Disclaimer: Sorry for such the long wait. I've been kind of busy with school and stuff. Now that I'm on spring however, I can catch up on some much needed updates. In no way do I own Neon Genesis, that right belongs to the boys at Ganix studios. Review or flame, it's your choice to make. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the show.

Chapter Two: Day in a Life

Dark clouds rumbled angrily as they blotted out the sky and bathed the land in darkness. Massive wings of pure light burst from the tortured sky, hoisting a gigantic monster with burning red eyes from the center of the storm. The creature's eyes seemed to lock right on him and it let out a blood curdling roar of primal fury. Nathaniel cried out in terror and woke up, a cold sweat running down his face.

"It was just a dream," he told him self, looking around the dimly lit room. Running his hand over his face nervously, he stood and walked over to the window. He reached up and pulled the blinds open, allowing the mornings first light to flood the room. Even though it was still early, Nathaniel could see people rushing about on the streets below trying to get to work.

"I should probably go see the superintendent about renting the apartment again," he thought. Regarding the scene below with one last glance he turned and walked out of the apartment.

"I don't even know where they live," he realized, standing in the middle of the empty hall. A door opened a couple of apartments down from him and a little girl with black hair wearing a book bag ran out.

"Come on mama we're going to be late!" She called back into her apartment. A moment later a woman with light blue hair and a pale complexion stepped out and knelt down by the girl, zipping up her jacket.

"Excuse me," Nathaniel called as he approached the two. The woman looked up and he paused, the woman's eyes were a dark crimson and they seemed to study him with curiosity.

"Yes?" She questioned her soft voice barely above a whisper. Taking a deep breathe, Nathaniel attempted to regain his composer.

"Do you think you could tell me where the superintendent lives?"

"Yes, if you follow me I will show you," she stated picking up her daughter and standing. He followed the two to the elevator, standing off to the side as they boarded. The woman pressed the button for the first floor and put her daughter down. Nathaniel could feel the woman's cold eyes studying him and it gave him the chills.

"I have seen you before," she stated suddenly.

"I used to live in the apartment a couple of doors down from yours," he replied.

"Yes, I remember, why do you not live there anymore?"

"I've been in the hospital for awhile and my apartments up for rent now, that's why I'm going to see the super attendant."

"What was wrong mister?" The little girl questioned. Nathaniel looked down at her and smiled.

"And what's your name?"

"I'm Yui; my daddy named me that 'cause he said I looked just like his mama."

"It's nice to meet you Yui, my name is Nathaniel," he greeted. "I don't think I caught yours," he stated looking back at the girls mother.

"That is because I did not give it," she answered flatly. The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. The woman knelt down and picked up her daughter, steeping out of the elevator.

"The super attendant lives down the hall, the last door on the right," she said, pointing down the hall to his left.

"Thank you."

"Ayanami."

"Excuse me?"

"My name, Rei Ayanami."

"Well thanks for the help Miss Ayanami."

"It was," Rei paused for a moment. "Pleasant seeing you again Nathaniel, good luck." She turned and headed towards the main entrance, Yui waving at him as he watched them go. Nathaniel walked down the hall towards the super's apartment, his right hand twitching nervously. Reaching up, he rapped a knuckle against the wooden door frame.

"It's open," a voice called from inside. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room he found himself in was an image straight out of better homes and gardens. All the furniture was neatly arranged and the floor was spotless. Looking around he saw a book shelf on the other side of the room with rows of cookbooks arranged alphabetically.

"Whoever lives here must have a serious case of OCD," he thought. A sign by the door caught his eye and he leaned closer to read it.

"Please leave shoes on mat before entering. Thank you!" It stated.

"Like I said, OCD." He slipped off his sneakers and left them beside a pair of women's dress shoes.

"I'll be with you in a minute!" A female voice called from the kitchen. Nathaniel walked over to the book shelf and started to leaf through one of the books.

"Can I help you?" A voiced asked from behind him. He replaced the book and turned around. A woman with black hair pulled into two very long pig tails and light brown eyes stood before him in a light grey, semi-formal business outfit and holding a tray of tea. Her eyes were widened in recognition and she almost dropped the tray.

"Nathaniel?"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Her expression went from surprise to shock.

"It's me Hikari, you don't remember me?"

"I don't really have much of a memory at the moment, sorry."

"No don't apologize, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, not after what happened," she stated, a hint of disappointment evident in her voice.

"What happened, does it have to do with why I was in a coma?"

"You were shot in the head." Nathaniel's eyes widened in shock, the image of a dark figure pointing a gun at him flashed in his mind. The same searing pain as before split his skull and he felt his legs start to give out.

"Oh, god, Nathaniel are you all right?" He felt Hikari's hands on his back trying to keep him upright.

"Come on and sit down before you fall over," she said concerned, leading him over to the sofa.

"Drink some of this," she ordered, forcing a cup of tea into his hands. Taking a sip he felt the dizziness slowly fade.

"Can you tell any more about what happened?"

"All I know is what the police told me, you were shot in the head and ended up in a coma. After a while I began to think you weren't going to make it so I had your apartment put up for rent." Nathaniel looked down absently at the tea in his cup, letting the information sink in.

