel when she thought about Ikari, the Third Children, son of the Commander. No, he had ceased being 'Ikari-shirei's son', and had become 'Shinji-kun'. But what did it mean to her? A sort of comfort came to her, when she thought of Shinji. Not necessarily understanding, but a feeling of protection, and...caring. She felt similarly towards him, and sympathized with him, as well as having a good measure of respect for him. There was a certain, unspoken pact of watching out for one another that made them feel more content around each other.
Finally, after a long silence, she managed to approach the issue. "Are you fond of me because of how I act towards you, despite what you perceive me as? Is that why you are kind to me, because I am kind to you?"
Shinji subconsciously shuddered. Because I am kind to you... struck such a chord within him. In truth, what he sought was the kindness of others. The kindness friends and schoolmates had never shown him, the kindness he didn't know from his father. The absence of a kindness and warmth of a mother. Even living with his old sensei, there was no kindness, just courtesy. It chilled him to think that at his core, he was nothing more than a sponge for good treatment, and kindness. It made him hate himself, to have sunk to such a pathetic level, where his chief drive was pleasing others so he was treated well. Did Rei feel kindly towards him because he was Ikari's son, EVA 01 pilot extraordinaire, or because he was a person with worth?
"I care about you, Rei, because you're a nice person. You want to take care of others. It doesn't look like that on the surface, but you always put yourself and your needs in second place, if that. You always do things for others before thinking about yourself. "he sputtered, his hands shaking slightly, which he promptly dug under the sheets to hide them. "You put my life above yours, and saved me. That's the ultimate sacrifice somebody can make, Rei."
For the moment, Ayanami said nothing. Instead, she looked to the side, towards the door of their new room, which was cracked open slightly, some light coming through from the adjacent living space. Then, a feeling of warmth inside her heart, from a painful, yet special memory, provoked her to speak.
"When we first me, Shinji-kun, the Third Angel was making its attack against us when Commander Ikari ordered you to pilot Unit 01. When I fell, with my injuries," she recalled, the scene appearing vividly in her mind's eye, "you held me in your arms to comfort me, and lessen my pain. Then, you piloted in my place, when I would have surely died. You make sacrifices that are of no less importance than my own, Shinj-kun. I feel...less empty, when I am reminded of that, when I see you."
The Third Child looked up from his seat, his hands still trembling and smiled brightly, eagerly, completely surprised that Rei would say that. "Honto ni? [Really?]"
"Hai." When Shinji looked up, he saw that Rei was smiling. Not something that was half hidden or inadvertent, but a full smile, one he hadn't seen since when they were in Unit 00's Entry Plug, and tears were in his eyes, tears of fear for her life, for her safety. She was so angelic, her azure hair clinging to her cheeks and falling just above her neckline and shoulders. Even her normally intense eyes brightened and her eyebrows arched. She looked genuinely....happy, at ease.
Before she knew it, Rei was embraced by the boy's arms, which held her in a gentle, yet firm grip, holding her very close, his head buried in her shoulder. She felt tears on that shoulder, Shinji's tears. Was he sad? Upset? No, she reminded herself, people cry when they are filled with joy as well. Just like that time...
Rei was not moved to tears, but she was indeed happy, and when she heard Shinji's 'thank you, Rei-chan', all she could manage was to hug him too.
After they got ready for the day, and ate at a local ramen shop, Shinji and Rei were prepared to go job hunting. It wouldn't be easy, since both of them had no experience that was meaningful to common people.
"Maybe we can put up signs that say, 'Will Kill Angels for Food'," Shinji joked, despite his anxiety. In very typical fashion, Rei missed the joke, and gave her opinion on the idea.
"That would attract undue attention," she said, "and we no longer have Eva units equipped with AT fields to destroy the Angels."
This actually made Shinji laugh, even if he felt a little bad that it was at her expense. He grinned. "I guess we still have to work on that humor thing."
"I see." She nodded. Rei had already donned her 'disguise', which was the dark brown wig, that somehow looked a little funny to Shinji, due to the fact that seeing Ayanami without that outrageous hair of hers was just odd. They were using their recent first payment and last payment of the rent on the apartment as proof of residence, toting the lease papers that Etsuko had so cordially left with them the day before. Now, in this town, they were Asano Minoru and Asano Kaede, 19 both, just out of high-school. The tough part was next: Finding employment that could keep them going.
Rei had an extensive amount of knowledge, that she acquired both from working in NERV as well as school, which, while she did not pay attention to, still got top marks. Shinji, on the other hand, wasn't blessed in mathematics or any other scientific area, nor was he very personable, but he did take orders fairly well. So, he looked at office jobs. Rei, on the other hand, decided that something similar, yet not as draining as being an errand-girl would suit her best. There seemed to be an opening in the local library for a receptionist and reference expert. For now, that would just have to do.
Shinji followed Rei, or rather, his wife, 'Kaede', to the municipal library, and introduced her to the manager of the establishment under their assumed names. He wanted to be around to see if she would get the job or not, or if the manager was a good person for Rei to work under.
The head librarian of the Miyagi Prefecture Regional Science and Research Library was a man no older than thirty-five, someone who was probably in high-school or college during Second Impact, and his weariness wore on him visibly. Square glasses sat on top of a sharp nose as well as bushy eyebrows and greasy hair. He was also very skinny, equaling Rei in bodily appearance, but of course, more masculine. His name was Hane Kenji, and he was the Administrative Director.
His office, of course, was fairly small, but it was nice enough, if crowded with papers. He sat behind an equally small desk and a large computer monitor that looked a little outdated. But, of course, both Rei and Shinji had seen far more imposing and impressive office spaces, namely that of Ikari Gendou, possibly one of the most powerful, fear-inspiring men on the face of the Earth.
"Ah, so you've come about the help wanted ad? Good." Hane said after they introduced themselves with the usual politeness and directness. "I need someone to do filing and some secretarial work for the library, considering my last person quit to go to Tokyo-3 for some sore of government job."
"Hai," Rei gave him the usual treatment, as if she were back in NERV all over again, going into full-business mode almost automatically, to the unvoiced dismay of Shinji. Well, she did work hard in that state, so for the moment, he couldn't really find fault with it. "How much compensation would there be, Hane-dono?"
