Disclaimer: See Prologue
"abc" - Spoken
"abc" - Thought
I've never had any cherished dreams or ambitions.
I don't aspire to any career or profession in the future.
That is, unless you consider hoping to one day be my Cousin's equal at the Art,
I've come to love an ambition.
So far, in the first fourteen years of my life,
things have always happened as they've needed to.
If we needed food, we found food.
If we needed shelter, we found shelter.
If we needed to survive the odds, we found away to do so.
And things will probably always continue in this manner.
And for this reason, I've never cared whether I got into an accident or something and died.
For, besides my Uncle, his family, and the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts...
I have nothing or need nothing.
I wrote that in an essay for school nearly two years ago and predictably,
the teacher yelled at me and told me to take the assignment seriously.
The sad thing was...
I had.
A Tale of Two Cursed Souls
Chapter One(A): I.Shinji
2017 A.D.
Tokyo-3, Japan
"So this is Tokyo-3? Not much to it, is there?"
Declares a young man as he slowly makes his way across the surprisingly deserted platform. If not for it's current state of emptiness, many would stop and stare at the young man who appears to be no more than 16 years of age.
He is dressed in a sleeveless, white silk shirt, a pair of loose black pants that are pulled taut around the waist and ankle, and a pair of black shoes with no shocks - that all appear to be Chinese in origin. This all combined with his long hair pulled into a ponytail gives him the appearance of a fighter from a bygone era.
But that would only be one reason for their stares, the second would be the very large and very heavy-looking pack that he casually carries across his back; along with the hilt of the katana, that one can barely make out, strapped across his back.
He casually strolls through the train station as he makes his way towards a pay phone, only to be greeted by silence as there is no dial-tone.
Taking a seat on some steps further down by the street he pulls an envelope out of his pack addressed to one, Shinji Ikari. Upon the envelope is nothing more than the name of it's intended recipient, no address of any sort.
"I still can't believe they found us out there. I mean how do you locate three people wandering through the mountains of China. Whatever, father wants it must be important. I mean, why else would he send for me after so long?"
Shinji continues to flip threw the envelope's contents coming to the photo of the woman, he's currently waiting for - her name is Misato Katsuragi. As he looks it over his eyes are instantly drawn to the ample cleavage she's casually displaying, as a blush spreads across his face. Before, once again reading the simple message written across it.
I'm going to pick you up, so please wait for me!
P.S. - Note the cleavage!
"What a weird lady... And she's my father's what? Man, I wish I could've stayed with Uncle and Ranma. At least, they're near by. They said I could locate them at the Tendo Training Hall in the Nerima District of the city. I'll have to visit as soon as I hear Father out."
At that moment a fighter jet goes screaming by, as it does it lets loose several missiles. Shinji watches wide eyed as they hit their target, a large humanoid monster that steps out from behind a skyscraper.
"What the HELL is that?!"
Shinji yells as several gun ships attack the monster, but much to his dismay they don't appear to be very affective. He watches as the behemoth simply swats them away like flies and in doing so sends the last one directly for him.
He almost reacts to late as he dives into a roll than in one fluid motion, launches himself skyward, flipping and landing several feet away. But despite his actions in avoiding the wreckage, the resulting blast is almost upon him. When at the last moment, a car comes screeching to a halt in front of him absorbing the blast.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shinji! C'mon - get in!" Misato yells from her place behind the wheel.
"Miss Katsuragi?"
"Yeah, yeah, just hurry!"
"Right!" Shinji yells as he throws his pack and sword in the back seat and jumps over the car before sliding threw the passenger window.
"What the..." Misato begins as Shinji cuts her off.
"Drive!" he yells seeing that the monster is now heading their way.
"Okay... Hold on tight!"
And with that they're off at a breakneck speed as Misato rips through the empty streets as the military continues it's fight with the massive being.
"So, what's with the clothing are you some kind of fighter or something?" Misato asks nonchalantly as they hit a sharp turn.
"Um... yeah, you could say that. Why do you ask?" answers Shinji, the whole time keeping one eye on the massive being and it's battle with the military.
"Well, I did see how you avoid that wreckage which was cool by the way. Then you jumped my car and slid threw my window, like it was second nature or something."
"Yeah. Well, when you've survived some of the things I've been threw... avoiding a fireball and leaping a car seems like child's play."
"Then I guess that explains why your taking this so well."
"Yeah, speaking of THIS! What the HELL is that thing?" Shinji asks, pointing over his shoulder at the continuing fight.
"That thing is an Angel."
"A what ...?!" Shinji yells, as he compares what's currently destroying the city to what he's always thought an Angel would look like.
