As always, thanks to the all the readers and reviewers, especially those from the last chapter, that was my favorite chapter so far.
So, let's start the 2022 season! This one ended up being up a larger chapter than usual, because there were so many scenes about this one that were interesting to explore to tell a better story. A little bit of action, romance and drama this time.
"Hey, Shin-man? Where are you going? They will be there soon and all children must be ready."
"I know, I will come back in a minute. I got to help Rei to come out here and watch it with us. She is still really sick, remember?"
"Man, that sucks. I wonder what I would do if Sakura got hurt..."
It was an important day on the Marduk Institute. The representants of the Ancestral Race, rulers of the entire universe, were going to make an important announcement, but only for the selected children, the last hope of mankind.
"Rei! Rei! Are you there? Oh, there you are."
"Shinji... I don't want to go."
Shinji looked at his sister and offered her a kind smile.
"Hey, wanna see what I got you today? It's a penguin pin, to protect you. And as long as you have it, nothing bad will happen to you, okay? I promise. So, don't worry. Everybody will be there. I know that they would deliver great news to us."
The children stared at the screen, in shock. Kaworu Nagisa repeated again what he had just said.
"Two children from the Marduk Institute will now be chosen to represent the Lilin to the 3rd Impact, an event that will finally define which of the different forms of the seeds of life will be worthy of controlling the book of life and the destiny of this planet. And the children are…"
Shinji's world came crashing down when he heard his sister's name being chosen as the first child.
Toji had to hold the boy who suddenly became dizzy and had a terrible urge to vomit.
"Shinji... Shinji... calm down, man. It's going to be okay."
Shinji looked at Rei and began to cry. The girl looked him in the eye and smiled in a pure, angelic way one last time before she began to walk - with difficulty- towards the vehicle that awaited her.
It was an old, French sports car. The blue color of the car contrasted with the intensity of the red color of a girl's hair, which radiated like fire. At the side of the vehicle, waiting with folded arms, was the second child. Asuka Langley Sohryu. The legend, herself. The pride of Marduk Institute and mankind best hope.
Shinji alternated his gaze between the two chosen children, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he shouted with all his might.
"WAIT!"
Everyone present looked at the boy who ran towards his sister and looked steadily at the screen, where the image of Kaworu Nagisa was still present, sporting a curious smile.
"Mr. Nagisa! I... I..."
"No need for all that formality, Shinji Ikari. Just call me Kaworu."
"K-Kaworu." - he said, as he opened and closed his right hand - "I... I... volunteer to go in Rei's place!"
Everyone looked at him, in shock. Shinji hugged Rei who was looking at him, with concern.
"Shinji... you don't..." - the girl tried to start a conversation, but soon collapsed due to the great effort she had made. Shinji gently put his sister down, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead and looked Toji, who, after a few moments, started walking towards them.
On the main screen, Kaworu Nagisa was still smiling.
"Very well. It's decided. Shinji Ikari, the third child, will join Asuka Langley Sohryu as the Lilin representatives of the Third Impact!"
Shinji got into the car and looked at his companion. Asuka made no mention of wanting to talk to him, turning her body and face toward the window and unconsciously giving the boy a beautiful view of her body and her stunning hair.
"Don't worry Shinji. Asuka has never been much of a chatterbox." - Said the voice of the car driver - "My name is Misato Katsuragi. Winner of the Second Impact. I will be your mentor along this journey."
"Great! Now I'm sure we're screwed. Leave your bullshit to this idiot boy who has only a few days left to live. I'm going to win by myself. I don't need anyone. Especially neither of you!"
Shinji looked with astonishment at the girl and looked back at the driver.
"It's great to see you again too, Asuka. Shinji, later we will talk about this whole situation, but for now try to rest. As soon as we arrive, you will be officially introduced as participants to the organizing committee. A bureaucratic protocol. Try to be nice and answer the organizer's questions honestly. We will have a long day tomorrow."
Shinji closed his eyes and sighed lightly, putting on his headphones and letting the music flow into his mind, totally disconnecting himself from the outside world.
"So, that was Asuka Langley Sohryu. The Red Devil. Charmed, huh? Now the second member of the Lilin team, Shinji Ikari."
Shinji entered the stage while hearing a round of applause and shouts from an audience he could not see. On the stage there was an empty chair next to another chair, occupied by the host, Kaworu Nagisa.
