Disclaimer on chapter 1

A/N: W00t, stuck again! Chapter 14 of RL is almost done though!

--

A loud slap echoed in the room, as Yun Guan simply left the room for the two kids to have some privacy. The foreigner who had just introduced herself quickly pulled her dress back up.

"Why'd you slap me?" The boy asked, no idea what had just happened.

"Because you're a pervert!" Asuka shouted back to the boy who had just seen her half naked.

Shinji rubbed his slapped cheek. "You know, for somebody who seemed so ready to submit to your fate, you certainly retaliate with force." He mumbled.

"What did you say, Ikari?" The red haired girl sounded annoyed.

"Don't call me that!" Shinji shouted angrily.

"Why? Want me to be close and snuggly to you and call you by your given name?" Asuka said in a tone that could be called 'arrogant', 'annoyed' and maybe 'inconsiderate' if you knew about Shinji.

"I've been exiled by my father." The boy said coldly, as he looked away. This seemed to have struck a nerve in the foreign girl.

"Oh..." Was all she managed to say, before forgetting everything she wanted to say. She then found an interesting item on the bedpost. "Hey, is that weird looking sword yours?" She reached for it, and as if the boy had been standing right behind her, a blurring hand zooming to her wrist.

"Don't touch that, FOREIGNER!" He spoke, shouting the last word as he moved, the look on his face suggested extreme hate and anger.

"W-What did you call me!" Asuka was agitated by the word he used. "I have a name, and I certainly don't like to be called a foreigner by another foreigner!"

"You're not worthy enough to touch it!" The boy seemingly ignored her as he hung the sword across his back. Asuka was taken aback by this comment, and slapped him again.

This time, the slap was stopped with a firm hand twisting her arm.

"You westerners need to learn your place." The boy whispered in a threatening tone, as he left the room in a calm, calculating rage.

"What's with the spineless wimp...?"

--

Yun Guan had heard the word foreigner being shouted, and immediately he understood what was going on.

"Xiao Mi! Take over for a while!" He shouted to his daughter, before he walked to the staircase where Shinji would be sure to come down from. Sure enough, Shinji had came, hate and anger seeping from every pore in his body.

"Shinji, it isn't good to dwell on past hatred." Yun Guan tried to get through to the boy, but he was simply ignored. "Shinji!" He raised his voice, and got no reaction still.

Convinced that he would need more than voice, the man spun the thin boy around and stabbed him in a pressure point, which immobilized him.

"What do you want, Yun Guan?" Shinji finally took notice of the man.

"You shouldn't dwell on hatred, Shinji." The man told the boy with a teaching tone.

"I live my life as a wanderer because of my past, Yun Guan. You can't understand."

"But I do, because before I settled down, I was just like you." The man smiled upon seeing the boy's surprised face. "But my father did a disastrous thing. He killed men because he felt like it."

Shinji could only stare blankly at the man whom he had known to be a kind and caring bartender.

"He abandoned me, so I didn't know. Then, he was killed by his best friend." Yun Guan continued. "Then, my mother left him with me. But... She died too." His eyes threatened to well with tears at the memory. "So I was all alone, and his best friend took me in."

Shinji tried to form words of protest, but found his attempts useless.

"So one day, I hurt one of their family servants by accident in a friendly duel. I was scared, so I ran. When I had escaped, I joined various schools of martial arts, where I learned martial arts and swordsmanship. Until I joined the the Tai Ji Jian Pai. During the final entrance exam there, I accidentally killed my opponent with a forbidden technique I was not supposed to know." He smiled a bitter smile. "So I resumed my adventuring, and I eventually found out who had killed my father."

"So how does this relate?" Shinji finally had said. "My mother did no wrong."

"I understand that, but let me finish." Yun Guan said, as he released the pressure point. "So I sought out revenge." He sighed a sad smile, as if it pained him to discuss this part. "I killed him in a dishonorable way, and I thought nothing of it. But he was a hero to the people. He fought the corrupted judges and governors who taxed the people heavily for their own personal gains, defended the people against bandits and thieves, bought food for them with his own money..."

