Chapter 2

Freaks

That's what they are all are

He ran away because he thinks he can escape it all.

Although in truth there are two things that made him run

One is the pressure of him trying to save the world from these… angels.

And two as he cannot face up against anyone anymore

So he runs…

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The sun was bright and was gleaming down on the fresh highway in the outskirts of Tokyo-3. A bright morning indeed as Mist raced the highway with ease. It was spring morning for him to cruise on.

"Clear as a ghostly place." Mist sighed, as there are no other vehicles in view.

He kept on going until he caught sight of a tiny glimpse ahead of him. He quickly applied the breaks and hid along the grassy plains alongside the highway. He parked his bike and turned on the stealth mode on his bike making it appear that there was no bike at all. He moved in closer and closer.

"Who the hell would be out here…." Mist whispered to himself.

As he got closer, the person was apparently sitting on a rock; head aimed at the ground, his arms are crossed above his knees.

Mist continued on his approach and smiled as he recognized the hair and the normal clothing.

'Shinji Ikari, pilot of EVA unit 01, timid and….. not so brave hero…' Mist thought, 'Ah crap I don't remember anyone with the same attitude….' Mist mentally scratched his head.

Mist stopped in front of him, a little bit to the right.

"Shinji Ikari." Mist plainly said.

Mist awaited for a reply only for a small voice. His mind kept calm.

"Hey kid, don't mop around like a sore loser and stand up."

Shinji looked up, to Mist's relief, he wasn't crying.

"Are you here to take me?" He asked. "If it is then go on with it."

Mist sweatdropped.

"Ahh no, I'm not from NERV so I'm not here to take you…" Mist waved no.

"then wha…" Shinji was then cut off.

"… I was just here because of your mom."

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Winter 1999

Professor Yui Ikari, top-notch scientists, was spending her time on a café with her favorite mug and her favorite coffee, black mocha. She was a bit off at the moment as she was very much agitated with her current project, Project-E.

She sighed. 'I miss my old job.' She finished her coffee off and was about to stand up and leave when another person with a spiky blonde hairdo sat in the vacant seat in front of her.

"Hiya." The man said.

Yui blinked. "Eh,What can I do for you?"

The man smiled and took his right hand over the table. "The name is Mist Hero."

Yui shrugged a bit 'Who is this guy…' she took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you."

When Yui took his hand, she felt something, some warmth that was relaxing.

"So do you like tea or coffee?" Mist asked.

Yui blinked as she was in another round of pure talking.

And Mist was oblivious of it.

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"You knew my mom?" Shinji asked. Mist saw Shinji's eyes lit up a bit.

"Yeah I did, and the first meeting was mistake, cause I didn't know she can be so talkative when drinking tea." Mist groaned.

"She was?" Shinji was surprised. "so how long have you known her?"

"Around four years, as her chatting partner whenever she can, and from her everyday chat life with me, I can just write a story about it." Mist grinned, "or I can tell you."

Shinji blinked.

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The two heroes, Shinji ever so listening to things what his mom does and everything, was completely, was walking along side roads, through forests. At one point they stopped by a mountainside and viewed Tokyo-3, with clouds and fog scattered everywhere. through the grasslands, the sun almost setting.

And then Shinji sighed and his head was clouded.

"My mom died when I was young, but I couldn't remember what did happen…"

Mist smirked a little. "She's not dead."

Shinji's heart skipped a beat.

"Huh?"

"She's alive."

"Wha.. how…"

"…as long as you believe in her."

Shinji's heartbeat continued on, with a new rate.

"I… see thanks…" Shinji said.

They both walked a bit more when Mist sensed another person around. He pulled out a gun, a hand gun to be exact.

"Shinji stay low…" Mist said "And follow me…"

Both of them crouched and moved along the grass.

Mist and Shinji caught sight of the person, and sweatdropped.

It was Kensuke Aida, and hell he's playing around, as if he's a super star actor in a military-like movie.

(A/N: I will not put what he said on that spot XX )

"Your classmate right?" Mist asked., putting his gun away.

"More like...'friend' " Shinji said.

Kensuke was on his back and then he stood up. He was about to go when he noticed that he was being watched.

"Hey Shinji!' He waved, "Whatcha doing here?"

Shinji and Mist came near.

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All three boys went in Kensuke's 'Base Camp' which is basically a tent and a campfire…. with lots of military type equipment lying around. They all set up around the campfire, kensuke was the one cooking. Shinji was on the opposite place of Mr Aida. Mist was farther away from the two near a rock.

"So you ran away?"

"Yeah…"

"Why?" Kensuke asked.

Shinji's face darkened, and Mist just went 'oh god'

"I am … pressured… and I feel like … I don't know… uneasy with the EVA…. And my dad just ignores me…."

Everything was silent, only the crackle of fire and the sounds of insects around were heard.

"You know what shinji, if you plan on quitting, I'll be going to NERV and will be trying to get that spot to pilot the EVA." Kensuke said happily.

Mist just fell over. 'ohhh the hands will be with the devil when that happens.'

"But Shinji, if run away, whose going to defend us?" Kensuke asked.

Shinji just stayed silent.

"Whose going to protect all of us Shinji?" Mist asked.

"Protect all of us…. Is what Misato said to me…" Shinji said.

"Misato-san… yeah she probably wants you to remember that." Kensuke said. "And with the Evangelion you can do anything." Kensuke happily smiled as he imagined that he was piloting it.

Mist just sweatdropped.

So the night continued on, all of them ate Kensuke's dinner, which consisted only of canned fish boiled with some onions and garlic. And soon night has fallen deep and Kensuke and Shinji bunked inside Kensuke's tent. Mist stayed infront of the tent, sitting, eyes open.

'The kid is afraid…' he thought.