"Ah! That's the young man that is worthy of our grace! The hero Shinji Ikari! The one who volunteered to be here so that his sister wouldn't have to come. What a gentleman! Like a knight in a shining armor!"
"Oh… it's not like that Mr… I mean, Kaworu... I'm not a hero."
"Well Shinji, most people here would disagree with you. In fact, I've received several messages here saying that you're one of the favorites of the fans and many people are curious about you. Especially about your love life. So, Shinji, tell me, is there a special girl back home?"
"No. No, not really."
"Oh, sorry. A special boy then?"
"What! N-no!"
"No? Really? I don't believe it for a second. Look at that face. Handsome man like you. Shinji... tell me."
"Well, there, uh... there is this one girl that I've had a crush on forever."
"Ah!"
"But I don't think she would like to do anything with me."
"She has another fellow?" asked Kaworu.
"I don't know, but a lot of boys like her."
"Well, I'll tell you what, Shinji. You go out there, and you win this thing, and when you get home, she'll have to go out with you. Right, folks?"
"Thanks, but I, uh, I don't think winning's going to help me at all."
"And why not?"
"B-b… because she came here with me."
Shinji returned to his room.
Misato was sleeping on the dining table, with several cans of beer dumped on the floor beside her.
Asuka was standing there, leaning on the wall, looking at him with an emotionless look.
"Have you ever met her before? Misato? You know, Asuka, she is our mentor. She won this thing once. I wonder how she did it?".
Asuka ignored him.
"Look, if you don't want to talk, I understand, but I don't think there's anything wrong with getting a little help. There's so much on our shoulders right now and..."
In one swift movement Asuka held the boy by the collar and pushed him against the wall, hard.
"What the hell was that? You didn't even talk to me when we were at the Marduk Institute. Then you volunteered to come here to try to be a hero only to show off to your sister and friends. And now you just said, for the whole universe to hear, that you have a crush on me? Are you stupid? What is your problem? Are you already trying to kill me? Is this how you want to play? Is that so? Listen here you idiot, I will never let you, of all people, kill me, do you understand?"
"Stop it! Stop it! Let me sleep." - Misato
"Oh, fuck off!" - She said, quickly releasing the boy, letting out a series of intelligible swear words as she left the room, slamming the door angrily.
Shinji sighed, and tried to sleep again.
"Hey Shinji."
Upon opening his eyes, Shinji was faced with his guardian standing looking at him, as she removed her blouse.
"M-misato!".
"It's okay, Shinji. Open your eyes and look at me. I swear I'm not trying to seduce you or anything like that. I just want you to look at me. It will be easier that way."
Shinji took courage to look toward the woman and was met with a shocking sight. A giant, hideous scar that ran from the base of the woman's neck to her belly was all he could see.
"Shinji...I wish I could have spared you a little longer before you had to face reality about this event." - she said, as she sat down at the table again and opened another beer.
"Just like in Second Impact, you and Asuka are going to have to face terrible monsters. Aliens. Alternative life forms that could have been dominant, instead of humans. They...did this to me. And that is the least of my scars. I have nightmares to this day because of them. Can you imagine what that's like, Shinji?
Shinji looked at the woman, with a frightened, steady gaze, as he lightly clenched his fists.
"M-misato. I ... I imagined it would be something like that. That's why I volunteered. Rei wouldn't stand a chance. I know I probably won't be able to win that, but I won't run away. I'll do my best and everything I can to help Asuka win and..."
"STOP IT!" - Misato shouted and quickly finished his beer in a sudden motion. - "You still don't get it, right? Think about it for a while. If the human race won the Second Impact, why am I the only mentor here?"
"I guess… your partner.. Oh… I am so sorry for your loss, Ms. Misato. I can't imagine how..."
"My father."
"What?"
"My partner. He was my father."
Shinji stared at the woman who was now resting her head on the table, almost asleep again.
"Ms. Misato, I... will try to fight harder to avenge his death."
She stood up and looked into the boy's face, offering him a gentle smile.
"You don't have to. He was not killed by an enemy. He sacrificed himself, so that I could win."
"I... I don't understand."
"Shinji... in this damn rigged game, there can only be one winner. One AT-Filed rule. Even if they selected two representants of each race, only one will from one single survivor can be declared the winner. So, even in the best-case scenario, you will either have to kill Asuka or she will have to kill you."