Shinji thought about what he had said, and understood.

"I killed a hero, because of my hatred. I sunk into the lowest of low amongst martial artists, and I willingly gave up my life of adventuring, and settled down in this remote little village." The man gestured around him. "This is what I have now, a bar, a peaceful life, a loving family. But I regret what I did, Shinji. I wish you wouldn't make the same mistake." With that, the man left Shinji to digest what he had said by himself. He himself returned to serving customers.

"I understand..." Shinji murmured to himself, ashamed he had let his emotions and memories get the best of him. Standing still and thinking deep for what seemed like an eternity, but really just minutes, he decided it would be best if he returned to the room where he had left the foreign girl.

--

Asuka stared blankly into the door, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The boy had shown her such hate when she reached for his sword, and yet before that he had seemed like a innocent, spineless wimp. Hearing murmuring downstairs that sounded like Yun Guan, she thought of the possible scenarios. But before she came to a conclusion, the talking stopped, and Shinji had came through the door, looking as if his pet had died.

"I-I'm sorry for my outburst." The apology surprised Asuka. "I... I have a grudge... Against your kind." Shinji admitted.

"Grudge? What kind of grudge?" Asuka asked, curious as to this hatred he had bore.

"The grudge I held for my mother's death, my father's insanity, everything!" He shouted, anger again flickering in his eyes. "But... I shouldn't live on it anymore." His head lowered, as well as his voice. It seems yet another nerve in Asuka had been struck.

"I... I see..." Asuka once again found herself unable to speak, but luckily for her, Shinji broke the silence.

"This sword... It's all I have left of mother..." The tears in his eyes now unmistakable. "I... I didn't want one of the killers touch it... But I guess I should only blame it on those who were involved." He forced a smile, and held the sword out. "You can be the third person since mother's death to touch this blade."

Asuka found herself unable to protest, and unable to keep up her facade, as she reached shakily for the sword as if it would consume her like a beast. Laying her hands upon it, she felt the smooth, ethereal material of the strange handle and sheath. Unsheathing it, the light reflected off of the well-kept blade mixed with her face, made more beautiful by the mystical metal that reflected her.

"I...It's a beautiful sword." She found herself saying, as she willed herself to replace her mask. The sword seemed to draw her in the more she stared at it, and she found herself feeling the flat of the blade with the hand that was holding the sheath from the handle up. Reaching the tip, her hand was cut by the sword and started to bleed. Yet, she felt no pain. The blood seemed to envelope the blade, as they dissipated, coloring the edge red. "Huh?" Asuka looked at the blade, surprised that a drop of blood would do such a thing.

"The nameless sword of Ikari house, a masterpiece which hypnotizes those who tries to connect to it without being a member of the Ikari lineage." Shinji smiled, as he carefully retrieved the sword. "I don't need to sharpen it. This... Isn't made from regular metal."

Asuka was visibly shocked by this. "What is it made of, then?"

Shinji didn't know how to answer, because the details had been kept from him. His mother was supposed to tell him at the age of 10, but his mother died way before then.

"I heard... It was made from an enchanted stone that drinks blood, dug up in this country." Shinji tried to explain. "It was what had made me interested in coming to the mainland. There's so many mysteries here, so many adventures."

"A stone? Drinking blood? Who had heard of such nonsense?" Asuka laughed at this, but Shinji remained serious.

"Who had heard of a soul-stealing armor from the west?" Shinji's eyes flickered with hate and sadness. Another nerve had been struck in Asuka, all in the span of less than one afternoon.

"W-what...?" Asuka again found herself speechless. "T-that's impossible!"

"Except I saw it work! On mother!" Shinji's teeth bared, his eyes narrowed, but he was making a visible attempt at suppressing anger.

"So... That's why you hate Europeans, is it?" Asuka averted her gaze, unable to let him see the weakness in hers. "I understand..."