Hane gave the strange woman a quick glance, for the first time really looking at her. She was an odd one indeed. Is she sick? She's so pale! He thought idly while writing a figure down on a piece of photocopy paper and sticking it out to her with a free hand. The kid next to her didn't look too impressive either. But then again, there were all sorts, right? Hane sighed and returned to typing, awaiting a response from Asano.
Rei gave Shinji a sidelong glance. "It is enough, provided you find near-equal payment for yourself."
Shinji looked over her shoulder at the pay rate written on the Post-It note and nodded grimly. It was average for a small job like this, but adequate for their needs. Combined with paced use of Rei's cash stash, they would be able to survive a while until he found something better. He gave his agreement with another nod. "Take it."
By this time Hane had stopped typing at his console and looked at the pair again, and produced a clipboard with applicant-data areas blank. "Here, fill this out. I won't ask for experience, this is a library, not a physics faculty, so, have fun. You can fill it out in the lobby downstairs."
Rei took the clipboard and attached pen and gave a simple acknowledgement before heading out without so much as a word to Shinji. He, slow on the uptake, stood there for a moment until he decided to follow her, but a request from Hane brought him to a halt mid-stride, just at the doorway.
"Asano-kun, you're her husband, right?" Hane asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He knew that probing too much would seem impolite, but those to had some weird jive to them that he couldn't shake, so having just a little more information about them would help ease his nerves. After his hiring fiasco involving an illegally-immigrated gaijin who bore a strange resemblance to Jesus Christ crossed with a hippie from forty years back, he'd become just a tad paranoid about who he employed.
"Uh...Yeah." Shinji said, turning around with some dissatisfaction. "Is something wrong?"
"Aren't you two a little young to be married?" he pressed.
Shinji gulped, but masked his unease with forced humor. "I guess you could say that she took my heart away, ne? She was my High School sweetheart."
"Marrying so young is a little irresponsible." Hane commented offhandedly, unimpressed.
"Sorry," Shinji apologized. "I know." Before he could realize it, he was bowing his head in contrite apology, yet, several seconds he noticed the absurdity of it. He wasn't actually married to Rei. Perhaps he was getting a little too deep into his role. I didn't do anything wrong yet I'm saying sorry again. I'm so pathetic.
"Hey, don't apologize to me, kid." Hane was surprised at the kid's reaction to his admonishment, even if it was light. Something was just a little wrong with him. Maybe his wife would give him some self confidence. "Hey, don't get down. You probably love her a lot to have married her so soon, so have fun. Go, she's probably done with those papers by now anyways. Have a nice day, Asano-kun."
"Hai. Ja, ne." Shinji feigned a smile and stepped out. The library itself was pretty much spotless, and resembled more a lab than a place of books. But that was to be expected of a science library, where people really cared about the material. Actually, Shinji was a little impressed by it all, and nearly forgot to stop when he met Rei in the lobby, who had already given her papers to the secretary at the front desk, who said she could take them for her once she was done.
"I am ready to go." She informed him.
Shinji, a little unnerved by his slip-up in Hane's office, took Rei's hand in his, and grinned. He whispered to her. "It makes our lie a little more believable."
"I see....your hand, it is very warm, Minoru." Rei said 'in character', using his new name. She didn't understand why people needed physical contact to believe themselves united to another person, but the symbolism was obvious. And since it suited their needs, she allowed him to hold hands with her as they exited the library and walked the town, even if she was a little embarrassed. She'd never held hands except with Ikari-shirei, but even those memories were very vague and fuzzy.
Shinji didn't find a job that day, but, they did manage to get home without spending too much time commuting. Things were going well enough, and they weren't in dire need as of yet, Rei explained to Shinji, but they could only hold out like that for a month or so before he would need a job. She did acknowledge, though, that luck had been on their side so far. So all was quiet in their residence as they spent the remainder of their evening eating and musing over their thoughts. While Rei dwelled on the practical for the time being, Shinji's mind was on Tokyo-3.
I wonder how Misato is doing, and Ritsuko-san, and the guys. Shinji sat near the big living room window, watching the sunset. How long had it been since they left Tokyo-3? A few days? A week? He couldn't tell. After the bombing, everything was a blur. Was the class alright? Hopefully, not many people had died. He couldn't help worrying about his friends Aida and Toji, and Misato, of course. Misato had been kind to him, even if she was demanding. What was highest on his mind though, was whether or not the Angels had come yet again.
Eventually, the hour grew late, and Shinji was beginning to feel tired. After taking a shower, he settled in for sleep, and before he knew it, Rei was next to him, wordlessly comforting him for what may prove to be a night full of worries and inner demons.
With the weight of his desertion heavy in his heart, but to vague to speak of, Ikari Shinji fell asleep.
-Tokyo-3
Near NERV's Central Dogma
(Earlier that day)
1:00 PM Tokyo-Standard Time.
"This is what we're supposed to wear?" Horaki Hikari said plaintively, looking at the black and navy plugsuit that was sitting in front of her on the bench in the girls' changing room. Nearby, Asuka watched in amusement at the newcomer's disbelief.
In the days following the massacre at Okinawa, there had been quite a hubbub concerning who would fill the shoes of Pilots Ayanami and Ikari. The only seeming good fortune that NERV had was the successful completion of Unit 03 in the United States at NERV-2, with the added bonus of being the first EVA unit equipped with an S2 Engine.
That, for two or three days, still left the planning and operations department of NERV down two pilots and with several unresponsive EVA units, which Dr, Akagi hypothesized would not take new pilots easily. After all, Unit 00 had barely activated with Rei, and was still prone to bugs, and Unit 01 was...the exclusive property of Ikari Shinji. They tried to get Asuka to pilot it, but the feedback created by the mental impulses from both Asuka and the EVA created such utter chaos on the synchro-graph that synchronization, and subsequently, re-activation, a near-impossibility.
When the announcement of Unit 03's completion hit NERV, there was a momentary respite. Yet they still were undermanned. However, before despair pervaded upon the Science Department under Akagi, and while there was an entirely different kind of mood within Planning and Operations, the good news came. They had a pilot.
Horaki Hikari, classmate of both of the deceased pilots as well as the remaining Sohryu Asuka Langley, was determined to be the Fourth Child. It was announced to the members of NERV who were cleared for it as something of a coincidence, and no one paid any mind.
Ikari Gendou, however, knew otherwise. As he'd explained to Fuyutsuki with a bit of annoyance, "The other one—Suzuhara, is dead too, so we can't use him." And that was that, and for the moment, SEELE seemed to be keeping themselves leashed. On the outside.