The training with Misato lasted a few weeks. Shinji and Asuka were able to understand the battle strategies and how to act in sync to maximize the chances of victory. But they have not exchanged another word with each other since that night.
"Shinji, Asuka. This is the moment in which we say goodbye. Know that no matter what happens, I and the rest of humanity are grateful for all that you stand for."
"Misato! Thank you so much for everything."
Asuka simply stepped into the elevator without saying goodbye or waiting for her companion, who had to run to get in before the door closed.
Shinji and Asuka leaned into opposite corners of the elevator, avoiding looking at each other.
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why did it have to be you?"
"I couldn't let my sister go and..."
"I know that, idiot. But that's not what I'm asking. Oh, never mind."
Silence reigned again for a few more seconds.
"Asuka."
"What?"
"When I volunteered to go in Rei's place... I wanted to protect her, of course, but..."
Asuka turned her head and looked straight into his eyes for the first time.
"Also... when I saw that, besides her, you also had been chosen I... I just wanted to help you somehow and be here for you. I wanted you to win so you could return home safely. I... I didn't know that..."
The elevator finally reached its destination. Asuka quickly turned toward the door and stepped out, with hurried steps. Shinji followed her, without saying anything else.
Shinji and Asuka stood next to each other, waiting for the starting signal. Misato's strategy was simple: try to get hold of the Spear of Longinus that is always positioned in the center of the arena, a weapon capable of penetrating directly into the soul of the creatures, a power that is more than enough to give its possessor at a clear advantage over the other competitors.
The signal has been given. Shinji and Asuka quickly ran towards the center of the arena, at full speed.
Asuka could already see the prize on the horizon. In a few seconds she would be able to get the spear and…
"Asuka, watch out!"
Asuka stumbled and rolled in the grass after being pushed by her companion.
"Shinji, you bastard! Why did you..."
Asuka looked back to see a trail of destruction caused by a bolt of energy, which struck exactly where she would have been a few moments ago.
In the center of the arena, near the spear, a bloodbath was taking place, in which grotesque creatures were digging themselves out. A two-meter-high spider spewed acid against a floating polyhedron while a shadow on the ground swallowed a gigantic creature, and other strange battles were going on as well.
But none of this mattered to her. She was not concerned with what she was seeing, but with what had gone out of her field of vision.
Shinji.
At that moment, Asuka understood that all the strategy was lost. There was only one thing to do at the moment. Survive. That was what was needed. Not just to win this match. But to find Shinji. She needed to do this. She... needed him.
These were extremely harrowing hours for Asuka. A lot of things went through her head, including surprisingly uncomfortable thoughts that left the proud girl with an increasingly unsure look and countenance.
Until, finally, she found him.
Shinji was lying on the ground, while the bird-like creature flew over his head, emanating a bright light in his direction.
Asuka took a deep breath, and with one precise movement, she managed to hit a rock right on the target's head, which fell to the ground with the impact. Within seconds, Asuka was already in hand-to-hand combat with the creature, using another stone in her hands to finish the job with a direct hit to the head.
Asuka sighed in relief and moved toward the boy.
"Hey. Idiot! Are you alive? Hey, answer me. You can't die yet. You..."
Asuka's speech was interrupted when two hands began to squeeze her neck. Shinji had stood up, in a sudden movement, and, manifesting superhuman strength and a listless look, stood up while continuing to strangle the girl.
Asuka looked at him, confused, as she raised her hand to try to react to the assassination attempt. But, lacking the strength to react, she only managed to place her hand on the boy's cheek, caressing it lightly.
The slight contact, however, was enough to make the boy's eyes shine again and immediately let go of the girl's neck, knocking her to the ground.
"Cough... cough... a-about... time, you idiot!"
"Asuka! Asuka! Oh! Asuka! I'm… I'm sorry. I so sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing, I…"
"Heh… as if. You really thought that I would let you, of all beings of the universe, kill me?"
"I'm sorry. That thing did… something to my head… I…."
"Are you…. normal again?"
"Yeah… I think so."
Asuka looked at him, with a skeptical look.
"You scared me to death. Damn you."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Yes, it seems that you're normal." – she said giving him a pat on his head –"Now, stop apologizing, idiot."
"Ok Asuka… I… thank you for… for.."
"What's your problem? Just spill it already!"
Shinji threw himself back onto the ground, in a fetal position.
