Tears of an Angel

Chapter 13

This is the kind of situation in which most individuals would worry themselves into a coma about. Fortunately, for Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Toji, and Kaowru, this was nothing compared to everything they have been through in their lifetime. However, right then and there, after that humiliating display, the five Eva children were a tad bit embarrassed. But don't worry, they will pull through in a calm, cool, and collected matter...

"Toji, you idiot!" exclaimed Asuka. "How could you just randomly start break-dancing when that stupid song came on? You should've stayed put! Argh! I can't believe this!!"

"Hey! I love that song! And it is not my fault that the CDs got switched by mistake!"

"I think other than that," Kaworu added, "we did the best job we could do, considering we five only had, what, six hours to memorize our lines?"

"That is true," Asuka agreed, "but that was so humiliating! What will Nerv H.Q. think about us now? What will Kaji think about me? Oh, the humiliation!"

"Actually, Asuka," Shinji interrupted kindly, "Kaji is not out there. In fact, he's not here at all."

"Scene change!" called out the stage manager. Mrs. Otonashi was drying the panicked tears from her eyes, then spotted the five Eva kids and pulled them over for a few words.

"Okay, guys...that was s-s-simply an accident, nothing more," she said, although her calm appearance was not that convincing. "B-But you all did a good job so far. J-Just keep it up. Just..Rei...no more random lines about blood and toasters, okay? And Toji, no more break-dancing. This is the 17th century now."

The five teenagers looked at one another. Asuka was tired of wearing a costume that made her look fifty years older than what she was, and Kaworu, once again, wished he could be anyone else, even Hester Prynne, than Governor Winthrop; he thought he gave Winthrop a bad name. Rei stepped forward and took a deep breath.

"I-I'm very sorry, Mrs. Otonashi," said Rei, "but I just froze. I won't happen again, I promise!"

"Yeah, no more break-dancing," Toji agreed.

"I'm sure more will go well in the scenes to come," Shinji said with a smile.

"That's the spirit," Mrs. Otonashi said. "Everyone!" she whispered. "Are you ready yet?"

Everyone put their thumbs up, signaling theat they were ready. The curtain began to open, Shinji, Mrs. Otonashi and the others hurried offstage and behind the left wing wall, as Rei stayed put, sulking in the corner of a painted wall weeping (pure acting) and holding the plastic baby. This scene was when Roger Chillingsworth (Toji) and Hester (Rei) will have their agreement that no person will ever know that they are actually husband and wife.

"This cannot be so...!" wept Rei. "Why? What can I do now?" She wept louder, which was Toji's cue to come in from stage left. Problem.

Toji was staring out the door from the cafeteria , totally bug-eyed with terror.

"Toji! What are you doing?" Asuka called out. "You're on! You totally missed your cue, you moron! What the hell are you staring at?" Asuka walked next to Toji, who was absolutely still with fright, and looked outside. "Well? What's wrong? What is it, Toji?"

"I-I-I-It-It-It-It-...." Toji muttered.

"It what?" Asuka asked impatiently.

Toji's hand began to rise to his heart , shaking with great fear.

"A-Angel..." he whispered.

"Angel? Me? Oh, Toji, that's so nice of you to say about me! Thanks!" Asuka said with a small smile and a blushed face, but her face only became eve more red when it was actually Toji who said it. Toji? Asuka thought, Idiot Extraordinaire?????? WOW!

"N-N-N-NO! I MEAN IT'S REALLY AN ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!!" Toji screamed pointing at a massive creature making it's way straight toward the school. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, it was an Angel, and it was headed their way!

Asuka's face dropped, with her jaw, all of her viable complexion pigments ran away from her face. Oh...my....God....she thought.

Here were the Eva pilots, performing in a warped version of the Scarlet Letter that is NOT going well, and here they are facing an actual Angel with an actual consequence of a few broken bones.

"Hey! Toji!!" Shinji called out from the entrance doorway, "TOJI! YOU'RE ON!! GET OUT THERE!" Indeed it was way passed Toji's cue that Rei was making up the dialogue as she went along. She started to sing a random song about love and betrayal with no idea that an Angel was coming toward her.

The weird part about this calamity was that this Angel looked more like an Eva to the Eva kids. Indeed, it looked a lot like an Evangelion. When Shinji went to the door to see what Asuka and Toji were staring at in horror, he turned white in the face and said: "T-T-T-T-T-T-That....is... my Evangelion. IT'S MOVING ON IT'S OWN. THAT'S NO FAIR! I'M IT'S PILOT!!!"