"You know, if I hadn't woken up when I did the hospital was going to pull the plug on me," he spoke quietly. Hikari placed her hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" He questioned, facing her. "It's not your fault." The two sat in silence for several minutes, absently sipping at their tea.

"Did they ever find who pulled the trigger?" He asked suddenly.

"They never said, I'm sorry, I just wish I could be of more help to you."

"It's alright, you tried your best."

"Did you want to rent your apartment again; I mean that is why you came to see me right?" Nathaniel nodded.

"Do you think I could?"

"It wouldn't be a problem, do you remember what rent is?"

"No."

"What do you remember?"

"Nothing up until yesterday," he replied. Hikari adverted her gaze from Nathaniel, hiding the expression of sadness.

"Hikari?" she looked over at him, snapping back to reality. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, wiping her eyes.

"Are you sure, it looked like you were crying."

"Allergies." Nathaniel regarded her with a concerned gaze.

"If you still want the apartment, rent is 23,000 yen every two weeks," she said abruptly.

"That's going to be a problem; I don't know what I did for a living."

"You'll have to find a new job anyway; you were laid off after you went into a coma." Nathaniel stared at her in disbelief, were people really that harsh that they'd cut their loses like that?

"Thanks for all your help Hikari, I really appreciate it," he said as he stood.

"That's what friends are for Nathaniel," she smiled, leading him to the door. "I wish you the best of luck, and anytime you just want to talk, feel free to come and see me."

"I'd like that very much," he stated smiling. Slipping his shoes back on, he made his way into the hall.

"'Bye," she called after him and closed the door. Leaning against the door she sighed and buried her face in her hands.

---

Nathaniel grunted in effort as he pushed open the door and dragged several bags of groceries in with him. Using his shoulder to close the door behind him he headed towards the kitchen.

"At least I still have a refrigerator," he said to no one. After putting up the food he slumped against the counter and looked down at his scratched arms and now tattered pants. After several hours of looking through the want ads in the paper and using a payphone, he had come across a job as a pet sitter at a dog owner's house.

"I guess I'm not much of a dog person," he thought remembering how he had been used as a chew toy for a pair of extremely nasty German Shepard's. "At least she pays in cash, I should keep this job, at least until I can find a better one." Grabbing an apple off the counter, he entered the living room and sat down in the same corner by the window, watching the people below going about their business. Biting into the piece of fruit, he listened to the voices coming from the other apartments, savoring the sweet taste in his mouth. He thought back to the way Hikari acted when he told her he couldn't remember anything. He leaned back against the wall longing to be like the people around him, happy and carefree knowing that there was someone out there that cared for them. With a sigh he closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.

---

Voices, he could here voices. Soft at first to low for him to make out, but they grew louder until they were a cacophony of agonized voices screaming in pain and anguish. Out of the swarming masses of screams a single voice made it's self clear, it was soft, but stern and it called to him.

"Buddy, hey buddy." Nathaniel crashed back to reality and looked up at the person speaking to him. "You alright man, you look out of it."

"Yeah, I'm good; could you tell me where I am?" The man behind the counter looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're telling me you don't know, what are you drunk?"

"Not as far as I can tell."

"You're at the Ryoji Bar and Grill, you came in here about a half an hour ago, signed up for the Karaoke contest, ordered a scotch and have been staring at it for the past fifteen minutes."

"I did?"

"I've heard of sleep walking before, but you take the cake man, hey, you better get ready the contest is about to start and your up first." Nathaniel turned and faced the stage towards the back of the bar, watching as a quite beautiful woman with violet hair stepped up to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual Ryoji bar and grill karaoke contest, myself and of course Kaji will your judges for the evening so I suggest our contestants try their best," the woman spoke. "So let's get started with our first contestant Nathaniel Crow!" Nathaniel stood shakily and made his way down to the stage.

"Hey watch where you're going asshole!" A red haired woman snapped as he bumped into her.

"Sorry," he apologized. The violet hair woman handed him the micro phone as he climbed on stage.

"Hit it Kagi!" She called to the bartender. He nodded and walked over to the machine that was set up at the end of the bar, pressing several buttons. A soft mournful tune began to play over the speakers that seemed to drive into Nathaniel's very soul.