Asuka looked to the side, as she saw two white creatures, with a reptile-like face, walking towards them. One of the creatures had the Spear of Longinus in its hands.
"I'll kill you. I'll kill you." - Asuka said, raising her arm in an attempt of removing the Spear from her face.
It was really unfair. She had managed to defeat both creatures. The biggest fight of her life. And she did it by herself. Alone.
But apparently, she underestimated her opponents. She was not strong enough to actually kill one of the creatures, giving it the chance of making a sneak attack that resulted in her defeat.
The white creature smiled as it removed the spear from Asuka's eye and delivered another sharp blow to the girl's arm, who writhed on the ground in pain.
Asuka had no more energy left to fight.
She closed her eye and waited for the killing blow.
That never came.
After a few moments, she caught her breath and opened her eye, trying to adjust her vision and understand what had happened. And as she looked to her side, her mind couldn't fully understand the scene she was seeing.
Shinji had just defeated the white beast. No, that was wrong. He destroyed the thing. He had blood al over his body, mostly in his hand and in his mouth.
The monster was already dead, for sure, and, still, Shinji Ikari continued punching and bashing the creature's head against the ground. After continuing for a few more minutes, the boy stood up, picked up the Spear of Longinus, and delivered another dozen or so blows to the corpse.
Asuka looked at the scene, startled. But she was even more startled when she saw Shinji, spear in hand and looking far away, walking towards her.
The boy threw the Spear on the ground and knelt down, standing over the girl. However, as he looked at the girl's face, Shinji began to cry, as if he once again had just snapped from a terrible nightmare.
Asuka sighed in frustration.
"Come on! It's over. You are supposed to finish me off now and end this thing. So, do it already!"
"No."
"Are you stupid? You know the rules! God damn it! You're such a selfish bastard! Why can't you act like a man for once, accept your win and let me die already?"
"I won't kill you!" – he shouted, making Asuka tremble in fear, before returning to speak in his regular voice – "N-never! I… won't hurt you, Asuka. Also, the Asuka that I know wouldn't let herself be killed by someone like me, remember?"
Asuka looked at him with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"You… are really an idiot. Do you think that I… everything would be better if you sacrifice yourself? Do you hate me that much to the point where you would force me to…"
"No. I won't let you kill me either."
The girl stopped her ranting, looking at him with confusion in her eyes.
"Those things have screwed up with your mind. You know that there can be only one winner. Only one AT-Field standing rule. One of us has to die. Otherwise, this cursed game will never end."
"There is one way…" – he said while reaching for the Spear – "if you and I were both to die..."
Asuka's hand clamped on his wrist.
"No, I won't let you."
"Trust me." - he whispered.
She held his gaze for a long moment then let it go. They stood up, Asuka hugging him from behind. In Shinji's hands, the Spear of Longinus.
"Kaworu! Listen to me! I won't do it! I don't care about the stupid rules of the Ancestral Race!"
His only answer was the complete silence.
"There will be no winners, Kaworu. No more pawns for your game. No more children of the Ancestral Race to keep the legacy going," he said.
Still silence.
"On the count of three, I will impale ourselves with the Spear, piercing our AT-Fields and…I will die together with the girl… that I love. This will be the end of everything."
Asuka gave Shinji's belly one last squeeze as a signal, as a good-bye, and they both began counting. "One." Maybe he was wrong. "Two." Maybe those alien beings didn't care if they both die. "Three!" It was too late.
The frantic voice of Kaworu Nagisa was heard above them, like a thunder that just descended from the sky. "Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the winners of the Third Impact: Asuka Langley Sohryu and Shinji Ikari. The tributes of the Lilin race, the one that will rule this planet until the next cycle!"
Shinji released the spear and collapsed on the floor, exhausted. Asuka laid down, on top of him.
"You're an idiot, you know. To pull up a gambit like that."
"Sorry."
She sighed.
"Stop apol… ah, whatever. I just want to ask one question…."
"I… won't kill you. Ever! Even if I'm fucked up, I won't hurt you! I promise!"
"That was not what I was gonna ask, stupid!" – she said in a serious voice as she closed her eyes.
"Oh…"
"I'm already know that you will not kill me, Shinji. But I need to know… if you will be able to… live with me."
Shinji smiled a genuinely happy smile for maybe the first time in his young life, as he held the girl into a soft embrace, closing his eyes.
