Heaven Sent
By crimsonwraith

Chapter 2: No Man's Land

A cold draught ran through the air, barely noticed as it caressed the darkness and murmured into Asuka's ears. But the draught was the last thing on her mind as she eyes the scarlet eyed demon. The young redhead reached into the ether, ready to pull her twin blades into the real world. All she needed now was a sign.

Any sign.

But the other lowered her hand, relaxing her stance and her gaze as Rei turned towards the darkness. "I am not here to kill you," she whispered icily. "That would be… dishonorable."

Asuka lowered her stance and grinned. "A demon with honor? Now I have seen everything."

"Do not misunderstand me," the cobalt haired girl hissed behind her. "I will defeat you, and claim his heart as well as his child. However, I will not place you in any harm. I hope that you will extend me the same courtesy."

"Hmpf," scoffed Asuka, eyeing the demon curiously. "Fine. You have my word, I won't try to kill you. Besides, it'd more… interesting this way."

The demon remained silent, feeling the cold wind blowing against her skin. For a second, she closed her eyes and ran hand through her hair. "I look forward to seeing heaven again." With this, she stepped into the darkness, fading into the night.

Leaving Asuka all to herself, wondering just what her enemy is. True, she was a demon, but there was something about her… something familiar, the pain in her whispers as if cries of a tormented soul. Asuka quickly shook her head and hardened her gaze. "She's the enemy," she reminded herself. "Either you beat her or everything you have worked for in the last ten thousand years would have been for nothing."

Suddenly, she heard a sharp screeching in front of her just as a blue Renault Alpine slid across the tarmac, barely bumping against the curb. Emerging from the drivers side, a all, slender young woman smiled at her warmly. "Asuka, is that really you?"

"Uh… y- yeah!" she stammered awkwardly. Even after ten thousand years, she still found it hard to lie.

"My how you've grown!" Misato carefully slammed her door close and moved over to inspect the girl. "Your figure certainly spilled out since the last time I saw you, hasn't it?"

The young girl suddenly found herself blushing. "Na- naturlich."

Suddenly, the elder woman paused. "Asuka? Is that really you?"

"O- of course!" she spluttered, still finding it impossible to lie convincingly. Then a thought came to her mind. "Hey! Why are you so late anyway, Misato. I've been waiting here for two whole hours… I nearly got mugged just then too."

"Oh, I'm sure you could've taken care of yourself."

"Damn right, I could've."

Standing above the Terminal rooftop, allowing the cool easterly breeze to caress her slender face and run through her short cerulean hair, Rei's crimson eyes pierced through the darkness as it locked onto the copper haired girl as she disappeared into the blue sports coupe which pulled from the curb and drove off into the night.

"Asuka," she whispered, half hidden by the murmur of the wind. "Of all the angels in heaven… why did they have to send you?"

"Rei," a whisper called out in the night air.

Rei's gaze shifted to her side, finding a young boy standing away, staring back at her with his bright ruby eyes. "Kaoru," she hissed icily.

The sallow haired boy simply smiled, turning his gaze out towards the city's flickering lights in the distance. "I should thank you for not slaying her, but may I ask… why?"

She answered with silence.

Kaworu cracked a smile. "I don't believe this whole honor excuse for a second, Rei. You slew Gabriel without mercy, without honor-"

"And you are here for revenge?" Rei whispered.

"No." Kaworu answered. "Revenge is far too lenient, Rei. No. I will make sure that you fail. I will make sure that Asuka, not you, claim his love and his child."

Rei remained silent, watching the lights of the city flickering in the distance like stars amidst the sky. Then she turned to face Kaoru with a bright red flame lit in her eyes. "Be careful, Kaoru. I swore an oath not to harm Asuka, I cannot, however, assure your safety. My only advice is for you to stay away. This is between me and Asuka alone, and neither heaven nor hell will stand between us."