"But it's all in the past... Now, enough about me. What are you going to do, separated from your family?" Shinji smiled as he looked at the girl.

"I have no family." Her voice firm and with determination, as she looked back at the boy with a smile on her face. "I don't need one."

"Well, you still need a place to stay, right?" Shinji asked, amazed at her strength, but hid it in case of making her think he was inferior.

"Well, yea, can't expect me to sleep out in the streets can you?"

"Well, if you offer to be a waitress here, I'm sure Yun Guan will find you a place." Shinji smiled, and began to walk towards the door.

"Where do you live? Don't tell me you're a waitress too." She giggled at her own joke.

"Ah, well, I sleep in the bamboo forest outside the village whenever I can."

"And when you cant?"

"I pay for a room here." Shinji answered, and disappeared into the bar. A few moments after he got outside, a loud chorus of cheer was heard outside the room, mostly about the street performer who saved the village. The girl within the sanctuary that was the yet to be rented room stepped out to see what that was about.

What she saw was a bunch of girls swamping a poor, blushing boy as the men all held their jars of wine into the sky, banging them like wild savages as they emptied them with a single gulp. Yun Guan was beaming from the business behind the counters, and Shinji was scrambling to get away.

"I-I'M IN LOVE WITH ASUKA!" Shinji shouted, trying to get away, hiding behind the red haired girl he spotted up the stairs.

"Says who, baka-Shinji?" Asuka grabbed the boy and kicked him back down the stairs, back into the crowd. Everybody laughed as Shinji scrambled out the door.

"Hey, why not join us? Shinji said he'll pay for you." Yun Guan told the girl on top the stairs. "If he ever gets back, that is." Yun Guan chuckled at his last sentence. Asuka grinned an evil grin, and began ordering the most expensive combination of food and non-alcoholic drinks.

"Heh, to somebody that saved you and is willing to pay for your food, you sure are cruel." Yun Guan laughed.

"Well, my price has been paid." Asuka replied with a confident smile, and waited for her food. When it arrived, she found herself staring at a roasted boar and a pot of tea. "You can't be serious, a meal this big but nothing better than this basic form of tea?"

"Well, what did you expect, girl?" A man said behind her, as he took a seat right next to the girl. "Say, you're pretty good looking. How much is Shinji selling you?" The man was met with her standing, followed by a kick in the face.

"Hentai!" She kicked the man again in the rib and returned to staring at her food. After a few groans from the man on the ground, she began to carefully dig in like an extra elegant wolf. Just then, a tired boy returned, dragging a dead boar behind him.

"Ugh... I think I lost them." Shinji collapsed on the floor. "Yun Guan, here, payment..." He said before panting heavily.

"Hey! Shinji is back everybody!" A man shouted, and everybody ordered another round of wine.

"Baka-Shinji! Get up!" The red haired girl left her food to tower over the half-dead boy, and nudged him in the ribs lightly with her feet.

Shinji looked up, and saw the same blue haired girl appear behind Asuka. Shinji used all his resolve to not look away this time.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked. Asuka seemed surprised. "Not you Asuka, the person behind you!" Using his best efforts not to blink, he waited until everybody looked at the girl behind Asuka. Once everybody had looked that way, Shinji let out a sigh of relief as he finally blinked.

"What are you talking about? There's nobody behind me." Asuka looked annoyed.

"B-But she had blue hair and red eyes!" Shinji retorted. "And she was right behind you!"

"You're imagining things." Asuka said coldly. "Now get up!"

Shinji complied with her orders, and sighed. He was being ordered around by a girl who was to be sold, and whom he had saved.

"Are you sure you're being sold by the bandits, and not the other way around?" Shinji mumbled quietly, but Asuka still heard him.

"Baka!" She shouted, as she kicked the boy in the shin and stormed off back to her boar.

"A-Are you sure you can eat all that?" Shinji looked at her in fear for his wallet. His boar might not be as big as that one.

