Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion (yet). I guess that nothing is better to avoid writer's block than writing two different series at the same time ^^.
In this chapter, continuing our Shikinami saga, another classic story that have been told in movies and also in series.
Special thanks to Nonameasushin, calborghete, YourBlandestNightmare, SheriffJohnStone, tomdj1701, Author0fntent, HydrationStation, Lovmemichi, Tnomart, deathbringer374 , Western-Otaku, Xce, MAD Marty and our Guests, for the support and for keep reading and enjoying this little game. It's a pleasure to have such readers who are also amazing fanfiction writers. Go check their stories. They are great!
It was a dark and cold night.
A young girl looked with envy at a well-dressed boy her age, accompanied by his parents.
Parents she never had. Literally.
At that moment she realized that she hated the boy. She was jealous of him.
And she felt even angrier after observing the way he looked at her, with a serene, peaceful gaze, even offering her a pure, genuine smile.
That was enough to make her blush and leave the place she was, running towards a dark alley. If she was lucky, she could look for some leftover food until the soldiers ordered by Euronerv could locate her and make her go back to that hell.
However, not knowing the reason for taking this odd decision, the girl changed her mind and decided to hide in a place where she could keep watching the boy, without him noticing.
A few moments later, she regretted that decision and felt bad for having been angry and jealous of that boy.
He was, after all, just a child.
And, from that moment on, he would be a child like her. One who would forever feel the pain of not having the love of his parents.
"Why do we have to keep all those freaks here? Evangelions, Angels, clones, corrupt men from Seele. They are all monsters! Enemies that are responsible for the current state of this world. Keeping them as prisoners is just a waste of resources. Look at this weirdo!"
"Hey, easy… do you know who that is? Kaworu Nagisa! And yeah... he's been a vegetable for more than a decade. Can't think. Can't feel. But he is a legend."
"This monster already has a DSS choker attached to his neck. Just press a button and make his head explode! That damn Katsuragi is so weak. At least she will step down from her position."
"Oh, it's official news? About time."
The Wille's officers were continuing their patrol without realizing that, for the first time in years, the white-haired boy cracked a smile and babbled a few words.
"That's interesting. I wonder how much he's changed. Well, it's been fourteen years. I'd imagine a lot."
Prof. Fuyutsuki... I'm writing to let you know I'm okay... and that you won't hear from me for some time. But I will return... when I know I'm able to protect the people I love. When they need me... I will return.
Asuka stared at the letter, that was displayed in a picture frame, near a photograph from a person that appeared to be one of the Ayanami types, although with a different hair color.
"Who is there?"
"So, I guess you're the one who must know about Ikari's new hideout aren't you?"
"Miss Shikinami. How wonderful to see you again."
"It's been far, far too long. Where is he?"
"Well, I-I'm afraid all of this time being away haven't increased Master Shinji's availability for social encounters, Miss Shikinami."
"I came here to tell him to stop spying on me."
"I don't understand."
"I was out the other night and I felt someone watching me. I know it was Shinji."
"Oh, I see, right, well, that makes perfect sense. So, you come here tonight, risking everything that you've build in fourteen years, just to tell him that you want nothing more to do with him. Is that the kind of gist of it?"
"He left me. Everything we went through, and one day he's just gone. He doesn't get to come back and suddenly appears after fourteen years. And he still believes that he can keep hiding from me and from everyone."
"On this, we absolutely agree. I do, however, feel it might be something that you want to tell him yourself.
"He needs to stay away. Or he will have to face me in the battlefield. That will be my only warning."
"So, things began a few weeks ago. Nagisa has escaped from the Wunder's top security prison and, shortly after that, the failures of infinity began to move and present violent behavior towards the colonies."
"Yeah… It's a miracle that we have so few casualties so far".
"And just when you were about to hand in your resignation. Life is a bitch, huh?"
"That's not the point, Rits."
"Look, things are unstable. If more failures of infinity begin to attack us… it will be only a question of days until Nerv, Seele, the Angels or the rogue pilots also make their moves. It will be chaos."
"You know, I'm old. Kaji is dead. I haven't even got the opportunity to see my son grew up. I was hoping that this world would outgrow me, but it hasn't exactly happened. No one's stepped forward."
"Well, maybe you need to step down to allow someone to step up."
"I will do… but."
"It's all right. I got you, okay? So, let's return to the main issue… the reports from intelligence tells that an unknow Evangelion came out of nowhere, saved a bunch of people and just disappeared in plain sight? Several times?"
"Yeah."
"And what should we do about it?"
"Wait."
The pilot of the Unit 02 looked at the destroyed bodies of several failures of infinity.
"You're there, aren't you?"
"Do you have any idea what you did... ...just leaving like that? You were all I had."
"And I know you wanted to protect me. But I didn't want to be protected. I wanted you!" – she made a quick 180º turn and aimed Unit's 02 pallet rifle at the purple Evangelion that suddenly appeared besides her.
"Say something."
An awkward silence.
"Say something, baka-Shinji!".
"There was no other way, Asuka. I had to go."
The red unit kept the gun aimed at its target.
"So… what happens now?
"I don't know. But I'll never leave again. Please, return your Eva to Wille's forces."
"Never gonna happen and you know that."
The purple giant stared at the red one but, in fact, it was the two 28 years old pilots trapped into children's bodies who were staring at each other's souls.
Two children that had suffered a lot during their childhood and the war and choose different paths as adults.
They are almost the same in some aspects, but, at the same time, they are quite different. It all depends of which way one decides to look at them. Like a bat and a cat.
But their feelings are still the same than they were years ago. They are real. They always were. Even if life has put a lot of barriers and walls to drive them apart.
The pilot of the Unit 02 watched as the purple Evangelion leaped into the sky, only to fade into the darkness of the night.
No goodbye was needed this time. He is back. And he knows that, at that moment, she vowed that he would pay for all the time of absence.
"That's the end of Wille and of the colonies. We can't fight against all those enemies." – stated Ritsuko, with resignation.
"We've been in worst situations before." – replied Misato.
"Now I get why you still hold that cross, commander. You still believe in miracles. It"…
Ritsuko's speech was interrupted by the sound of a purple giant, landing right in front of the landing track of the Wunder.
"Holy Mother. It's Unit 01!"
"That's impossible!" – said Sakura - "Who is the pilot?"
"A friend." – Misato smiled.
