Disclaimer:
Neon Genesis Evangelion is the creative property of GAINAX, who created this wonderful anime/manga series. Anything not attributed to GAINAX belongs to their respective owners, such as references to Rozen Maiden that is the creation of Peach-Pit, Full Metal Panic! is the creation of Shikidouji and Shouji Gatou, Shakugan no SHANA is the creation of Yashichiro Takahashi, The Karas is the creation of Tatsunoko, and vice-versa. This story is written purely just for fun, guys; please for God's sake, don't sue me! I'm just a college student with too much free time on his hands! On the other hand, any specific author created characters I created for this fic (despite how unoriginal they may be at times) are mine. So without further adieu, let's get on with the show!
The Surgeon General's Warning:
Read at your own risk. Multiple pairings inside folks, not to mention some definite parts for Mayumi Yamagishi, Mana Kirishima, and more to come.
Where Infinite Time Stood Still, The World Consumed in Flame
Ore wa jankku ja ne / I'm not junk!
Chapter 02:
Stand Still
A Super-sized NGE fic by James "Ray" Edwards
The pressurized sensation of being shot like a bullet through the complex intravenous network of tunnels, the weight of his body crushing him into the pilot's seat from the increasing G-forces was strangely liberating. Holding his eyelids shut, it took a great deal of his self-control not to break out into blissful laughter at the amusing "thrill ride" that Father had sent him on. Even more laughable was the chatter over the communications channels at the "bridge bunnies" began to spout technical jargon at a kilometer per minute.
Heh, the fools had no idea who really was in charge around here.
"Contact in T-Minus..." the "Girl Bunny" began to count down as he neared the service.
Shinji blocked out all the other noise, gripping the butterfly joysticks a little tighter in growing anticipation for the coming battle. After all, it would be his first time facing an Angel, and he had no intention of using Father's toy. His power alone was more than enough to deal with this measly threat.
The ambient hum of the Evangelion's entry plug gave an abrupt rumbling shudder, announcing that he had finally reached the surface. Opening his eyes, Shinji found himself "standing" just a short distance away from the greenish-black form of the Angel, and he was not impressed in the slightest. This Captain Katsuragi either had great faith in the ability of a spineless wimp or was a complete incompetent, throwing him face first into the arms of his enemy on his first sortie ever. Under normal circumstances, he would have probably been killed.
He could hear the scaffold clamps detaching with a loud hiss behind him, before the entire construct itself retreated into the ground, leaving him alone in a vast playground with plenty of buildings for impromptu cover, electric lights to see, and the Angel for his toy. The pale white moon glowed eerily in the clear night sky, yet there were no stars he could see, as the Angel finally lumbered about to face him, boring into him with those empty sightless eyes. Shinji could hardly wait to begin, but he had to wait just a little longer for his surprise to be hatched first.
"Lieutenant Ibuki, status report!" Misato's rough, military bark echoed over the comm-line.
Girl Bunny answered promptly, "All systems green, Captain. Unit-01 is ready for combat any time."
"Ten-Four, let's get this show-"
"Hold on a second, Captain," interjected Doctor Akagi suddenly, making Shinji's ears perk up ever so slightly.
Here it comes; here it comes!
"Director, this is-!"
"Lieutenant Ibuki, what's the reading on the Third Child's sync ratio?"
"Oh, uh, the data's coming in right now. It's..."
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
Maya hesitated with an audible gulp that nearly elicited a giggle out of him. Oh yes, his father was not going to be pleased in the slightest bit. The punch line was coming right down the corner.
"Um, he's --- borderline, ma'am."
"Say WHAT?" exploded Misato in shock.
"That's impossible; Ikari Shinji, the Third Child was the top candidate selected by the Marduk Institution. What do you mean he's just borderline?"
"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but the data doesn't lie. The Third Child's sync ratio is just enough for him to activate Unit-01."
"Wait, are you saying we just sent up a pilot who can't even fight?"