This of course, was completely unknown to the pilots or Misato. But that didn't stop speculation, especially with the Fourth Child, Hikari, as she dressed into her plugsuit. It was odd, since one had to be completely naked before entering the suit. And the suit was usually cold and slick inside. It was a very unnerving sensation, feeling that cold, smoothness all over, even near intimate parts. She suppressed a shudder, but got along, and hit the suit-retract button that made it form-fitting and even more strange.
"Hey, you don't look half-bad in one of those, Hikari!" Asuka exclaimed with a grin, sizing her friend up in the locker room.
Hikari wasn't amused, but played along for Asuka's sake. A lot had been asked of her lately and since she was the ranking and remaining veteran pilot, she was receiving the brunt of responsibility should an Angel attack. "You think?"
"Uh huh!" she nodded vigorously, finishing off her own plugsuit and donning the Neural Interface Feedback-Inhibitor modules on her head. (A/N: Yes, I came up with that. I know how lame I am. Stop looking at me...) "Hyuga and Makoto will be all over you."
"Damn, Asuka, you always think such eechi thoughts!" She exclaimed only half-scornfully. "You're beginning to sound just like Shinji did, or at least, how you said he did. Or on of the Three Stooges at least."
That hit home. Asuka piped down and looked at the floor. "You're right. But, things have been depressing around here, Hikari, so why do we have to be so serious?"
Unimpressed, Hikari pressed Asuka for more as they got in the elevator to the cages and catwalks to Units 02 and 03. "You can't avoid it that easily, Asuka-chan. You liked him and you know it."
Asuka, cornered, became angry and rebuked her friend abrasively. "I did not! Who would like someone who was such a pathetic dumbkopff? He had his good points, but that was it!"
"Geeze, Asuka," replied Hikari, "No need to get so touchy. Besides, be easy on me, this is my first real mission."
Asuka simmered down, and after several minutes, they were situated in their individual Entry Plugs. Through the com system, the activation statistics were being read by Lt. Ibuki and the two techs Hyuga and Aoba.
On the command deck, Katsuragi Misato stood stonily, holding her own. She hadn't gotten over her grief, but she knew how to do her job, and the way she could to it now was with this A-17 order and take the fight to the Angels. All she could do now, though, was wallow in her anger until she was to leave for the drop-site at the mountain.
"Do you think Hikari can hold up?" Ritsuko asked from behind Misato, sipping a cup of coffee. Ritsuko had been one of the least-hardest hit members of the core group that knew the children. Of course, she felt the loss of Shinji, but in a distant-friend sort of way. Rei on the other hand, was a godsend, yet a grave annoyance. She was her project and he wanted her back. Of course she was alive. No one knew about Shinji, and personally, it didn't matter either way to her. No...Ikari had to have his way with that doll. Actually, she didn't feel like thinking about it, so she focused on Misato's answer.
The Operations and Planning Director shrugged. "She seems well-prepared enough, even given the short notice. I'm just anxious because of the ASDF and the fact that we could all suffer all the more for any mix-ups."
Ritsuko nodded resolutely. "Well then, we mustn't fail. Otherwise it's our asses."
Misato could only grunt. Better the Angels than us. Let them have at it then.
Tokyo-3
NERV Terminal Dogma
Office of Commander Ikari
(That night)
Gendou stared indolently at the scene beyond the glass of Terminal Dogma out onto the lower-geofront. The office was well two kilometers underground, at the base of the Pyramid that made up NERV. Time was passing quickly, and the only think he knew was that he had to take action to appease the Old Men, who even now, hounded him daily and nightly. He cursed them.
"Ikari-kun, you're being brash." Fuyutsuki muttered, moving a mahjong tile on the board behind the Commander with a soft click.
"Please, sensei, don't be so disparaging. Not when that Ryoji is still in our hair and unfortunately, still necessary. Especially in this matter."
Kouzou snickered, "So his assassination of the Japan Industries executives in charge of the JA project wasn't enough?"
"The matter would be over and done with if he could produce Rei." Ikari stated, turning around in his swivel-chair to face Fuyutsuki, and the mahjong tiles.
The other nodded, but then, rebutted just lightly, "Aren't you too concerned about Rei? The scenario doesn't need her until much later. The Adam Project is still on schedule, so we needn't worry that much."
"All the projects are linked, Sensei. You know that as well as I do. Besides, this way we pull up the weed before it grows large." Ikari answered noncommittally.
Kouzou snorted. "And the Fifth Child? Will we need him?"
"It can wait Also, the Old Men aren't very willing to hand him over yet, especially since the development of Unit 03 was ahead of schedule. That was only a maybe in the scenario. They're getting nervous, Fuyutsuki." And it showed But Ikari was content to wait until the last moment before finally acting on that front. He had a month at least before things would threaten to get out of hand. If he could keep SEELE at bay for that long, then he would be satisfied. Still, he needed Rei.
"I see. My they're stubborn. Do you plan on sacrificing Horaki to the 13th Angel?" He looked down at his printed, encoded copy of a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls and frowned.
"We'll see. It may not be necessary, but it should prove interesting." That was the only response he gave to that unsavory question.
Silently, Fuyutsuki cursed them both. He knew what he'd been getting into fourteen years before, but never had he imagined himself becoming so casual with life and death.
We're going to rot in hell, he thought. And we deserve it too.
-End of Chapter 4-
(AN: You can imagine the outcome here, nothing different from Episode 10 I think it is, except for Hikari saving Asuka instead of Shinji. Therefore, I'm not going to bother writing that. But don't worry, I'll write a few combat scenes soon enough! Also, that scene with Gendou and Fuyutsuki was a warped version of the scene in the 'Weaving a Story Part I' Episode, but not really the same, and ended up only having the tiles and the little crossword book as the link .. Either way, I was marginally satisfied that I was finally able to give Hikari a powerful plot position, or at least, a potentially powerful one. She's just too good a character to leave on the side, and personally I believe it was a mistake of Sadamoto and Anno not to give her more exploration and lines. As for our heroes, well, they're getting on their feet but obviously have....issues. I don't want this to get WAFFy too quickly, as much as I love that sort of junk. XD. Now that I have an overabundance of time on my hands, you're getting this stuff about as fast as I can churn it out. Look forward to next chapter: More Angels, the Shinji-Rei Relationship Grows, and Kaji's Conspiracy Theories. Plus, I MIGHT be nice and let Kaoru out. Maybe. Just so I don't have to clean his cage anymore. Thanks for reading, and for bearing with my extended leave, I promise that stuff will come quicker now. Oh, and keep an eye of for 'Jesus', while I only referenced him in this chapter, his exploits will hopefully, become a bit of a comic relief. And for those who have a theory as to who he is a spoof of (not the real Jesus obviously), you're right, and go and tell him, and make fun of him for his evil, awesome hair. Ja ne!-Kazuhiko Kazuki)
Further notes: Since I don't want to go writing and re-writing as I go, I'm going to start this chapter as the 'rewritten' version so the following changes are to be taken into account (they will eventually be written in the earlier chapters, I promise).