"Wait I know this song," he thought as it grew in intensity. Taking the mike from its stand he knelt down on the stage with his head down, waiting for the opening to reach its crescendo. As the final cord to the opening rift was played Nathaniel looked up.
"Crowded streets are cleared away one by one, hollow heroes separate as they run," He sang into the mike, slowly standing up.
"You're so cold keep you're hand in mine, wise men wonder while strong men die!" He stared at the audience swaying to the music and letting it soothe him.
"Show me how it ends it's alright. Show me how defenseless you really are. Satisfied and empty inside. That's alright let's giving this another try!"
"If you find your family don't you cry in this land of make believe dead and dry. You're so cold, but you feel alive, lay your hands on me one last time!"
"Show me how it end's it's all right. Show me defenseless you really are. Satisfied and empty inside. That's alright let's give this another try!"
"Show me how it ends it's alright. Show me defenseless you really are. Satisfied and empty inside. That's alright let's give this another try! It's alright."
"It's alright!"
"It's alright!"
"It's alright!"
"It's alright!"
"It's alright!"
"It's alright!"
"It's alright," Nathaniel trailed off on the last line letting it hang n the air as the music ended. The audience starred at him in disbelief before breaking into applause.
"That was amazing," the violet haired woman said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Let's here it one more time for Nathaniel!" The audience broke out into applause as he walked off towards the bar.
"Now for our next contestant please welcome Saske Sagawa!" the woman called out, one of the audience members walking up to the stage.
"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Kagi questioned as he sat back down at the bar.
"Don't know." Nathaniel sipped at his drink as the next few contestants went, listening intently to the songs played and the style that they used. Half way through his second drink he was called up to the stage again to start off the second round. He glanced around the audience, his gaze falling across the red haired woman he had bumped into earlier. Something in his mind clicked into place, he had seen her somewhere before. Something unfamiliar began to build up in him as he searched his fractured memory for the woman's face. The feeling grew stronger as the opening to the next song began to play, a song that seemed to fit the growing emotion perfectly.
"There must be something they're hiding, must be reasons that no-one will dare to tell," he began to sing, swaying in time to the music keeping his focus on the red haired woman, like he was singing this song just for her.
"There must be something inside me, but I don't think so anymore. It's hurting again now, and I don't need friends when I have foes like you."
"It's hurting again now, its killing me to be here all alone. Go away. It's all the same. There's more for me."
"As the world falls away, and I can't find a reason. As the world turns to grey, it's killing me and unwillingly and I am just the same as you."
"There must be something confided. Must be someway to feel the pain and heal again. Pain and pleasure, inviting I don't think so anymore. Its hurting again now and I don't need pills when I have drugs like you. It's hurting again now, its killing me to be here alone. Go away it's all, there's more for me." Nathaniel stared out at the woman intently meeting her confused gaze.
"As the world falls away, and I can't find a reason. As the world turns to grey, its killing me unwillingly and I am just afraid."
"As the world falls away, and I can't find a reason. As the world turns to grey, it's killing me unwillingly and I am just the same as you."
"I'm just like you, just not a fool; I'm just like, just not as cool. I'm just like you, just not fool, I'm just like you," Nathaniel finished the song, never taking his eyes off the woman; he now had a name for the emotions the brought on, familiarity and anger. He stepped off the stage, watching as someone sitting next to her spoke to her. She met Nathaniel's gaze once more before shaking her head in response to her friend. He ordered another drink and sat down, waiting for the other singers to go before he went up again. Kagi traced Nathaniel's gaze to the woman's table.
"You know Asuka?"
"Is that her name?"
"Yep, Asuka Langley Soryu."
"She seems familiar, but I can't place where I've seen her before."
"She's single; want me to hook you two up?" Nathaniel nearly choked on his drink at the statement and fell off his stool. "Guess not."
"How do you know her?"
"I used to baby-sit her and her friend Shinji. If I didn't know any better I would have thought the two were joined at the hip because they were together so much. I always thought that they'd end up married ya know."
"How come they didn't?"
"Her mother died while she was in high school, after that it all went down hill, she started doing drugs and almost killed her self before. Shinji was there for her the entire time, but every time he tried to help she just pushed him farther away. After awhile he left and got married to another girl named Rei, I guess he just couldn't take what Askua was doing to her self anymore," Kaji explained.
"Is she still like that?"
"No, thank god, I think the shock of Shinji just leaving her like that brought the world back into focus for he, she went into rehab for awhile and then went off to Stanford and got herself a masters in psychology."
"Well I guess if I ever go crazy I can look her up," Nathaniel laughed.
"So what's your story?"
"Not much to tell, woke up yesterday from a three month coma, found out I got shot in the head, re-rented my apartment, and got a job as a dog babysitter for a bunch of German Shepard's who like to use me as a chew toy." Kagi stared at him blankly before bursting out laughing. Nathaniel narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"You're serious?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
"Tough break man, just hang in there and it'll work out, life has a funny way of doing that."
"Yes well life has a sick sense of humor." Nathaniel stood as the he was called to the stage for the final round. He looked around the audience, Asuka and her friend where no longer at their table, but had moved to the bar and was talking to Kagi. Kagi moved down to the karaoke machine and hit the play button.
"I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind. I left my body laying somewhere in the sands of time," Nathaniel began, getting into the beat of the music.
"I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon. I feel there is nothing I can do, yeah."
"I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon. After all I knew it had to been something to do with you. I really don't mind what happens now and then as long as you'll be my friend at the end."
"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well will you still be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might. Kryptonite."
"You called me strong, you called me weak, but still your secrets I will keep. You took me for granted all the times I never let you down. You stumbled and bumped your head; if not for me then you'd be dead. I picked you up and put you back on solid ground."
"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well, will you still be there holding my hand? I'll hold you by my side with my superhuman might. Kryptonite."
"Oh whoa whoa."
"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well, will you still be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might. Kryptonite."
"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well, will you still be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might. Kryptonite."

TO BE CONTINUED-