The hallway was illuminated by the glow of halogen light bulbs, humming gently a few inches above Asuka's tawny locks as she watched an obstinate Misato fumbling with her keys.

"Aww! Did I forget the house keys again?" she mumbled irately to herself, before giving up, pressing the Pim Pom doorbell. "Shinji!" she called out into the speaker, "Could you open the door? I sort of accidentally forgot to bring my house keys."

"Again?" someone grumbled on the other side. "Alright, just hold on a second…"

BEEEP

A pneumatic hiss sounded the steel panel sliding open. Immediately, Asuka froze, her senses tingled as she was hit with a wave of tantalizing aromas infused within the atmosphere rushing out of the door. Then she noticed a pair of cobalt eyes, staring blankly back at her, his mouth ajar.

"Oh yeah," Misato paused, smiling brightly at the boy, "Shinji, I'd like to introduce you to Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Child."

Asuka snapped from her daze, turning away to hide her face, which turned a bright red. "Uh… n-nice to meet you," she stammered, hopelessly unable to hide the awkwardness in her voice.

Shinji smiled sheepishly, then noticed Asuka holding a bag in her hand. "Uh, can I help you with that… or are there more bags that I could get for you?"

"No," Misato replied, shifting into the apartment past Shinji, "that's about everything… I was actually surprised. I would have thought that she'd have bring enough boxes to fill your room… at least she's got her uniform for tomorrow- ooh! Curry! Hey Pen Pen! How's my favorite pengy wengy?"

"Aargh," Asuka grunted, as her muscles cramped in her arms. "Damn it."

"Are you alright?" Shinji stepped closer, worried about the girl.

Asuka managed an awkward grin. "Uh, damn cramps. They're killing me…" She started to move towards the door when he saw Shinji standing with a smile across his face. "what's that for?"

Shinji's smile widened. "I know something that should make you feel better…"

"S-Shinji… oh God, no. Please no…" Asuka's voice escaped in short gasps as she sank beneath the boy's roaming hands. Painfully, she held back her tears as she lost herself to his touch. Asuka's grip tightened, clenching a fistful of bed sheets "Ah! Shinji, it- it hurts."

"S- sorry," he replied, "umm, a little higher?"

"Oh… yes. Right there… OH YES! YES!" Asuka melted as Shinji continued to push, finding home into her soreness. Her gasps shortened, she felt beads of sweat rolling down her brow as Shinji continued to press into her. "Yes! Ah! Don't stop Shinji, yeah. Harder! Harder!"

Suddenly, the door creaked open as Misato stepped in with a steaming mug of coffee, only to freeze, finding the two teenagers sitting on the bed with Shinji's hands moving up and down Asuka's back. "Hey guys! I was going to offer you some coffee… for a second there, I thought that you were-"

"Were what, Misato?" Shinji threw over his shoulder.

"Oh hey Misato," Asuka managed, finally collecting herself as she stood up from the bed, "did you know that Shinji's a really good masseur?"

"Not only a masseur," Misato corrected, giving the coffee to Asuka, "he can cook, he can clean and he can pilot the Eva pretty good too. Did you know that he killed his first angel with no prior knowledge or training."

"You killed an angel?" Asuka stammered, stumbling backwards, dropping the mug onto the floor with a loud crash as the porcelain splintered into a thousand shards. "No!"

"Well, the Angels did attacked us first," Misato chirped sheepishly, eyeing the mess on the floor "If he hadn't defeated the angel, I don't think we'd be alive right now."

Asuka paused. She considered educating them about how angels only attack demons, how it was their sworn duty to protect the human race. But then she remembered her mission, and more importantly, they were probably talking about something else. After all, how can Shinji defeat an angel? "I'm… sorry about this. I'll clean this up." Asuka mumbled, heading towards the kitchen. "I guess I should be thankful that I could help out and all."

"You, help out?" Misato's tone sounded to Asuka as more of ridicule. "I was kinda hoping that you were going to show Shinji how it ought to be done."