1.The Inn at Okinawa DID contain most of the students on the trip. Among the dead are some of the Children's classmates. Poor Toji, I killed his Osakan ass. J/k about Osaka, but he IS dead. -.-
2.The money used to get Rei and Shinji out of Okinawa wasn't from an account but in hard, untraceable currency. No NERV Express for her.
Other changes will be written in and aren't significant enough to mention here, read back once I update the old chapters. So here you go, Chapter four. Oh, and yeah, I can't guarantee the 'freshness' of this writing, since most of my ideas and mental notes are waaay beyond their expiration date. Proceeding chapters I promise will be better. Oh, and feedback, as always is welcome. And a request: If anyone has seen the Japanese film 'suicide club' please email me with suggestions or ideas about how to include several jumping school children falling to their own deaths from very large buildings. Thanks. -
Disclaimer: Gainax owns everything. I mean, EVERYTHING....even this chair I'm sitting on. Kadokawa Owns my underwear, but you don't need to know that. Oops.
Chapter 4: Pathways to Enigma
Kaji Ryoji looked upon the debris of the inn at Okinawa and grimaced. There sure wasn't much left. The main building itself was in shambles, and there were still charred corpses everywhere. The smell of burnt flesh still lingered in the air; the trade winds refused to carry them away. The locale itself had long since stopped smoldering in most places, and now all that remained were the ruins and the NERV and U.N. security forces that canvassed the area.
Snorting, Kaji walked amongst the rubble, and reminded himself of his orders: Find the children, find those responsible, and deal with each accordingly. He knew from his own sources that he would run into SEELE along the way, but that was a matter of course. Both Ikari and Chairman Kihi were running parallel investigations on the matter, and Kaji was now caught in the middle, servant of two masters.
Slowly, the agent ascended the hill behind the burnt-out inn, his dark red tie fluttering in the light breeze that had picked up after much still air. On this grassy knoll, he spotted the Zen arch that stood untouched by the powerful explosions that rocked the surrounding landscape. Interesting, thought Kaji, this area wasn't affected...
After a careful search he discovered there were signs of occupation in that zone of the land they were canvassing. As of yet agents had not analyzed this part of the plot of land, but on a hillside near the garden, there were several depressions and odd items one would bring to a picnic. Among them, half stuck in the dirt, Kaji saw a gleam of white plastic. Bending low, he plucked the item off the ground. On the small card it was written:
IKARI, SHINJI,
Tokyo-3 Municipal High School District
Age: 14, Residence: C/o Katsuragi Misato
First Year
"Ara, it seems that I've been given a break," Ryoji smiled wryly, raising an eyebrow at the student ID card. Perhaps it slipped out of the Third Child's pocket? Most likely he didn't even know it was missing yet. But for Kaji, this was a little hunk of gold, proving the children had been somewhere else during the explosions. Even with the trouble identifying the bodies, there would be no Ayanami Rei or Ikari Shinji among them, he knew. Obviously there was something on their minds about living as EVA Pilots and somewhere along the line, the decided the attack was as good as any reason to get out of dodge.
Silently, he reprimanded himself. These children are in danger from all sides, including me. This is getting interesting.
With that, the NERV agent left the bombing site and went to the closest airport. It was time to do a little old fashioned detective work.
Miyagi-
Asano Residence
Sunlight began to stream into the dank and dusty room from the East, filtering in through slits in the blinds and hitting the sleeping faces of Shinji and Rei. The room was quiet save for the chirping of birds, and drone of cars passing by outside. Yet inside, nothing stirred. If one looked hard enough, they would be able to see the motes of dust in the air, bathed in sunlight, fluttering about noiselessly.
This light, hitting the closed eye of former Eva Pilot Ikari Shinji, served as a wake up call for the sleeping youth. Before he opened his eyes though, he felt a warm mass against his side, and a soft susurration near his ear. Something or someone was next to him, he surmised, as he cracked his eyes open. It took some seconds for them to focus, but eventually, he was able to get his bearings.
Laying next to him was Rei, sleeping peacefully with an arm draped over his chest. When she got there, he didn't know, but he could see that her futon had been dragged to his side as well. 'Why did she come over here?' wondered Shinji in slight disbelief. But before he could even voice such a question, he was suddenly too uncomfortable with the concept of being so close to Rei. She was a comforting presence, but what if she woke up, and caught him staring at her like that? And what of the sudden erection in his pants?
'Damn it, this isn't the time to be horny!' Shinji thought, gripping silently about his own perversion. He couldn't even lie next to a girl without thinking perverted thoughts. But before he could get too deep into his own pathetic musings, the sight of Ayanami's sleeping form captured his full attention.
A porcelain face rested near his shoulder, eyes closed, and mouth partially open, close to his ear. Soft, ice blue locks were draped haphazardly across those subtle features, serving like a screen, protecting her eyes from the sunlight. All in all, the scene was beyond words for the Eva pilot in their beauty. Idly, he wondered if he'd ever thought of Rei as a beautiful person, and realized he really hadn't until now.
"Rei-chan..." he muttered absently, awestruck. His reverie on his companion did not last long though, since those words brought Ayanami out of her sleep without delay. Her hues opened quickly, glinting with reflected light, pools of vermillion staring directly into Shinji's own blue eyes. They seemed to look directly past him, to something in the far distance, beyond him. It made him feel quite ineffectual, and ill-at-ease all over again.
"Yes, Shinji-kun?" said Rei quietly, barely moving her lips. She could not tell what time it was, but from the feeling in her bones she could assume she slept in quite some time, unusually so. What she wanted to know was, what had Shinji awoken her for? "Is something wrong?"