"No time for details. HOLD ON!"
At that moment a missile that's gone of target explodes right in front of them. When the smoke clears the car has been flipped, but luckily it's occupants are fine. They slowly make there way out of the vehicle and survey the damage.
"You all right, Shinji?"
"Yeah, I think so. You?"
"Yeah, I'm... NOOOOOOOO! My CAR! It's ruined... it's riddled with shrapnel! And I still got thirty-three payments left."
Shinji flinches at Misato's sudden outburst, before struggling the not laugh at her behavior.
"GOD DAMN IT!!!" Misato yells, regaining Shinji's full attention.
"OH NO! This dress cost a fortune! These stains will never come out!"
"Yup, weird all right." Shinji thinks as he watches Misato flip out over her ruined dress and car.
But, suddenly he senses movement behind them and turns in time to see the so-called Angel about to land on them. Before Misato even knows what's going on, Shinji scoops her up and leaps out of the way. Just as another presence makes itself known.
"There's another one?!" Shinji yells as he lands and turns around, Misato still in his arms.
"No! This one's on our side!" she replies as she suddenly realizes where she is.
"Um... do you think you could put me down. Not that I mind being held in your big strong arms."
Shinji gives Misato a questioning glance as he completely missed her attempt at flirting while being so involved in the two giants' fight.
"Huh, what you say?" he asks, still too captivated by the fight to hear a word she's saying.
"I said will you please put me down, not that I'm complaining. I'm quite comfortable where I am."
Finally, understanding what she's getting at, Shinji nearly drops her as he momentarily loses his grip.
"Sorry." he mumbles, his face in full blush.
Misato laughs as he gently puts her down and mumbles yet another apology.
"Hey, no harm was done or did you forget you just saved me from being squashed back there." she calmly states as the second combatant picks up her car and flips it back over.
"Is that a robot?" Shinji asks, his surprising calm still in place, as he watches it turn around and head back towards the recovering Angel.
"No time to waste! Get in the car! We got to get as far away from here as possible!"
They waste no time in getting in the car and resuming their escape from the war zone, as the battle recommences with things not looking so good for their fighter.
"Um... where losing! Our guy's down and it doesn't look like he's getting up." Shinji states.
"We knew this would be too heavy a burden for Rei to handle." Misato says, aloud to no one in particular.
"Rei...?" questions Shinji.
"Hold on, where almost there!" Misato yells swerving around another pile of debris.
Shinji continues to watch as the Angel slowly approaches it's downed opponent. Then just as it's about to reach it the ground suddenly opens up and the purple behemoth is gone.
"Hey, it's gone! And everyone's running from the monster!" he yells, as he notices that all the jets and choppers are also making a retreat.
"Shit! Tuck your head into your lap and brace yourself for impact!" Misato yells, grabbing Shinji in the process.
And with that the world around them goes up in flames as the Angel was bombarded with a massive payload. The force of the shock wave sends the vehicle flipping into the air with it once again landing upside down.
"Are you all right? Miss Katsuragi?!" a shaken Shinji asks.
"I - I can't take this anymore!" Misato stammers.
Sometime Later...
Once getting themselves together, Misato and Shinji finally make it to their destination - NERV Headquarters, located underground within the massive Geofront. Where after managing to get thoroughly lost thanks to Misato, Shinji's introduced to Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. He follows them aimlessly throughout the massive complex as he reads up on NERV and some of it's procedures.
Before long they're riding in a raft across some sort of reddish-orange liquid. Unnoticed by either woman, Shinji quickly perked up at the appearance of the liquid. After disembarking from the raft, the trio finds themselves in a pitch black room where with the lifting of the lights reveals before them the face of what will soon become the source of both Shinji's happiness and misfortune.
"This thing... it's the robot that saved us earlier?!" Shinji yells before quickly calming after the massive creature's appearence.
"Strictly speaking, she's not a robot. She is man's ultimate humanoid fighting machine - the synthetic life form, Artificial Human Evangelion. This is Unit 01. Built here in secret, it is Mankind's last hope for survival." Ritsuko is quick to point out.
"So this is my Father's work?"
"Correct."
Is the sudden answer to the boy's question as it echoes throughout the massive storage cage. With that answer, Shinji looks to it's source and for the first time in several years, since that time at his Mother's grave, comes face to face with the man that is his father, Gendo Ikari.
Gendo looks down upon his son as he seems to fidget under his gaze. He looks him over as he takes in the many changes since he saw him last. He notices the clothing and the slightly more muscular frame hidden underneath his apparel and nods with approval.
"You appear to be in good physical condition. Let's test your will."
