Tears of an Angel

Chapter 14

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...then there was the most unfortunate, miserable, dangerous, and utterly severe of times, like now, when the Eva kids are torn between the life of theater, and the duty of fighting the creatures that pose a great threat to this world of 2015-the Angels. Like most fourteen year-old teenagers, Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Sohryu, Toji Suzuhara, and Kaworu Nagisa like to hang-out (by free will or not) and do things other teenagers like to do; however, they are not like any other teenager. They are pilots of massive mecha-robots called the Evangelions that fight to keep the Angels at bay and in check, but mostly dead and defeated.

With all the hectic events that have happened to Shinji and his friends, this has to be the event with the single most pressure point that can either make them or break them. If you have read from the last few chapters, Shinji and company have sadly, and most unexpectedly, encountered a Angel making its way right toward the high school just as they were in the middle of a semi-good (but twisted) production of the Scarlet Letter. Asuka, having discovered the Angel alert with Toji, borrowed (or abducted) Toji and Shinji to defeat it on its own with no Evas to assist them. How will they win?

"Umm...Asuka?" Toji asked.

"What?" Asuka replied.

"Why are we in the costume room?"

"Because," Asuka said in impatient annoyance, "we need to defeat that Angel on our on turf!"

"Why do we need costumes to defeat an Angel?" Shinji asked. "We already have our Scarlet Letter costumes on."

"No!" Asuka exclaimed. "We need super hero costumes! To defeat a threat, we need to dress like a threat! I know! What better solution than anime super heroes! One-two-three I call Sailor Moon's costume! Yay! I'm the champion of justice, Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon!"

Toji and Shinji looked at one another. They could feel that this plan had disaster spelled between every line. Shinji felt a knot in his stomach.

"Listen, Asuka," he began, "costumes do not make the hero. We can't defeat an Angel without our Evas. We'll be killed for sure!"

"Yeah," Toji agreed, "I wanna see the age of fifteen!"

"You will," Asuka reassured him. "This cannot fail. We've defeated many Angels before, how hard can this one be?" Toji gulped; Shinji gave a weak cry. Asuka hurried them to pick out an outfit to fight in. So, to defeat an approaching Angel (apparently Unit 01) with only a prayer, God is definitely not in his Heaven, and everything is not quite right with the world.

Asuka was Sailor Moon, wig and all. Toji was Inuyasha, and Shinji was Yami-Yugi. Three heroes, three powers, one goal: BEAT THAT ANGEL!

Meanwhile, back on stage

"Hester Prynne!" Kaworu (now no longer Governor Winthrop, but Roger Chillingsworth) called from stage left.

"Hark! Who is there? Who so stumbles upon my solitary misery?" Rei stated. Rei was now really bored of this play. Kaworu, on the other hand, was having the time of his life playing someone besides Winthrop.

"It is I, Hester Prynne," Kaworu said smoothly. He advanced toward Rei with a serious face then kneeled next to her looking her in the eyes. "Well, quite the fall you have taken, eh? I am so ashamed of you."

"Indeed, have you come here to laugh at me further?"

"No, I have come to strike a bargain." Rei's face bore a curious look.

"What kind of a bargain? After what I have done, you probably do not want anything more to do with me."

(To those who have not read or heard of The Scarlet Letter, then this whole scene and play might be confusing you just a bit. So, to save a lot of trouble, I, the author, am going to do a most unexpected event.)

In the audience

"This is pretty interesting so far," Ritsuko said to Misato. "I did not know that Rei had such a natural talent as an adulteress on stage." Misato looked at Ritsuko thinking that she forgot it was only a story being performed. Misato's phone rang, causing people to look at her.

"Misato-chan," said Maya, sitting on the other side of Ritsuko, "you were suppose to turn off your cell phone before the play began."

"Okay, okay, off it goes. Oh! I have a new message. H-E-L-P..? It is from Asuka. A-N-G-E-L..? Umm...ANGEL? Asuka thinks I'm an Angel? Well...that is sweet and good, but I'm really not into girls right now, but if she wants I could..."

"Umm, Captain Katsuragi," Gendo interrupted, "I think Pilot Sohryu meant that an Angel is on the lose." Gendo grunted and laid back into his seat to continue watching the play. "Besides, all the Angels have been defeated. I'm sure it is just a childish prank."

"Maybe..." Misato whispered. She ignored her second thoughts and turned her cell phone off. As Rei and Kaworu began to sing their bargain in a song (an actual correct song from the correct CD), no one in the school knew that their lives were in utter danger!

Outside: ten miles from the high school

"Holy sea-cow! It really is an Eva-Angel!" Toji said. The three teenagers looked around the corner at Shinji's Unit 01, who appeared confused and lost.

"Something's up here," Asuka, in her Sailor Moon costume with wand in hand, said thinking. "The Angel's path.."

"What about it?" Shinji asked.

"Idiot, take a good look!" Asuka had a point. Behind the Angel, there was no destruction, no police or army tanks, nothing at all. "Usually when an Angel attacks, there is nothing but Hell in it's footsteps! Why is it not destroying everything in its path?" Shinji saw her point, Toji too. Just then, Unit 01 started toward the high school at an alarming rate.

Normal Angels just slowly walked at a target, but Unit 01 was skipping so fast, a roller coaster had nothing on it. It looked rather awkward, really. Asuka, Shinji, and Toji, err..I mean..Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, and Yami Yugi stood there in total amazement. Asuka the sprang into action!

"C'mon, guys! We need to defeat that Angel!" She pulled out her wand and ran forward after the skipping Angel.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Toji. "And just how do you propose we defeat it without our Evangelions!" Shinji nodded in agreement nervously.

"Toji, you can use the Tetsaiga and shout "WIND SCAR! And I could zap it with my Moon Tiara shouting "MOON TIARA ACTION! And Shinji can send it to THE SHADOW REALM! Great idea, huh?"

Pause

Awkward silence

"There is three things wrong with your plan, Asuka," Toji said. "One-we can't use magic. Two-If Shinji sent the Angel to THE SHADOW REALM," Toji mimicked in a high pitched voice, "then he would be sending Unit 01 with it! And three- I DON'T WANNA GET KILLED!"

"What a bunch of babies!" Asuka complained. "If that Angel reaches the school, everyone will be killed! Oh my God! Rei and Kaworu are still there! So is Misato! Oh, God! She'll kill us! I don't know for what, but I know she's gonna kill us one way or another! Let's go!"

"YEAH! LET'S GET THAT ANGEL!" Toji and Shinji cheered, afraid of the reason that Misato might really kill them, and they didn't want that. Eva Unit 01 was on the loose! What'll happen next?

TBC... (I hope)