Shinji stammered for a moment before managing a cheerful reply, forcing a bright smile onto his face. Rei's suddenness and lack of good humor made it difficult for him to speak easily with her, even now. "Good morning, Rei....uh, why were you...." He trailed off, unsure of how to phrase his question.
Rei sat up abruptly, examining her situation. It was indeed late in the day, and morning was nearing afternoon. It made sense though, considering they ran on little sleep in getting this far. It would only be natural to make up for it. Shifting her legs under the sheets, she noticed that she was indeed entangled with Shinji, Then she remembered.
"You were experiencing troubling symptoms, thrashing and groaning. I attempted to put a halt to them so you could continue sleeping, Shinji-kun." She informed him emotionlessly. If there had been affection in her actions, they were very-well hidden under her flat tone and expression.
"Nightmares, you mean?" asked the boy with a confused look. Did Rei know what those were?
"Nightmares...?" replied Rei, in an equal amount of confusion.
"Bad dreams, you know?" he tried to enlighten her with another forced smile.
"I do not dream. I would not know, Shinji-kun." was her answer. Somehow both of them realized that Shinji had not been expecting that, and a partial moment of mirth was shared between them. Shinji was surprised, however, that Rei did not dream. 'Maybe that's a good thing though', he surmised, 'that way you can't have nightmares.' But at the same time, he pitied her, because dreams meant hope. Hope of better things in life. After all, wasn't that why they left NERV? Evidently they still had many things to work out as human beings, but on different levels. Shinji immediately felt more responsible for her in that regard. If he could only barely take care of himself, he figured he should repay Rei the favor by helping her live. That train of thought though, suddenly brought a memory back to him unbidden.
He looked from Rei's photograph on the ID card to Ritsuko and Misato, after hearing their accusations that he looked quite interested in it.
"She isn't good at it though," said Dr. Akagi with a knowing look.
Confused, Shinji blurted out, "At what?"
"Living." Was Akagi Ritsuko's smug, a tad insensitive response.
Shinji chuckled to himself. As he came to discover, that day even, by entering the First Child's apartment, her being 'bad at living' was a gross understatement. But one couldn't blame someone on that if they didn't know how to live. Invigorated with his sense of responsibility and yearning to help Ayanami, he recalled one thing that tempered him: he wasn't good at living either.
Rei seemed to notice that Shinji had gone into a reverie, and gave him a penetrating, yet inquisitive gaze. "What is it, Shinji-kun? Do you find something amusing?"
Shinji sobered up a little and snapped out of it, but continued to smile. "I was just remembering when I brought you your ID card, and what Ritsuko-san said to me."
"How is that amusing?" she asked, at a loss for understanding. In some ways, he understood, watching her responses, she was like a child, and in some ways, completely adult.
Maybe this is what you get when you make an adult without being a child, reflected the former Eva Pilot. He shook his head. "It isn't as easy as that Rei. Humor is hard to describe, and I'm not one to do it. It's something that...I don't know, makes you feel happy and laugh, but at the same time doesn't." He shrugged.
"I do not understand." Rei answered coolly.
Shinji put his hands under his chin a moment, and thought, hard. Why did he set these kinds of traps for himself? Oh, how he despised his own incompetence. "It's like thinking something is ironic, or watching something happening, but sometimes bad, that is interesting."
Rei paused, and then furrowed her brow. "Such as watching Katsuragi-chii receive a scolding by Akagi-hakasei because of her drinking habits?"
Shinji brightened, and before he knew it, threw a fist in the air. "Yes! Exactly!" And he laughed too, because Misato always seemed to be criticized for her odd habits, from drinking to food. He still remembered the fiasco with the curry and instant noodles, and the very foul-tasting result.
"Then there are apparently, many things that are...funny." Rei concluded, almost as an afterthought, amid Shinji's whoop of achievement. "Shinji-kun?"
"Hai?" he stopped his antics and looked back across the futon at his companion, wondering what she would ask. Maybe it was time for them to head out and look for jobs.
Rei seemed to hesitate before asking, studying Ikari closely. "Why did you refer to me as 'Rei-chan' before?"
Shinji blanched. He really was only half-awake when he had said that. But she'd been awake, and heard it! His embarrassment showed, as he went from first a terrified gray—an instinctive reaction when spending time with that new girl, Asuka—to a beet red of shame. "I don't know, Rei, it just sort of, came out, you know?"
Rei digested this for a couple of seconds. Then, uncharacteristically, she seemed to smile. It wasn't much, just a tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You are fond of me then, Shinji-kun?"
Shinji hung his head, but couldn't hide his warm, wry smile, even as his dark brown hair hung in front of his face. "I guess so...you treat me well, Rei, and you protected me during the attack on the Fifth Angel, like you said you would."
The albino-like girl inclined her head to the side, weighing this. She didn't pretend to understand most people, and Ikari Shinji the very least of all. Unlike Commander Ikari, his son was a walking mass of complexes that she did not want to really sort out. He acted very differently from most children his age, she knew that much. It seemed he was always afraid, yet not of death. One who was afraid of death did not enter an Evangelion unit. He fought valiantly, and with passion. But what drove him? More importantly, why was he fond of her? Often enough Ayanami Rei wondered about the former, sitting waiting for Shinji to wake up from his multiple visits to the NERV Infirmary. Was that why? She couldn't fathom it really. She knew there were certain social rituals and rites people made when they got close to one another on an emotional level, but she never connected to them. That however, wasn't to be mistaken with the idea that she didn't have emotions. Rei knew all too well that emotions could cloud the mind, and they had, such as her misgivings following a long loyalty to Commander Ikari, whom she was fond of in a certain regard, then grew colder towards once she began to realize how they were being used, even his own son, who obviously was pained and wanted no part in it.
Yet what did she feel when she thought about Ikari, the Third Children, son of the Commander. No, he had ceased being 'Ikari-shirei's son', and had become 'Shinji-kun'. But what did it mean to her? A sort of comfort came to her, when she thought of Shinji. Not necessarily understanding, but a feeling of protection, and...caring. She felt similarly towards him, and sympathized with him, as well as having a good measure of respect for him. There was a certain, unspoken pact of watching out for one another that made them feel more content around each other.
Finally, after a long silence, she managed to approach the issue. "Are you fond of me because of how I act towards you, despite what you perceive me as? Is that why you are kind to me, because I am kind to you?"