"It's been a while." he says in a neutral tone.
"Father..." Shinji begins before being cut off.
"Shinji, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you. You're going to pilot her. And you're going to battle the angel."
"What?!" Shinji yells, clearly in disbelief.
"Wait a moment, Commander! It took even Rei seven months to synchronize with the Eva?! It's impossible for a boy who just arrived to do so!" Misato injects.
"He only needs to sit in her. I'm not expecting more at this point." Gendo states.
"But..." Misato is, this time, cutoff by Ritsuko.
"Captain Katsuragi! Our overriding priority is to halt and repel the angel! In order to accomplish that, it is imperative that we load someone, no matter who, into the unit. Someone who may have the ability to synchronize to some extent with the Eva! Or, do you have any alternatives you'd like to share?!"
There's silence for a moment as Misato doesn't respond. Taking that as her answer, Ritsuko walks over to Shinji and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Shinji, please come this way." she gently asks as she tries to lead him off.
But, they don't get far as Shinji shrugs her off and turns to face his father.
"Father, is this the only reason you sent for me?" Shinji nervously asks, already knowing the answer.
When Gendo doesn't reply Shinji stares up at him and demands answers: "Answer me, Father!"
"Just accept this explanation. You're the best candidate we have. No... you're the only candidate we have."
"So, you're asking me to take this thing... to go out there and fight?!" Shinji asks, his voice surprisingly clam.
"Correct."
"But why me?! This DOESN'T make any sense!" asks Shinji, starting to loose his calm.
"You don't need to understand! Just get inside!"
"No! You neglected me and abandoned me! Dumping me onto Uncle and his family. And now you summon me here, only to order me to my death. No, I will not pilot it. I don't owe you anything."
Shinji struggles to keep his calm, as his outburst surprised not only himself, but also all those around him - who are now watching with ample curiosity.
"Fine, so be it. But, if you don't do as I say - all of humanity will perish. The very existence of the human race rests on YOUR shoulders!" Gendo states, his voice raising only slightly.
"No! I don't care! Who are you to put that responsibility on me? No - No matter what you say. No!" Shinji states with a cold finality.
"I see... Fine, then I have no further need of you. Go home! Return to Genma. Cowards are useless in a battle where man's future is at stake." Gendo states, all emotion gone from his voice. No anger, no disappointment, nothing.
"Cowards?! Battle?! Man's future?! Uncle, Ranma, and...!"
Shinji is so lost in his thoughts that he nearly misses his Father speaking to someone over an intercom, but a certain name draws his attention momentarily.
"Wake up, Rei."
"Can we use her?" Fuyutsuki asks, mildly surprises by Gendo's order.
"She's not dead yet." he states, his voice carrying a slightly sharper tone.
With Shinji's refusal to pilot Unit01, everyone quickly begins to make preparations for Rei's arrival. Leaving Shinji to stand there alone with his thoughts.
"I knew it. I'm not needed after all. Even after all this time, after all my training. My training..."
He then remembers in vivid detail the day his Father abandoned him, following his Mother's death. It was also the day he meet those who would become his family. Shortly, thereafter, his training with Ranma began.
"Family? I have family and I'm abandoning them. I'm bringing shame to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts! No, that has nothing to do with this. Fighting a man and fighting a monster are two completely different things! But, yet..."
At that moment a door opens and a stretcher is wheeled out. Upon the stretcher is a young girl clearly around the same age as Shinji, she looks like your average teenage girl except for her pale skin, azure-colored hair, and crimson red eyes, but what really stands out is how badly wounded she appears to be.
With an IV in her arm and warped in bandages from almost head to toe, with one instantly noticing the bandages wrapped around her head covering her right eye - You can almost feel the pain she must be in.
Shinji follows her with his eyes as they wheel her by and watches as she struggles to get off the stretcher. It's clear by the look upon his face, that he can't believe that anyone - let alone his own Father - would send this poor girl out there in this condition.
"Father! Is this girl the one who piloted earlier?!" Shinji demands causing everyone to turn back and watch the apparently enraged young man.
"Yes, that is correct." Gendo answers with a smirk.
And with that answer - Shinji snaps, as everything he's been taught to believe in comes rushing out.
"You bastard! How could you send her out there in that condition. Have you no conscience?! She's only a child - a young woman - and you made her bear that burden. You made her fight your battle? What type of man are you?!"
His father doesn't get a chance to respond as the complex is suddenly rocked by an explosion. As everyone goes flying about every which way - Shinji notices that Rei's about to fall over, as well, as the falling debris that's about to crush her.
