02:8 – Patience

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

I could feel that unfamiliar emotion stirring inside of me once again. In the past few days, it has been bothering me, flaring up when I am close to him. Initially I considered asking someone about this feeling, then realising that would be foolish; the Commander believed such things to be without purpose and thus I should not allow myself to experience them…yet, I found myself unable, or perhaps unwilling to let those feelings go. In order to keep this change in myself a secret I decided to seek knowledge elsewhere, visiting the school library. I found a number of books there, many of which described the reactions I was having to Ikari. Apparently, I was attracted to him and wished to engage in 'sexual relations'. In other words I wished to become one with him…

I was puzzled by this most basic of human interactions so I decided to delve further, requesting directs from the female librarian as to where the books on sex could be found. I was surprised when the woman flushed slightly, blood rushing to her cheeks as she pointed me to the shelves near the back of the library. I did not fully understand the cause of her behaviour, perhaps it was to do with the fact that according to a number of sources I had consulted, the open discussion of sex among adult was often frowned upon and considered embarrassing. On arriving at my destination, I began to skim the shelves, looking for suitable reference material. I located two such titles and quickly returned with them to the desk, requesting to check them both out. The librarian flushed once again when she read the titles before checking them out and handing them to me. I thanked her quietly and departed, choosing to return to my apartment to study the books more thoroughly.

I read both books numerous times over the next few days along with a few others that I had obtained previously. Of particular interest was one book I had found, a discussion of teenage courting rituals, apparently if this book was to be believed, the Second was currently courting the Third, her aggressive behaviour towards him a way of catching his attention and the insults and derogatory comments a way of warding off the interest of rival females. This of course might prove to be a problem, especially if the Second refused to relinquish her claim. To my knowledge neither one of us has had formal combat training thus any resultant conflict over the Third Child would likely be long, drawn out and messy: an unacceptable state of affairs.

A more suitable method would be to approach Ikari directly, binding him to me without alerting Soryu to my intentions. This was a far more suitable plan although it would require the right conditions to be put into action…the synch test later that day provided ample opportunity the Second Child was distinctly unhappy with the Third as he had now passed her synch ratio. From what I have seen she takes great pride in having the highest synch ration, despite the fact it bears little relation to battle performance. At present Ikari has defeated the majority of Angels to emerge so far; his kill total is far in advance of that of Soryu. Even so, she remains blind to this reality, a fact that I may well be able to turn to my advantage. I departed the locker room quickly, leaving Soryu to rant.

I found Ikari shortly afterwards although from the expression on his face I judged that this would not be a good time to approach him. It also came to my attention that his face was somewhat swollen, the faint outline of a hand indicating that the Second must have slapped him. When he departed I considered following him but decided against it, it would be best if I bided my time and found a better opportunity to present myself.

The following day the next Angel had surfaced, throwing everything into disarray. I was pleased to find the Second was still angry with the Third although it displeased me greatly when she caused him to be placed into greater danger. In truth I had been surprised by his actions, I would not have expected him to react to her taunts in that way. It seemed that the Second was thinking along similar lines, as she remained silent.

I do not believe that anyone was prepared for what was to happen next…when Unit-01 engaged the Angel unsuccessfully before being consumed I felt a different emotion assault me, however as this time I had no point of reference I could give it no name. The only way I could describe I was as a kind of emptiness, a hollow feeling centred on my chest…it was wiped a way when another emotion flared although this one I recognised…anger. I was angry with the Second. Had it not been for her behaviour, Ikari would not have been placed in danger. I would rather that she had been the one to be taken, leaving Ikari and I alone together. I am sure that he would mourn her death at first, as is the custom, his weakened emotional state being the perfect time for me to take action.

Now, that had all been taken away…irony, I believe that is the word for the actions the Second took after she realised the full extent of what she had done. Major Katsuragi ordered a retreat yet the Second refused, disobeying a direct order and endangering a second Evangelion. When she was finally retrieved I was sure that the Commander would strip her of her piloting privileges yet he only disciplined her, using the loss of her pilot status as way to keep her in line while leaving her in one of the holding cells to allow it to sink in. This must have meant that he still had plans for her; it was my hope that they would be over soon…

The next few hours saw the command staff in a near frenzy, it seemed that as yet they had been unable to find a way to retrieve Unit-01. I was beginning to feel the emotion called worry, with each passing second the energy reserves of Unit-01 would be getting lower and the chances of Ikari being rescued becoming slimmer…I was surprised to find that during the brief time I had been lost in my thoughts a decision had been made. The plan, as outlined by Dr Akagi, was to use all existing N2 mines held by the JSDF and drop them into the direct centre of the Angel hopefully tearing open a hole into its inner dimension, the Dirac Sea, and destroying it from the inside.

This would of course have little effect on Unit-01, its armour was more than strong enough to survive even such a concentrated explosion, even if it would receive quite major damage in the process. The pilot however would be a different story…despite the armour that encases the Eva it only has limited radiation shielding. Against a single N2 mine the radiation could be blocked but with such a high concentration it would be able to bypass the shielding and reach the pilot. Such a high concentration of gamma radiation would kill the pilot almost instantly, reducing their body to little more than ashes.

I felt a strange combination of emotions assault me…sadness at the fate Ikari would suffer and at the same time, for the first time in my life, anger towards the Commander. I could not understand why he was so ready to allow Ikari to die, according to what people had told me parents were supposed to care for their children…did the Commander not care if his son dies? He has often spoken to me of the woman who mothered Ikari, how he wishes to be reunited with her and how I am the key to that goal. Will she not be angry that he allowed their son to die? Has she not already shown her displeasure at his being placed in danger? It is something I cannot understand…all I know is that the Commander has made his decision and I must accept it, no matter what my feelings are on the subject.