Shinji frowned. "Misato!"

"The legendary Second Child! With a synch ratio that dwarfs Rei's and your own combined. You could learn a thing or two from her, Shinji."

"But Rei's already teaching me, Misato," Shinji reminded her.

Asuka stepped back into the room with a rag, bending over to pick up the pieces of glass amidst the pool of coffee on the floor. "Ray," she said while she was cleaning, "sounds like a nice guy. As Asuka patted down the last pool of black and picked up the last shard of glass, she looked up, only to find Shinji with a half smile upon his face. "What is it now?"

"Rei's a girl, Asuka," he informed her in a casual manner. "She's a good pilot, and she's… a really good friend."

She didn't know why, but there was something about his voice that was warm, kind and nostalgic, and there was something in his calm blue eyes when he said it that frightened her more than any demon she had faced before.

Like that girl with eyes of fire.

Elsewhere, the room was illuminated by a dozen candles, bathing a young girl with an eerie red glow. Her short blue hair was half hidden in the shadows, but her eyes burned clearly through the darkness. Her footsteps resonated with echoes bouncing off the cavernous hall, stopping a short distance from a desk on the far end. Slowly, Rei bowed her head and knelt down.

"You are late," a voice boomed ominously, the owner hidden by a chair which faced out into a glass overlooking the lush evergreen canopies below. "Where have you been, Rei?"

The girl shuddered at her adopted name. "My lord, I have met the enemy… they have sent Samael."

"Is that so?" The chair slowly spun around, revealing a man, his eyes hidden behind darkened spectacles, his grin hidden behind interlacing fingers. "Will this prove… a problem?"

Rei shook her head. "No, my Lord."

"Good." Slowly, Gendo rose from his chair, paced around his desk and walked over the young girl. "You do know what we stand to gain here, do you not, Rei Ayanami?"

The girl nodded. "Of course, my Lord."

"With the birth of your child, we will purge the earth of heaven's taint. We will pile up their bodies like stepping stones to heaven until our fire burns heaven's gates." Gendo leaned closer over to girl, reaching over her chin and raised her gaze to meet his own. "With your child, Rei, we will take back what is rightfully ours."

"Heaven," she whispered. Closing her eyes, she heard the word echo in her mind as visions of paradise flashed by her. It had been more than ten thousand years since she had been banished, forced to suffer in hell, but her memories of heaven was as clear as ever. Slowly, her eyes opened, and with it, the light, the warmth, the peacefulness, all vanished with the reality of now.

Gendo smirked as he stepped back. "It is time for you to go now, Rei. It is time for school. Do whatever it takes to reach heaven."

Asuka never liked attention.

She preferred to hide in shadows, observe her environment and bid her time before finally moving in for the kill. However, the rules have changed enormously now. Now, she had to endure the humiliation of hundreds of eyes focused solely on her.

"Hey Yoshida," she heard some boys whispering in the back of the room, "have you seen the exchange student?"

"Yeah! Oh god, she's got such a nice rack."

"And an ass to die for…"

Asuka growled, burying her head into her desk, hoping to drown out all the gossip. "This is so degrading," she muttered to herself. "I bet Metatron's up there laughing his face off at me."

Suddenly, she felt a hand fall on her shoulder. The girl looked up, finding a certain white haired boy smiling brightly back at her. "Hello!" he greeted, "So you're Shinji's new friend."

Asuka shook her head, before directing him towards the boy's desk some three desks in front. "Some friend…"

"Well you know what they say… friendship is something you have to work on… just like love."

The girl jolted backwards. "Wh- what?"

Kaoru chuckled, leaning over her ear and whispered softly. "I'm on your side… Samael."

Asuka's eyes widened, her jaws hanging widely as she watched the boy taking his seat to her right. He gave her an acknowledging nod before reaching into his bag to retrieve his books from his bags.