"Captain Katsuragi, do we appear to have a problem?" broke an older man's reserved voice, not Father's, as all semblance of professionalism was rapidly deteriorating into panic.
Shinji could hear the din of the whispers spreading throughout Central Dogma from the other concerned personnel. Doubt and suspicion festered like a wound in the air, and all the while, Father could do nothing but sit like the figurehead of a sinking ship high atop his post in the command center. He wished he could have been down there just to see the thinnest slivers of muscle contractions on the man's impassive face. Alas, he was stuck up here in a toy that he no intention of playing with and --- oh, look --- the Angel's coming right for him.
"Misato-san!" he shrieked girlishly over the comm-line.
His schooled expression of fright was there for all to see as the Angel drew back its right hand, hurling a fist with all of its thunderous might into Unit-01's grim visage. Sparks exploded briefly in a screech of metal from the Evangelion's face, the panoramic monitor flickering. The sound of rushing air graced his ears as he felt the sensation being thrown back, knocked clean off his feet. The purple humanoid war machine sailed beautifully through the air, spiraling about face like an American football, before smashing face first into a thirty story shopping center thirty blocks down the street. The mall instantly exploded into a cloud of debris, glittering with glass, and flying shrapnel.
It was wonderful, and the best part, he did not even feel a scratch from it. He was rejecting the Evangelion, and thus, he never feel its pain. Judging by the commotion he could hear echoing from HQ, the whole place had broken down into genuine pandemonium now. Captain Katsuragi and the old man identified as Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki were desperately trying to maintain order and not having much success either. After all, no decent human being or even the worst of the lot wanted to die, especially in such a hopeless situation. Shinji could vaguely hear commands to eject the entry plug from Unit-01, a clear sign they had given up on him altogether. It was also his cue to act.
Forcing all distractions from his mind, he emptied the chaos into a wellspring that hummed and glowed in the darkest corners of his heart. The world was empty and hollow. There was no sound, no Evangelion, no Father: nothing. There was only him, and his heart was full.
"Fuzetsu," he murmured beneath his breath in a voice below the frequency of human hearing.
Instantly, a black field crackling with electricity erupted from his body spreading rapidly outwards, invisible to ordinary human eyes and all man-made instrumentation. It consumed everything in all directions: left to right, back and forth, above and below. The machine city came to a stand still as time stopped, and the voices of the panicking NERV personnel ceased. It was peace and yet it was not peace.
Shinji smiled openly for first time he entered this dead place as he felt the power flowing through his eager, hungry veins. The searing heat from within bubbled to the surface, until every inch of his body began to glow an unearthly white. The liquid LCL in his lungs evaporated into bubbles that were expelled from his opened mouth, cleansing him free of the blood he did not desire. It was filthy, unsightly, and an unexpected surprise when they had started pumping the entry plug with its foul contents.
He would have to make Father pay for it later, but for now...
In a roaring white flash, the boy disappeared from the pilot's seat only to appear several blocks away from the fallen Evangelion, clad still in his school uniform. With fiery ardor filling his heart, Shinji gazed in wonder at the masterful beauty he had created once again. A world within a world, the amorphous eternal night had taken shape and form under the grace of his spell. The once pale moon hung a bright golden amber in the clear sky, and all around him, the street lights seemed to dance and come alive with a purpose of their own, as the empty buildings glowed with a faint dark light.
"WHO DARES?" thundered a booming voice that sent the wind howling in the air.
Lazily, Shinji glanced upwards, focusing his attention upon the speaker, and found that he was not in the slightest bit disappointed by the caliber of his foe. This would be interesting fight, after all, aside from the ridiculous size difference:
"So that's your true form, huh?"
Hovering down the street was the same Angel he had encountered only moments ago, a gigantic monstrosity that blotted out the sky with its great bulk, except it had undergone a noticeable change indeed. Every ounce of flesh that had once adorned its body had been stripped clean, leaving behind only a hulking macabre skeleton, bleached white and pure like ivory, with two equally skeletal wings sprouting from its back. The "head" remained disembodied, a pair of avian-like faces hovering in its open rib cage above the red sphere, the Angel's core, as an awesome shining golden halo hung above its gruesome form.