Shinji subconsciously shuddered. Because I am kind to you... struck such a chord within him. In truth, what he sought was the kindness of others. The kindness friends and schoolmates had never shown him, the kindness he didn't know from his father. The absence of a kindness and warmth of a mother. Even living with his old sensei, there was no kindness, just courtesy. It chilled him to think that at his core, he was nothing more than a sponge for good treatment, and kindness. It made him hate himself, to have sunk to such a pathetic level, where his chief drive was pleasing others so he was treated well. Did Rei feel kindly towards him because he was Ikari's son, EVA 01 pilot extraordinaire, or because he was a person with worth?
"I care about you, Rei, because you're a nice person. You want to take care of others. It doesn't look like that on the surface, but you always put yourself and your needs in second place, if that. You always do things for others before thinking about yourself. "he sputtered, his hands shaking slightly, which he promptly dug under the sheets to hide them. "You put my life above yours, and saved me. That's the ultimate sacrifice somebody can make, Rei."
For the moment, Ayanami said nothing. Instead, she looked to the side, towards the door of their new room, which was cracked open slightly, some light coming through from the adjacent living space. Then, a feeling of warmth inside her heart, from a painful, yet special memory, provoked her to speak.
"When we first me, Shinji-kun, the Third Angel was making its attack against us when Commander Ikari ordered you to pilot Unit 01. When I fell, with my injuries," she recalled, the scene appearing vividly in her mind's eye, "you held me in your arms to comfort me, and lessen my pain. Then, you piloted in my place, when I would have surely died. You make sacrifices that are of no less importance than my own, Shinj-kun. I feel...less empty, when I am reminded of that, when I see you."
The Third Child looked up from his seat, his hands still trembling and smiled brightly, eagerly, completely surprised that Rei would say that. "Honto ni? [Really?]"
"Hai." When Shinji looked up, he saw that Rei was smiling. Not something that was half hidden or inadvertent, but a full smile, one he hadn't seen since when they were in Unit 00's Entry Plug, and tears were in his eyes, tears of fear for her life, for her safety. She was so angelic, her azure hair clinging to her cheeks and falling just above her neckline and shoulders. Even her normally intense eyes brightened and her eyebrows arched. She looked genuinely....happy, at ease.
Before she knew it, Rei was embraced by the boy's arms, which held her in a gentle, yet firm grip, holding her very close, his head buried in her shoulder. She felt tears on that shoulder, Shinji's tears. Was he sad? Upset? No, she reminded herself, people cry when they are filled with joy as well. Just like that time...
Rei was not moved to tears, but she was indeed happy, and when she heard Shinji's 'thank you, Rei-chan', all she could manage was to hug him too.
After they got ready for the day, and ate at a local ramen shop, Shinji and Rei were prepared to go job hunting. It wouldn't be easy, since both of them had no experience that was meaningful to common people.
"Maybe we can put up signs that say, 'Will Kill Angels for Food'," Shinji joked, despite his anxiety. In very typical fashion, Rei missed the joke, and gave her opinion on the idea.
"That would attract undue attention," she said, "and we no longer have Eva units equipped with AT fields to destroy the Angels."
This actually made Shinji laugh, even if he felt a little bad that it was at her expense. He grinned. "I guess we still have to work on that humor thing."
"I see." She nodded. Rei had already donned her 'disguise', which was the dark brown wig, that somehow looked a little funny to Shinji, due to the fact that seeing Ayanami without that outrageous hair of hers was just odd. They were using their recent first payment and last payment of the rent on the apartment as proof of residence, toting the lease papers that Etsuko had so cordially left with them the day before. Now, in this town, they were Asano Minoru and Asano Kaede, 19 both, just out of high-school. The tough part was next: Finding employment that could keep them going.
Rei had an extensive amount of knowledge, that she acquired both from working in NERV as well as school, which, while she did not pay attention to, still got top marks. Shinji, on the other hand, wasn't blessed in mathematics or any other scientific area, nor was he very personable, but he did take orders fairly well. So, he looked at office jobs. Rei, on the other hand, decided that something similar, yet not as draining as being an errand-girl would suit her best. There seemed to be an opening in the local library for a receptionist and reference expert. For now, that would just have to do.
Shinji followed Rei, or rather, his wife, 'Kaede', to the municipal library, and introduced her to the manager of the establishment under their assumed names. He wanted to be around to see if she would get the job or not, or if the manager was a good person for Rei to work under.
The head librarian of the Miyagi Prefecture Regional Science and Research Library was a man no older than thirty-five, someone who was probably in high-school or college during Second Impact, and his weariness wore on him visibly. Square glasses sat on top of a sharp nose as well as bushy eyebrows and greasy hair. He was also very skinny, equaling Rei in bodily appearance, but of course, more masculine. His name was Hane Kenji, and he was the Administrative Director.
His office, of course, was fairly small, but it was nice enough, if crowded with papers. He sat behind an equally small desk and a large computer monitor that looked a little outdated. But, of course, both Rei and Shinji had seen far more imposing and impressive office spaces, namely that of Ikari Gendou, possibly one of the most powerful, fear-inspiring men on the face of the Earth.
"Ah, so you've come about the help wanted ad? Good." Hane said after they introduced themselves with the usual politeness and directness. "I need someone to do filing and some secretarial work for the library, considering my last person quit to go to Tokyo-3 for some sore of government job."
"Hai," Rei gave him the usual treatment, as if she were back in NERV all over again, going into full-business mode almost automatically, to the unvoiced dismay of Shinji. Well, she did work hard in that state, so for the moment, he couldn't really find fault with it. "How much compensation would there be, Hane-dono?"
Hane gave the strange woman a quick glance, for the first time really looking at her. She was an odd one indeed. Is she sick? She's so pale! He thought idly while writing a figure down on a piece of photocopy paper and sticking it out to her with a free hand. The kid next to her didn't look too impressive either. But then again, there were all sorts, right? Hane sighed and returned to typing, awaiting a response from Asano.
Rei gave Shinji a sidelong glance. "It is enough, provided you find near-equal payment for yourself."
Shinji looked over her shoulder at the pay rate written on the Post-It note and nodded grimly. It was average for a small job like this, but adequate for their needs. Combined with paced use of Rei's cash stash, they would be able to survive a while until he found something better. He gave his agreement with another nod. "Take it."