With instinct taking over, he dashes forward with unnatural speed and scoops her up into his arms before jumping away from the now crushed stretcher. Upon landing gently, in a crouched position a few feet away, he goes about checking her over. As he does he notices her labored breathing and feels what is clearly blood dripping onto his hands. Taking one look at his right hand causes him to shut his eyes tightly as he begins to shake with anger.
Unnoticed by Shinji, but everyone is staring at him - shocked by what's taken place. Not his saving Rei from being crushed, but by the activation of Unit01 - which has activated and protected them both from being crushed by more debris that would have surely killed them, as he began to check her over once they landed.
Everyone that is except Gendo, who upon seeing his son's actions and those of Unit01 smirks at the scence before him as he thinks...
"I see that your watching over him and that Genma has trained him well. I shouldn't have expected anything less... from either of you. Let's see if Nodoka's interference will serve a purpose."
"I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. Because Ranma wouldn't run, and neither can I!" is the mantra currently repeating it's self over and over again in Shinji's head.
He opens his eyes to stare directly into the sole crimson orb of the young woman suffering in his grasp. He quickly looks away from her as he rises to his feet and begins to walk towards the door that Rei was brought in threw, as he does Gendo speaks.
"If you do not pilot, you not only abandon us. You also abandon the woman destined to be your wife."
Shinji turns around with a look of complete and utter shock - or is it horror. Gendo actually smiles at his son, not smirk as one might expect, at seeing his reaction. As Shinji quickly looks back and forth between the girl in his arms and his Father, Gendo nods, answering his unspoken query.
"Her name is Rei Ayanami and she is your fiancée. So, will you make her fight in your place? Let me ask you, 'What type of man are you'? What type of man would such an act make you?"
Shinji flinches at his Fathers words, as Gendo continues his questioning.
"No, I almost forgot... your training. So, the question isn't just what type of man, but what type of student of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts would you be if you did such a thing?" Gendo says this all without an once of anger or contempt or any other such emotion, but with genuine curiosity.
Shinji looks down at the young woman in his arms and sighs deeply before smiling at her. He continues walking towards the exit as another stretcher appears, meeting them halfway. He then gently places Rei upon it and brushes a few strands of hair out of her face. This causes her to open her eye and look at him. He leans down and whispers something to his "Fiancée" before walking back to Misato and Ritsuko who have done nothing, but gawked at the father and son since Shinji's outburst and speaks.
"Misato? Ritsuko?"
"Yes?" they answer in chorus.
"Please, take care of... my fiancée for me." Shinji hesitantly asks.
"Yeah, sure." Misato answers, as she nods dumbly.
"Thanks."
Shinji then turns back to face his father, his disgust written clearly on his features.
"Father, you ask me what type of man my actions would make me. Well, let me ask you this... What type of man have your actions made you? First, abandoning your only child into the care of SOMEONE like Uncle, and now... Now, you send not only your son but his apparent fiancée out into battle! Well, what type of man does that make you?!"
Shinji all but yells causing everyone to flinch at the venom in his voice, and to stare at the strange young man who actually has the "brass" to yell at the Commander.
When his Father doesn't answer, Shinji smirks at him doing his best impersonation of the very man he's speaking to.
"Well, I don't know about you, Father. But, I for one can't wait to know the answer to that question."
Shinji then bows slightly at his father in a surprising showing of respect before turning to Ritsuko.
"Well, led the way." he states without an once of the venom, he had when he spoke to his Father.
Ritsuko nods and begins to walk away with Shinji in tow, as she thinks: "No doubt about it. This boy is Ikari's child."
From high above, Gendo can only smile at his son.
"I see that Genma has truly turned you into fine young man. To still show respect after that... I only hope your pride and honor doesn't force me to take actions I would rather avoid."
Gendo turns to leave, but takes one last look at Unit01.
"You know I have only done what's necessary for our future together? Don't you... Yui?"
Gendo sighs sadly, but then wonders...
"What did he mean by 'SOMEONE like Uncle?' I'll have to contact Genma as soon as this battle is over."
Moments Later...
Arriving at his position high above the command center, Gendo watches as the final steps are being taken to prepare the Eva for launch. He continues to watch his son on the monitors as their line of sight locks and both smirk at the other.
"What are you smirking at?" they both happen to think at the exact same moment, before looking away from the other.
"My FATHER has never needed or wanted me... But now he's built a ROBOT that needs me?"
"HMPH! What a joke! Well, I'm up for the challenge!"
"I'M NOT AFRAID TO DIE!"
"And I will not let FATHER or ANYONE else call me a Coward!"