It was a marriage of death and beauty, and the young Ikari was impressed by the decor. He cared not for the bones or the halo because what he really wanted was still the crimson, blood red core, glowing with its own inner light. Something inside was tugging at him, calling him, as if it were begging for him to take it. He was more than happy to oblige.
"You're not like anything I've ever met, Shito-san," Shinji spoke up to the Angel cordially. He was unfazed utterly by the ominous, unearthly approach of the otherworldly being, towering well over hundred above himself where he was reduced to the status of an insignificant ant in its shadow.
"LILIM," the Agent of Heaven answered.
"'Lilim'? Hmm, and I was expecting a more clichéd response, but I'll make a note to look it up later."
"DIE."
The Angel's hollow eyes flashed a blinding white as the air exploded spontaneously with a roar. Where Shinji once stood, an immense cross of pure energy emerged into the sky, incinerating the entire block beneath its seemingly holy brilliance. Surely, nothing could...
"Though I got to say, your manners're about on par with the average Rinne or youkai. At least a Tomagara or a Flamehaze would've had the decency to talk a little more before trying to disintegrate me to dust, wouldn't you say?"
Suddenly, a barrage of bright humming vermillion lights sliced through the night sky, hailing right down on top of the towering titan. Multiple explosions rocked the Angel as the vermillion lights struck its form like piercing needles before detonating, sending the creature veering backwards with a groan. Blindly, the Angel lashed out in retaliation, exploding an energy cross in mid-air that turned night into day for an instant.
"On the other hand, your aim's just as bad."
A black blur shot through the smoldering black smoke emanating from its body and struck its left face with an deafening roar. The Angel shrieked in audible pain as the bone shattered like glass, revealing half of the face beneath. A pupil-less yellow "eye-like" organ gazed out for a moment, trying to zero in on the tiny form of the blur leaping away before a whistling object, gleaming briefly in the moonlight like metal, pierced the organ. Green blood spurted everywhere as the Angel writhed and wailed terribly.
"By the way, there was another present in the one I left you."
The blue fireball exploding out of the Angel's eye obliterated the left face entirely, sending the skeletal titan reeling back. With the left face gone, the right face immediately shifted into the central position, tracking about rapidly in an effort to locate the deadly interloper. A trail of laughter from above, cawing mockingly like a crow, drew its attention skyward. Silhouetted against the moon, a black shape took form in the guise of a giant crow, wings spread in flight, as its eyes shined crimson red.
"Now that've you seen this, you'll --- DIE."
The crow exploded into a shower of black feathers as a blue streak shot through the night, a screaming arrow destined only for one target. The Angel returned fire with another energy cross, but the blue arrow pierced straight through the attack, shining brightly just moments before it struck. The face shattered on impact as the titan burst into azure flames, the golden halo above catching fire as well. The apostle gave a last death cry before collapsing backwards with a shriek, crashing thunderously right on top of the crouching black figure.
The giant mass of blue flames scattered everywhere like wildfire, hotter than the pyres of Hell, and yet they did not burn. The figure emerged from the wreckage, a male clad in armor from head to toe, glowing white-hot. His two red eyes fading into an ambient blue, he held up his left hand and the silver ring wrought with roses upon his finger shined brightly. The dark light of violet amethyst drew was a beacon, drawing in the blue flames and absorbing them all until not an ember remained.
"Phew, I feel completely full," the armored warrior's voice echoed with a metallic rancor. "It goes to show that the bigger they are, the more power of existence they've got bottled up inside too. Still, even a reputed Messenger of God was no match for me."
With the flames consumed, the dark light from his ring faded, revealing his true form. The intricate armor was a glossy obsidian embellished with a golden trim and silvery decals. Flexible and sleek, each piece fitted together exactly, custom tailored and beyond the crafting of anything from this world. He was liken to an assassin, half-samurai and half-ninja, with a long nodachi slung across his back, the hilt bound with chains to prevent it from being drawn. In truth, he resembled something of an armored crow demon with the avian-like flourishes on his helmet.