"You're gonna eat it with me!" She declared. "And don't try anything funny, or you're going to have to crawl."

Suddenly, the leg she had kicked felt extremely painful for Shinji. Deciding it was best not to joke around with her, he reluctantly limped and sat next to her. It was then Yun Guan chose to show up.

"Nice boar, Shinji. You choose animals better than you choose girls." He joked, and got a death glare from the girl he was referring to. At that, he laughed. "My point proven."

"Well, I guess that wouldn't pay off this huge one you have for her, will it?"

"Shinji, you don't know much do you?" Yun Guan smiled. "A boar is not for only its meat. Everything about it is a treasure. The bones and tusks are used to make accessories, some of the guts and innards medicine, and the meat into what you see here. This boar will be sufficient."

"Thank you, Yun Guan." The boy smiled and turned back to the girl. What he found was the girl running to the washroom stalls. Hurling sounds could be heard afterwards. Shinji stared blankly at where she disappeared to, wondering what had just happened. Shaking off what happened, Shinji decided to commence what he had planned to do tonight. "Yun Guan! I'll have 2 jars!" Shinji shouted.

"In a hurry to grow? Don't get into any fights, Shinji, I'm sure none of us can beat you if you have that sword of yours." Yun Guan replied, as he got two waitresses to bring Shinji what he wanted.

Shinji grabbed the first jar, and began chugging it down. That was when Asuka returned.

"Asuka, what's wrong?" He asked, stopping his drink mid-way.

"N-Nothing... Just had a few servings too many of Chinese medicine, that's all." She answered. "I don't feel like eating anymore."

Shinji shrugged it off, and resumed drinking.

"Are you sure you should be drinking?" Asuka asked, amazed that Yun Guan would let a boy his age drink. Instead of an answer from Shinji, Yun Guan was the one to answer.

"Drinking is a part of being a man in our tradition. Being a westerner must make you feel out of place."

"Especially if you keep on calling me a westerner." She thought to herself, as she poured herself another cup of tea. The two were left in peace as the rest of the bar celebrated.

Shinji finished his first jar, and looked at Asuka who was still drinking tea, her appetite still gone. He felt a bit queasy, but otherwise fine. Deciding he shouldn't drink anymore for a while, he pulled out his sword, and cut off a piece of the boar, not wishing to disturb the massive mess made by Asuka's teeth marks. Carefully, he ate the piece of meat without getting his saliva on his sword, and he began cutting off another piece. It had been sort of a habit for Shinji since during his childhood, not many guests appreciated food he got his drool on.

"You know, Shinji, I'm not eating anymore. Don't worry about me." Asuka said.

"It's a habit." Shinji replied, as he put the second piece of meat into his mouth.

"How does the wine here taste?"

"Pretty good." Shinji replied casually, as he began slicing yet another piece of meat. "You can have my other jar if you want." Shinji continued, bringing the meat to his mouth.

Asuka simply nodded. The rest of the night gone by without much, except for a slightly drunk Asuka nearly killing whoever that tried to hit on her. Out of respect or fear for the boy who saved the village, none had started a massive bar brawl revolved around her.

--

Shinji sat by his favorite bamboo stalk, and looked up at the moon. "A beautiful moon... A beautiful forest... A beautiful beast. Mainland had been such an adventure to me, and today I had played hero." He smiled. "But who was the blue haired girl?" He lowered his head and stared straight ahead. The girl was there once again, the moonlight only enhanced her enigmatic beauty.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked, without blinking. The girl simply stood and bowed. The wind blew, and a leaf covered his vision. When the leaf had made way, the girl was gone again.

"What is she? A shinobi?" He sighed to himself, as he turned to a panda behind him. Watching the black and white bear slumbering from a distance, he felt weary himself. Pulling out his sword, he cleaned it on the tall green grass, and made a light cut on his wrist. The blade feasted on the blood the small hole drew, the edge covered in red. "If I told everybody you were a pet, I bet everybody would laugh." He chuckled.