By this time Hane had stopped typing at his console and looked at the pair again, and produced a clipboard with applicant-data areas blank. "Here, fill this out. I won't ask for experience, this is a library, not a physics faculty, so, have fun. You can fill it out in the lobby downstairs."
Rei took the clipboard and attached pen and gave a simple acknowledgement before heading out without so much as a word to Shinji. He, slow on the uptake, stood there for a moment until he decided to follow her, but a request from Hane brought him to a halt mid-stride, just at the doorway.
"Asano-kun, you're her husband, right?" Hane asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He knew that probing too much would seem impolite, but those to had some weird jive to them that he couldn't shake, so having just a little more information about them would help ease his nerves. After his hiring fiasco involving an illegally-immigrated gaijin who bore a strange resemblance to Jesus Christ crossed with a hippie from forty years back, he'd become just a tad paranoid about who he employed.
"Uh...Yeah." Shinji said, turning around with some dissatisfaction. "Is something wrong?"
"Aren't you two a little young to be married?" he pressed.
Shinji gulped, but masked his unease with forced humor. "I guess you could say that she took my heart away, ne? She was my High School sweetheart."
"Marrying so young is a little irresponsible." Hane commented offhandedly, unimpressed.
"Sorry," Shinji apologized. "I know." Before he could realize it, he was bowing his head in contrite apology, yet, several seconds he noticed the absurdity of it. He wasn't actually married to Rei. Perhaps he was getting a little too deep into his role. I didn't do anything wrong yet I'm saying sorry again. I'm so pathetic.
"Hey, don't apologize to me, kid." Hane was surprised at the kid's reaction to his admonishment, even if it was light. Something was just a little wrong with him. Maybe his wife would give him some self confidence. "Hey, don't get down. You probably love her a lot to have married her so soon, so have fun. Go, she's probably done with those papers by now anyways. Have a nice day, Asano-kun."
"Hai. Ja, ne." Shinji feigned a smile and stepped out. The library itself was pretty much spotless, and resembled more a lab than a place of books. But that was to be expected of a science library, where people really cared about the material. Actually, Shinji was a little impressed by it all, and nearly forgot to stop when he met Rei in the lobby, who had already given her papers to the secretary at the front desk, who said she could take them for her once she was done.
"I am ready to go." She informed him.
Shinji, a little unnerved by his slip-up in Hane's office, took Rei's hand in his, and grinned. He whispered to her. "It makes our lie a little more believable."
"I see....your hand, it is very warm, Minoru." Rei said 'in character', using his new name. She didn't understand why people needed physical contact to believe themselves united to another person, but the symbolism was obvious. And since it suited their needs, she allowed him to hold hands with her as they exited the library and walked the town, even if she was a little embarrassed. She'd never held hands except with Ikari-shirei, but even those memories were very vague and fuzzy.
Shinji didn't find a job that day, but, they did manage to get home without spending too much time commuting. Things were going well enough, and they weren't in dire need as of yet, Rei explained to Shinji, but they could only hold out like that for a month or so before he would need a job. She did acknowledge, though, that luck had been on their side so far. So all was quiet in their residence as they spent the remainder of their evening eating and musing over their thoughts. While Rei dwelled on the practical for the time being, Shinji's mind was on Tokyo-3.
I wonder how Misato is doing, and Ritsuko-san, and the guys. Shinji sat near the big living room window, watching the sunset. How long had it been since they left Tokyo-3? A few days? A week? He couldn't tell. After the bombing, everything was a blur. Was the class alright? Hopefully, not many people had died. He couldn't help worrying about his friends Aida and Toji, and Misato, of course. Misato had been kind to him, even if she was demanding. What was highest on his mind though, was whether or not the Angels had come yet again.
Eventually, the hour grew late, and Shinji was beginning to feel tired. After taking a shower, he settled in for sleep, and before he knew it, Rei was next to him, wordlessly comforting him for what may prove to be a night full of worries and inner demons.
With the weight of his desertion heavy in his heart, but to vague to speak of, Ikari Shinji fell asleep.
-Tokyo-3
Near NERV's Central Dogma
(Earlier that day)
1:00 PM Tokyo-Standard Time.
"This is what we're supposed to wear?" Horaki Hikari said plaintively, looking at the black and navy plugsuit that was sitting in front of her on the bench in the girls' changing room. Nearby, Asuka watched in amusement at the newcomer's disbelief.
In the days following the massacre at Okinawa, there had been quite a hubbub concerning who would fill the shoes of Pilots Ayanami and Ikari. The only seeming good fortune that NERV had was the successful completion of Unit 03 in the United States at NERV-2, with the added bonus of being the first EVA unit equipped with an S2 Engine.
That, for two or three days, still left the planning and operations department of NERV down two pilots and with several unresponsive EVA units, which Dr, Akagi hypothesized would not take new pilots easily. After all, Unit 00 had barely activated with Rei, and was still prone to bugs, and Unit 01 was...the exclusive property of Ikari Shinji. They tried to get Asuka to pilot it, but the feedback created by the mental impulses from both Asuka and the EVA created such utter chaos on the synchro-graph that synchronization, and subsequently, re-activation, a near-impossibility.
When the announcement of Unit 03's completion hit NERV, there was a momentary respite. Yet they still were undermanned. However, before despair pervaded upon the Science Department under Akagi, and while there was an entirely different kind of mood within Planning and Operations, the good news came. They had a pilot.
Horaki Hikari, classmate of both of the deceased pilots as well as the remaining Sohryu Asuka Langley, was determined to be the Fourth Child. It was announced to the members of NERV who were cleared for it as something of a coincidence, and no one paid any mind.
Ikari Gendou, however, knew otherwise. As he'd explained to Fuyutsuki with a bit of annoyance, "The other one—Suzuhara, is dead too, so we can't use him." And that was that, and for the moment, SEELE seemed to be keeping themselves leashed. On the outside.
This of course, was completely unknown to the pilots or Misato. But that didn't stop speculation, especially with the Fourth Child, Hikari, as she dressed into her plugsuit. It was odd, since one had to be completely naked before entering the suit. And the suit was usually cold and slick inside. It was a very unnerving sensation, feeling that cold, smoothness all over, even near intimate parts. She suppressed a shudder, but got along, and hit the suit-retract button that made it form-fitting and even more strange.
"Hey, you don't look half-bad in one of those, Hikari!" Asuka exclaimed with a grin, sizing her friend up in the locker room.