"What the hell is going on?" Toji asked in a huge panic. "Why is Eva unit 01 moving if Shinji is right here?"

"Never mind that," Asuka shouted. "That Eva is heading towards the school!! All those people are going to be hurt if we don't lure the Eva in another direction...." Asuka paused with a ingenious grin spreading across her face.

"Uhh...Asuka? What are you smiling about? Why are you looking at us that way?" Shinji shivered and said.

Backstage

Mrs. Otonashi was trying her level best not to cry herself into a coma. Rei's scene was at her limit on her own, so Mrs. Otonashi had to go and drag Toji on the stage. How can everything go so wrong so quickly? she thought. Kaworu was walking passed the curtain and beyond the stage prop table when all of a sudden- BAM! Kaworu was pulled aside with a hand over his mouth as though he was being abducted.

"Listen to me," came a low voice from behind his ear. Kaworu was wide-eyed and could not answer back in understandable words. It was Asuka's voice, a dead serious voice at that. (Who knew?) "Kaowru, this is a serious matter. There is a huge problem. I need to borrow Toji and Shinji for awhile, so I need you to go out there with Rei and act out something."

"Mmmffrrrummm!" said Kaworu, which probably meant something like: "What is going on? I cannot go out there! That's crazy!"

"Listen! This is a code red emergency. Shinji's Eva, we think, is possessed by an Angel or ghost of some kind. Toji's cue is over-due, so you need to fill in for him. Do something as Winthrop! Make conversation, something! But don't make this an all-you-can-laugh comedy, ok?"

"Kmmmffgg-lllammmmrrr!!" Kaworu tried to say, which probably meant something like: "How can that be? I was the last Angel! What is going on?"

"Kaworu!" Asuka snapped, tightening her hand around his mouth, "This isn't the time! Just go out there and make something up! Listen, it is too late to run all the way to NERV H.Q. and get our Evas, but Shinji, Toji, and I will find a way on our own, okay? Just relax and stay here. Don't worry about us, okay?"

"Mmmfffmmmrr." That meant: "You positive? B-But-"

"Do it for the play, Kaworu-kun!" Asuka said. "Do it for the play! Do it for us! Do it for Shinji!"

Kaworu's face turned a pale shade of rose. He decided to consider the terms that were so suddenly bestowed against him...and for Shinji, sweet, adorable, innocent Shinji! He thought: "Okay...I'll go." He nodded.

"Good job!" Asuka whispered in triumph, "Okay, now, if you need to contact us when you are not on stage, here, use these walkie-talkies as our communication means." Asuka gave a dark blue walkie-talkie to Kaworu as she let her hand off his mouth. "And Kaworu...?"

"Y-Yes?"

"God help us."

"Indeed. God speed to you, Asuka-chan," he smiled.

Without another moment of hesitation, Asuka stormed out to the cafeteria to retrieve Toji and Shinji. Kaworu heard her quickly saying to Mrs. Otonashi that Toji has collapsed from an over dosage of ice cram sandwiches and needs to be taken to the hospital for further tests. She also said that Mrs. Otonashi should not fear in the least because Kaworu would take Toji's place as Roger Chillingsworth. Kaworu was happy (can't say the same for poor Mrs. Otonashi) because he was glad to play someone else besides Governor Winthrop, whom Kaworu was convinced that he himself did not live up to his caliber playing the part. Kaworu did not waste another minute! He quickly signaled to Rei to keep singing her pointless song as he rushed to change his shirt and hat in something that looked like his new character.

The play is falling down hill and only getting faster at the bottom. An Angel is coming right toward the school and someone could easily be killed. Oh the dramatic irony! Oh the suspense!

Will the play finally go in the right direction? Will Mrs. Otonashi keep herself from going absolutely insane? Will Asuka, Shinji, and Toji defeat the threatening Angel and save Tokyo 3 once again? Will NERV H.Q. bother to see the Eva kids in another performance again? Where in the world is Kaji? Will Kaworu be the best last-second replacement ever? Will Rei ever stop singing?

WHY AM I ASKING YOU ALL THESE QUESTIONS?????

Keep reading Eva fans for the next installment of Tears of an Angel!