The medallion embedded into his neckguard glowed red, as if reminding him of the task at hand. Glancing skywards, the assassin found the large red sphere, the Angel's core, mercifully unharmed and ripe for the picking. He could hardly his own anticipation, chuckling greedily, as he reached out with his right hand, glowing white with power, and made to grasp it, even though all he held was just air. The sphere shuddered briefly but soon complied with his will, gliding obediently down before him.
It was perfect, absolutely perfect. His helmet shined and gave way in a shower of golden feathers, revealing Shinji's boyish face twisted grotesquely in greed, bearing his glistening white teeth openly as his blue eyes danced with an inner light that bordered on lust. Lovingly, he caressed the crimson surface, glossy and reflective, and despite the cold unfeeling metal encasing his hands, he could feel the warmth radiating through, the surface eerily soft like a woman's fine creamy skin. The thing inside was still calling to him, giving off a ringing chime like the sound of bells.
The boy could hardly contain himself any longer, his mind racing with questions and desire. What was inside? Could it be more treasure for him? Something more to help fill in the gap, the void that always hungered for more? Suiguntou always did like to laugh on the occasion, comparing him to the equivalent of a human vacuum, but he did not see anything wrong with it. After all, he had the power, and since this was the case, he could have anything he wanted.
Anything.
If he wanted more, he would have more. Of course, he would never do anything to unnecessarily hurt or anger his dear beloved Suiguntou. He knew how to share too, and if she wanted something, Shinji swore he would tear existence itself apart to give it to her.
"Now then, I suppose, it's about time I claim what's mine," he chuckled darkly. His right hand glowed white-hot once again as he fed his power into it, easing it gently through the barrier that separated himself from his prize. It gave way easily, the membrane accepting him almost obediently, welcoming him inside. He reached in with the entire length of his arm, his nimble fingers searching longingly for something to grasp.
Shinji certainly never expected to be grabbed back. The ethereal sensation of graceful slender fingers intertwined with his own, stopping him dead cold with a shudder of surprise. It was warm and feminine, smelling of snowdrops in full bloom, innocent and sweet, and it was coming towards him. The red sphere began to shine white like a beacon, brighter and brighter, disintegrating into pure white feathers as the presence drew ever closer.
"What the hell?"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes:
Well, I decided to come around and give this one another go, folks. Thanks for the encouragement, more or less, and boy, is Shinji weird or what? He definitely isn't normal considering he just took down a freakin' Angel on foot! Still, what is this power he speaks of? What's a Rinne? What are Youkai? Tomagara no Guze? Flamehaze? The Power of Existence? What does it all mean? What is Shinji exactly? Why was his sword bound? What does that ring have to do with anything? What was inside the 3rd Angel's core? How the heck did he manage to gain the power to stop time? He's only got a borderline sync ratio? What's NERV going to do with him now? What's going to happen next, dammit?
Well, we'll just have to wait and see, eh?
For those of you who have tuned in, I'd like to thank you all very much for your patronage, and I always encourage each and everyone of you to feel free to comment, review, and/or discuss the story. Your comments can really make a difference, I assure you, and if you're up to it, feel free to ring me up on AIM, or even send me an e-mail (although you really don't need to boost my ego too often).
Well, that wraps it up, folks, so until the next time we meet: Rock to the Path of Awesomeness! And may the Force be with you!
P.S. If you want to know what Shinji's armor looks like exactly, its one of the black suits of armor worn by Karas under Yurine's command, namely Otoha's version (his has blue eyes) with the dual-eye visor versus a single piece visor, in the upcoming anime The Karas licensed by Manga Entertainment. Head on over to the Anime News Network and just follow the links as it's quite good stuff by Tatsunoko Productions, same folks who brought us Tekkaman Blade, which had some sweet armor/mecha designs too.
Tsudzuku!