Strange…but I feel my eyes burning. Reaching up a hand to my face it comes away wet, tiny drops of water sitting upon my palm. I have never cried before, am I crying because of Ikari? Perhaps…I will need to study this further.

The time has finally come for the beginning of the operation; Soryu has been retrieved from the cells and put back in Unit-02. I am surprised she has taken this so calmly, based on her past behaviour I would have expected a violent reaction to this operation, in particular now following her actions before her Eva was recalled. Perhaps…no one has yet informed her of the details of the operation, that would be the most logical conclusion. Although I still wish it was she who had been captured rather than Ikari such desires matter not now, in a few moments the operation will commence and everything will come to an end.

I was surprised by a sudden outburst from Soryu, wondering what was going on I monitored her conversation with Lt Ibuki. It seemed as if the Second would try and do something, no doubt in vain considering only seconds were left…then everything changed. The silence was filled with an inhuman cry of rage, the guttural roar of a berserk Evangelion. Evan as I watched Unit-01 began to tear itself free of the Angel, a crimson rain falling across the city as the Angel was ripped apart from the inside out. Soon Unit-01 stood there, free at last of the prison that bound it, howling its victory, wearing down the last of its rage. The silence was short lived for even as Unit-01 at last returned to being dormant; hordes of rescue and clean up crews went into action.

According to the numerous communications it appeared that Ikari was alive although unconscious. There had been some form of complication as they had been pulling him out and as such he was now being rushed to the hospital, medical staff already being prepped for his arrival. I was shocked to learn that the Second had abandoned her Eva, not waiting for a debriefing but instead insisting that she accompany him as he was ferried away by an ambulance. I felt angry that she would be the one to watch over him, yet my logical mind reminded me that in doing so she had once again disregarded her duty, something she was sure to be punished for later.

The debriefing was short and to the point. Unit-01 had somehow managed to pierce the pocket dimension formed by the Sea of Dirac using its own AT field, allowing it an exit point large enough for it to attack the Angel. It had further widened this point until it had grown large enough for the entire Eva to break through and tear apart the rest of the Angel. The hypothesis went that Dirac Sea it self formed the core of the Angel, when that was ruptured the Angel was weakened and its eventually destruction destroyed the Angel utterly.

At present Unit-01 had now been transferred to the Eva cages along with Unit-02 for inspection. Apparently the initial reports indicated now structural damage, the armour was fully intact and the internal systems had suffered no permanent damage. This would mean that Ikari would be expected to be back on duty as soon as he was released from the hospital. Seeing as there were currently no other duties requiring my immediate attention I requested to be excused, intending to travel to the medical facility and visit Ikari.

The Commander nodded his approval and I departed the briefing room immediately, heading to the locker room to change. On arriving I took a brief shower, I find the smell of LCL to be…unpleasant, when dry it gives off a smell reminiscent of blood. As I stood beneath the warm water I was suddenly struck by an unexpected idea; the thought of asking Ikari to join me. During my studies I had discovered that the shower was a prime location for couples wishing to be adventurous in their lovemaking, the standing posture it forced could be rewarding for both parties. Storing that thought away for later I stepped out of the shower and towelled myself dry.

From my locker I pulled out my school uniform, apart from my plug suit these are the only other clothes I own. Up until now there has been little use for any other forms of clothing but whilst in pursuit of my target it may be advisable to purchase something more appropriate…the majority of texts I have read indicate that clothing that partially reveals the bare skin beneath is particularly exciting to males. I am not fully sure why this should work, after all Ikari has already seen me naked…

One again I decide that this is something to be considered at a later date, for the time being I must focus on my objective, obtaining the current status of the Third Child and the likely time required for his recovery. With luck it will provide sufficient time for me to formulate a suitable way to deal with the Second, if she is out of the way before he has fully recovered it will make my seduction of him all the easier.

On arriving at the hospital and enquiring as to whereabouts of Pilot Ikari, I was directed to a room on the first floor. On arriving I found pilot Soryu standing outside, her eyes were open but unfocused, apparently her thoughts are elsewhere. Now would most likely be the best time to enter so I walked straight past her, taking note of the fact she did not move to prevent me.

On entering, I found Ikari lying motionless save for the rise and fall of his chest. A series of monitors are connected to him, many of which I did not recognise. The only instrument I was able to identify the heart monitor which represented his heart beat with a simple soft tone. The beats were regular at present although the fact that they have him linked to such a machine would suggest that it was not always so, it would seem that the injuries he sustained were more serious than I had at first thought.

As I began to move closer, planning to examine him more closely someone shouted out from behind me.

"Get away from him!"

I turned to find pilot Soryu standing in the doorway, a mix of rage and disgust swirling across her eyes and over her face. When I made no attempt to move away from Ikari she advanced slightly, her fist clenched at her sides.

"I said get away from him Wonder girl!"

Her tone was rising in pitch, indicating her increasing levels of rage. I knew that if this continued it would deteriorate into a physical confrontation. As much as I was aware of the fact that the Second and I are roughly evenly matched physically I consider it beneath me to be forced to resort to such crude methods. This can be settled in other ways, for now it will do me no good to fight Soryu on her own terms…without a word I start to leave, leaving the Second frustrated. No doubt she expected me to fight her…

As I reached the door I stopped for a moment, choosing not to leave without one final remark.

"You cannot have him Soryu."

Without bothering to wait for her screamed reply I departed, heading back to my apartment.

If nothing else the Commander has taught me patience. In the end she will be her own undoing, all I have to do is wait…

A/N: And so chapter 8 finally arrives. Thank you everyone for being patient, in another two weeks I will try to get out chapter 9 but please bear with me, work is pilling on the pressure atm.


Till next time,


Hououza

Chapter preread by That Other Guy