Hikari wasn't amused, but played along for Asuka's sake. A lot had been asked of her lately and since she was the ranking and remaining veteran pilot, she was receiving the brunt of responsibility should an Angel attack. "You think?"
"Uh huh!" she nodded vigorously, finishing off her own plugsuit and donning the Neural Interface Feedback-Inhibitor modules on her head. (A/N: Yes, I came up with that. I know how lame I am. Stop looking at me...) "Hyuga and Makoto will be all over you."
"Damn, Asuka, you always think such eechi thoughts!" She exclaimed only half-scornfully. "You're beginning to sound just like Shinji did, or at least, how you said he did. Or on of the Three Stooges at least."
That hit home. Asuka piped down and looked at the floor. "You're right. But, things have been depressing around here, Hikari, so why do we have to be so serious?"
Unimpressed, Hikari pressed Asuka for more as they got in the elevator to the cages and catwalks to Units 02 and 03. "You can't avoid it that easily, Asuka-chan. You liked him and you know it."
Asuka, cornered, became angry and rebuked her friend abrasively. "I did not! Who would like someone who was such a pathetic dumbkopff? He had his good points, but that was it!"
"Geeze, Asuka," replied Hikari, "No need to get so touchy. Besides, be easy on me, this is my first real mission."
Asuka simmered down, and after several minutes, they were situated in their individual Entry Plugs. Through the com system, the activation statistics were being read by Lt. Ibuki and the two techs Hyuga and Aoba.
On the command deck, Katsuragi Misato stood stonily, holding her own. She hadn't gotten over her grief, but she knew how to do her job, and the way she could to it now was with this A-17 order and take the fight to the Angels. All she could do now, though, was wallow in her anger until she was to leave for the drop-site at the mountain.
"Do you think Hikari can hold up?" Ritsuko asked from behind Misato, sipping a cup of coffee. Ritsuko had been one of the least-hardest hit members of the core group that knew the children. Of course, she felt the loss of Shinji, but in a distant-friend sort of way. Rei on the other hand, was a godsend, yet a grave annoyance. She was her project and he wanted her back. Of course she was alive. No one knew about Shinji, and personally, it didn't matter either way to her. No...Ikari had to have his way with that doll. Actually, she didn't feel like thinking about it, so she focused on Misato's answer.
The Operations and Planning Director shrugged. "She seems well-prepared enough, even given the short notice. I'm just anxious because of the ASDF and the fact that we could all suffer all the more for any mix-ups."
Ritsuko nodded resolutely. "Well then, we mustn't fail. Otherwise it's our asses."
Misato could only grunt. Better the Angels than us. Let them have at it then.
Tokyo-3
NERV Terminal Dogma
Office of Commander Ikari
(That night)
Gendou stared indolently at the scene beyond the glass of Terminal Dogma out onto the lower-geofront. The office was well two kilometers underground, at the base of the Pyramid that made up NERV. Time was passing quickly, and the only think he knew was that he had to take action to appease the Old Men, who even now, hounded him daily and nightly. He cursed them.
"Ikari-kun, you're being brash." Fuyutsuki muttered, moving a mahjong tile on the board behind the Commander with a soft click.
"Please, sensei, don't be so disparaging. Not when that Ryoji is still in our hair and unfortunately, still necessary. Especially in this matter."
Kouzou snickered, "So his assassination of the Japan Industries executives in charge of the JA project wasn't enough?"
"The matter would be over and done with if he could produce Rei." Ikari stated, turning around in his swivel-chair to face Fuyutsuki, and the mahjong tiles.
The other nodded, but then, rebutted just lightly, "Aren't you too concerned about Rei? The scenario doesn't need her until much later. The Adam Project is still on schedule, so we needn't worry that much."
"All the projects are linked, Sensei. You know that as well as I do. Besides, this way we pull up the weed before it grows large." Ikari answered noncommittally.
Kouzou snorted. "And the Fifth Child? Will we need him?"
"It can wait Also, the Old Men aren't very willing to hand him over yet, especially since the development of Unit 03 was ahead of schedule. That was only a maybe in the scenario. They're getting nervous, Fuyutsuki." And it showed But Ikari was content to wait until the last moment before finally acting on that front. He had a month at least before things would threaten to get out of hand. If he could keep SEELE at bay for that long, then he would be satisfied. Still, he needed Rei.
"I see. My they're stubborn. Do you plan on sacrificing Horaki to the 13th Angel?" He looked down at his printed, encoded copy of a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls and frowned.
"We'll see. It may not be necessary, but it should prove interesting." That was the only response he gave to that unsavory question.
Silently, Fuyutsuki cursed them both. He knew what he'd been getting into fourteen years before, but never had he imagined himself becoming so casual with life and death.
We're going to rot in hell, he thought. And we deserve it too.
-End of Chapter 4-
(AN: You can imagine the outcome here, nothing different from Episode 10 I think it is, except for Hikari saving Asuka instead of Shinji. Therefore, I'm not going to bother writing that. But don't worry, I'll write a few combat scenes soon enough! Also, that scene with Gendou and Fuyutsuki was a warped version of the scene in the 'Weaving a Story Part I' Episode, but not really the same, and ended up only having the tiles and the little crossword book as the link .. Either way, I was marginally satisfied that I was finally able to give Hikari a powerful plot position, or at least, a potentially powerful one. She's just too good a character to leave on the side, and personally I believe it was a mistake of Sadamoto and Anno not to give her more exploration and lines. As for our heroes, well, they're getting on their feet but obviously have....issues. I don't want this to get WAFFy too quickly, as much as I love that sort of junk. XD. Now that I have an overabundance of time on my hands, you're getting this stuff about as fast as I can churn it out. Look forward to next chapter: More Angels, the Shinji-Rei Relationship Grows, and Kaji's Conspiracy Theories. Plus, I MIGHT be nice and let Kaoru out. Maybe. Just so I don't have to clean his cage anymore. Thanks for reading, and for bearing with my extended leave, I promise that stuff will come quicker now. Oh, and keep an eye of for 'Jesus', while I only referenced him in this chapter, his exploits will hopefully, become a bit of a comic relief. And for those who have a theory as to who he is a spoof of (not the real Jesus obviously), you're right, and go and tell him, and make fun of him for his evil, awesome hair. Ja ne!-Kazuhiko Kazuki)