"Yes, I would." A figure, slim and feminine, slipped through the forest. Her hair brought an unusual shine of moonlight, much like her naturally pale skin, though the mysterious blue haired girl's skin was even paler.

"Why are you here?" Shinji asked, as he looked once more at the moon, as if the moon had answers written on its surface.

"Those perverts kept on asking my price." She answered in an annoyed tone. "Mind if I sleep here?"

"Don't disturb the beauty." Shinji warned, as he brought his blade up with his uninjured arm, having it reflect an eerie red on his face. "A beautiful sword to those who call them warriors. But to me, the only beauty is the memories of mother embedded within... And the fact it talks to me."

"Talks to you?"

"It tells me things when I feed it. Each glow shows an omen, that's what my mother told me." Shinji wipes the last of the blood on his would onto the sword, and the sword glowed a more blood-like red onto Shinji's face.

"Sure, now help me get comfortable." Asuka demanded.

"There is a giant patch of grass, over there." Shinji pointed. "Lay the grass down and sleep on it."

"Wait, you want me to sleep on the ground!" Asuka was surprised by the instructions she was given. "What do you think I am, an animal!"

"N-No!" Shinji stammered, trying not to make the girl feel insulted. "It-It's just that... Um..." Shinji tried to find an explanation, and found it in the form of a beast.

"Stop doing that!" Asuka shouted, annoyed at the boy.

"Sorry!" Shinji reflexively replied. "It's just that I don't want to disturb the forest."

"Fine! Well, keep mumbling about your beautiful things around you when you got another one right here!" Asuka pointed at herself with confidence, and made her way to where Shinji had instructed her to go. Laying the grass down as a thin, flat, natural bed, she stared at the night skies. "It really is beautiful..."

--

Shinji smiled as Asuka fell into deep slumber. "Westerners are weird, and why does she have a Japanese name?" He thought to himself. "I'll find out some day. My time in this village is about to be up. I wonder what she's going to do."

Shinji sighed. He was in knee deep into something that was more a burden than any 11 year old could handle. A life was at stake, and he was responsible for it. Somehow.

"Sorry..." He murmured, before laying on his patch of grass. He closed his eyelid, and let darkness take over. His sweet dreams followed.

Somewhere in the shadows, two red eyes watched. But as soon as they closed, all traces of them ever being there faded.

--

On Asuka's side, it wasn't so peaceful, however. "Who does he think he is?" Asuka attached a string of curses verbally under her breath to that thought. "But... His father didn't want him, and his mother died too. He said something about a soul stealing armor... Could it be...?"

Knowing she was alone, she let a tear fall. "Why did he remind me? Ikari... I think I've heard of the name somewhere before."

--

"Rokubungi-kun, what's the meaning of this?" Fuyutsuki asked the new head of the Ikari bloodline.

"I am doing so to bring Yui-chan back, Fuyutsuki." Gendo replied, coldly.

"And so you summon these vile things? You're a monster, Gendo!"

Just then, a blue haired girl stepped into the conversation. "I have located Shinji, Ikari-dono." Gendo simply smiled a warm, affectionate smile as he nodded in gratefulness.

Fuyutsuki visibly suppressed his urge to kill Gendo that moment in time.

To be continued, when I get stuck with my other fic again!

A/N: The rest of the normal cast will be introduced when the time is appropriate. I mean, Misato and Kaji won't just go on a honeymoon in China, will they? Oh wait, that's a good idea!

I am torn between doing an Episode 26 Rei or doing the Normal Rei. I can characterize the former better, but whenever I do the latter she always seem too talkative for me. So, LIEK VOTE PLZZZZ!

Also, I'm not confident if I can actually do Mana justice and make her in character, since I only played a little of Girlfriend of Steel, and don't understand it all that well, and was just choosing random choices. I really don't know her well, but she likes Shinji from the start so she's awesome.

Also, I used wine because sake is a Japanese term, therefore I don't feel it appropriate to be used in another country.