"Hey! If I could survive training all these years with Uncle and Ranma. Piloting this thing should be a piece of cake."
Shinji is suddenly brought out of his reprieve, as he notices that the woman with short brown hair that has been yelling commands since he entered this strange thing, just said...
"FLOODING ENTRY PLUG!"
"Did she say... FLOOD?!" he wonders, as his question is instantly answered.
When he notices that the plug is filling with some strange yellow liquid.
"Oh, God... No! Anything, but that! Please, let me out of here?! Open this damn thing! Please...!" Shinji yells, slipping into a blind panic, as he struggles to avoid the liquid as if his very life depended on it.
To say the least, the entire bridge crew is once again caught of guard by the actions of this strange young man. As his sudden change in demeanor throws them all for a loop, none more than his father.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Gendo wonders, as Ritsuko tries to calm the terrified young man.
"Don't be alarmed! Once your lungs are saturated with the LCL, you'll be able to undergo direct oxygen exchange." the doctor explains.
"What?!" he yells back, still in the midst of his panic.
"She means you can breath it!" Misato yells.
"That's not what I'm worried about!" Shinji yells back, as the LCL finally reaches him.
What happens next will never be forgotten by all who witnessed it. Shinji sighed dejectedly and lets his body slowly submerge into the liquid. He sinks back into his place at the controls, as an amazing transformation takes place. He appears to shrink in on himself, as his hair lengths slightly and it's color changes from a dark-brown to a greenish-blue, and his facial features take on a more feminine appearence as the amazing transformation completes with two large globs of flesh appearing where once there was a very masculine chest.
Shinji who had his eyes closed the entire time, opens them to find the entire bridge crew frozen in place. Everyone, every soul on that bridge, froze the moment Shinji began his transformation. He sighs as he looks over all their stunned faces, noticing Misato and Ritsuko in particular, but bursts into a fit of laughter as his gaze falls upon his father.
Gendo Ikari, a man who prides himself on being master of his emotions was currently lacking in that department. For at that moment, if one where to look in his direction, they would see something they're not likely to see ever again. As Gendo Ikari, the Supreme Commander of NERV, was not only displaying emotion - but an abundance of it.
Where once sat a cold and calculating man in what some consider to be his trademark pose, now sits a man with his jaw hanging lopsided, his glasses barely hanging onto the tip of his nose, and his eyes as wide as saucers.
Gendo can only stare in disbelief, as at that moment nothing seems to matter: Not SEELE, Not the Angels, Not even his plans to be reunited with the love of his life. All that matters is the change that has overcome the result of his union with that love.
But, he's instantly brought out of his shock-induced stupor as the sound of female laughter catches his ear. The laughter that happens to be coming from the young woman with the teal-colored hair, who now sits where his son once sat.
"Sh - Shinji?"
And with the uttering of that understandingly, surprised and nervous question. All attention on the bridge is redirected from the screen displaying the young man turned young woman to that of the equally confused Commander.
At hearing the concern in his Father's voice, Shinji instantly stops his (or is that her) laughter and stares directly at him. She, like everyone else present, can't truly believe what she just heard. But, she has no time to ponder upon it, as she realizes that everyone is once again starring at her. So, with a deep breath and a long sigh, the teal-haired young woman speaks...
"Yeah... sorry 'bout this."
Shinji instantly braces herself awaiting the horrified gasps or any other form of negative response that might be coming, but what she does hear shocks her and everyone present.
"Captain?" Gendo says, his voice and demeanor, surprisingly, back to normal.
"Oh, right! EVANGELION LAUNCH!" Misato yells, only a moment after hearing the Commander's voice.
And with that command the massive humanoid weapon Evangelion Unit01 is launched to the surface. And with it not only the fate of the world, but that of the cursed soul of one - Shinji Ikari.
But, back in the depths of NERV, that is the furthest thing from what's currently dominating the thought process of Gendo Ikari...
"I'm going to kill, Genma!!!"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes:
Thanks to all who reviewed the prologue, I hoped you all enjoyed it. Now, to address two things...
First, as you can see I borrowed heavily from the Manga version of Shinji's arrival, instead of using the Anime. I did this mainly because it fit the tone of this story more and that I've always preferred the Manga version little more.
Second, let me state that I know that Shinji is way "Out Of Character," but remember that his upbringing is different this time. Being raised by Genma would change anyone, but his time spent with Nodoka away from Ranma and Genma will help balance him out.
Anyway, don't worry. The quiet, bashful Shinji will be present and accounted for. I hoped you enjoyed Chapter One(A). Now, read Chapter One(B) and see the other side of our duo's arrival in Tokyo-3.