Suddenly, Asuka sensed something dark looming over the room. Her eyes darted towards the door. There, a familiar blue haired girl entered the room, her crimson eyes quickly glancing her way before she took a seat right next to Shinji.

"Good morning, pilot Ikari," she greeted nonchantly, taking her seat.

The boy blushed. "G- good morning, Ayanami."

Emerging from the doorway, an elderly teacher emerged with a briefcase in hand.

A freckled girl stood up at the front. "Class, rise… bow… sit…"

"Thank you, Hikari…" the elderly teacher said. "Today… we will be having a pop quiz on Ancient History. Front half of the class against the rear half of the class. The losing half will be staying back for cleaning duty."

The class groaned collectively as they slowly began to divide, the front half lined up near board, the back half lining up at the end of the room. Asuka quickly smiled. Now's my chance to impress Shinji…

"Alright," said the teacher as he moved to the middle of the room, "you know how this works. If you get it wrong, you have to sit down. Each side takes turns. The team who loses all their members lose. Now to start off the game… front half… where can we find ancient Babylonia?"

Forty minutes later, only four children remained: Rei and Shinji from the front and Asuka and Kaoru from the back. The rest of the children sat at their desks, cheering their side on.

The teacher smiled as her turned his attention towards Shinji. "Remus and Romulus were key figures of which empire?"

Shinji paused with a blank look at his face. He paused and thought about the question for another second. Remus? he thought to himself before taking a punt. "Is it… Egypt?"

The teacher sighed as he shook his head. "No… the correct answer is Rome."

Shinji shrugged before quietly shuffling towards his seat, leaving Rei the only one standing at the front.

"Now, for Kaoru…" he eyed him wickedly. "Who is the oldest dated human being and where was his remains found?"

A smirk suddenly came across his face. "Lilith."

The teacher shook his head. "Kaoru… as the smartest student in this class, I would have thought that you would have known better… the correct answer is Amy, whose remains were found in Africa."

"Of course," said the boy as he moved towards his desk, leaving Asuka on her own at the back.

The teacher smiled. "Now… for sudden death. Whoever answers this first, correctly, wins. Are you both ready?"

Both girls nodded.

"Now… what is the oldest profession?"

As soon as Rei's hand shot up, Asuka's heart fell. "Is it…" she began, "hunting?"

Asuka raised a brow. The teacher followed suit. "Hunting isn't quite right…" he said, "the correct answer is prostitution, which makes the back half of the room the winner."

The bell rang.

"Ah! Front half, please stay behind for clean up duty. The back half can go."

All of a sudden, the back half of the room stood up and hurried out of the room. Asuka quickly grabbed her bag and rushed to the door, only to find Kaoru waiting for him by the corridor. "You should have lost that one, Asuka."

"On purpose?" Asuka shot back.

Kaoru nodded. "Rei is a smart one… she lost that contest on purpose."

Asuka raised a brow. "Why would she want to look like an idiot in front of Shinji?"

"Why won't you have a look for yourself?" He pointed back towards the room.

Curious, the redhead reluctantly leaned in on the door.

Shinji stood frozen, watching as Rei wiped the windows clean. His hands shook at his side as if he were nervous about something. Then with a deep breath, the boy approached girl. "Uh… Rei, can I… um, uh… help you?"

Rei turned towards him and nodded. "If you wish."

Asuka squinted, trying to get a better look when all of a sudden, a hand fell on her shoulder.

"As I said," Kaoru began, "she is clever."

Asuka frowned. "So what? He's just helping her clean the window. Big deal."

"You are wrong…" He pointed to the pair cleaning the window. "Shinji is attracted to her…"

"Shinji's attracted to her?" Asuka challenged. "I mean, the whole doll infatuation just doesn't work. It's so superficial. It's not love."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," Asuka affirmed, though her shaky tone seemed undermine it. She took a quick glance at the pair cleaning the window just as Shinji shuffled closer to the other girl. "Of course… it has to be, doesn't it?"

Asuka – 0
Rei – 1

To be continued