Morning came and fog was all over the place. Mist's eyes were closed and was either asleep or awake, but none can tell. Both boys were still sleeping. Then it came. Mist's eyes snapped open as he sensed a group of people coming towards them. Mist stood u and took out a weapon, a handgun with a heavy metal blade at the tip of the barrel. He pointed the blade at the place where the people are coming from. Men in black uniform came into view. They went nearer and surrounded the whole place. Shinji and Kensuke both woke up. Kensuke grabbed his glasses and one of his rifles and stormed out. He was surprised at what he saw, they were surrounded and Mist has drawn his weapon.

"Don't worry Kensuke, I'll handle it from here." Mist said, without turning towards Kensuke.

The man in front of Mist talked.

"Is…" The man started

"Shinji Ikari here? Yes." Mist finished it for him.

The man just blinked. He began to take his right hand to his right ear.

"Oh I don't think so." Mist smirked. He took his free hand and took something out of his pants' back pocket. It was a black device and then he pressed a blue button. All around, the men grabbed their ears and took off the headphones in them.

"Now leave us…" Mist was about to finish when Shinji came out.

"My dad sent you correct?" He asked the leader of the group who was just regaining his composure.

"Yes."

"Then let's go." Shinji said as he walked away. When he passed Mist, he just dropped his weapon down.

"Hey Shinji," When Shinji's attention was on Mist, he continued. "You are given a chance to save an amount of lives you might not be able to do normally as yourself. I know it's a risk to pilot the EVA, but I think your mom might get sad if you don't follow up to what she wants you to do. You have a responsibility kid. In time everything will wrap up and will set you free."

Shinji looked at Mist with lit up eyes and was about to go with the Section-2 Agents when Mist called him again.

"Here catch." Mist threw a silver like item into the air towards Shinji. He then caught it with two hands and opened it. It was a harmonica, with a lace attached to a corner of it.

"It's for you, keep it." Mist said, and secretly pointed inside it and then blinked.

"Thank you…" and with that Shinji went off with the agents.

As soon as they were gone, Mist sighed.

"What ever did you do?"

"Huh? Oh their communications… well let's just say I carry a EMP Device with me all the time."

"Wow…" Kensuke looked at mist with starry eyes.

"Anyway, you best be off heading to Tokyo-3 now. Goodbye." Mist turned around and went away.

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"Gotta get home today."

Mist was on his bike already and was biking his way towards the city. When his phone rang. He looked at it and saw it was Skuld. He opened his cellphone, stopped the bike first, and put the phone to his right ear.

"Heya."

"Mist what were you up to?"

"I was doing my job."

"You were making friends with the pilot."

"So?"

"It's a problem."

"How can it be a problem? Look I'm down here, risking my butt off in this place and all I get is complaining. Come on, I was a friend of his mom, what did you expect?"

"………. Sigh good bye…" Skuld then shut off her side.

Mist winced.

"She probably is stressed out…" Mist said to himself as he restarted his journey home. Or what it seems to be a graveyard to most people, a time warp that keeps repeating and repeating…. Death always in their minds….

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Mist came home with something in his head, he needed Video and Audio surveillance in NERV. It's been a while since he did undercover work, but this is no different from the rest of his work. Although the point that he is messing with things that were born in the past, powerful, and things 'born' in the present time to destroy them is way different from things he has been doing.

"Now I need a bug at points in that place, great I can use something." Mist grinned. He grabbed a bag, very light in weight, then went out away his house. Mist went into a street, looked around, seeing there were no one near him, nor watching him, he pulled out a card from his pocket.

"Here goes…" Mist took a deep breath. "TIME CARD!" He shouted.

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Conversations, Documents, Workers in NERV were all recorded into Mist's computer after finishing his job. He reviewed all of them only to find out that Shinji is going to get thrown out of NERV tomorrow.

"Oh damn, now what?" He asked himself. He had to think…

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The next morning, Shinji Ikari was riding a black NERV car. He's been really rolled along the events that's been happening around him and NERV. Two black suited up men escorted him down the train station.

Shinji was in deep thought about what will happen to Misato and the others. The car stopped at the entrance of the train station, and came out of the car. He stared at the entrance and then turned around to the men.

"Excuse me, but where is Miss Misato? I'd like to say good-bye to her." Shinji asked.

"You are no longer a NERV personnel." Said by one of them.

"Therefore we cannot give you any information." Said the other.

Shinji frowned, then turned around. He started walking when he someone shouted his name. Shinji looked around and found, under a shed, Kensuke and Touji.

"Ikari." Kensuke threw a bag in air towards Shinji who grabbed a hold of it.

"It's some stuff you left behind."

Shinji looked at his escorts, "Uhm, Can you excuse me for a moment?"

The two guards looked at each other and one of them nodded at Shinji.

Shinji walked towards the two of his friends.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Shinji bowed in front of them, not the really low bow, but just a small head bow.

Kensuke glared at his companion, "Well… Touji aren't you going to say something?"

Touji groaned, scratched the back of his head…

"Well….I…." Touji said…, "Ikari, I punched you twice and I want you to hit me back!"

Shinji backed up in his mind.

"But, but I can't do that."

"Onegai shimas! Otherwise I wont be satisfied!" Touji said.

"See, he's a pretty embarrassing guy, isn't he?" Kensuke grinned. "But if it'll put an end on this dispute, why not go ahead and hit him?"

"But…."

"Come on! You don't have much time do you?" Touji said with a loud voice, obviously a little angry.

"Okay… but only once."

From afar, Mist saw Touji fell back on his butt. Mist just winced.

"Ouch…" Touji rubbed his right face.

"So how did you know I was here?" Shinji asked both of them.

"Well, we always see our classmates go off here before, so it'd make sense for you to be here." Kensuke replied.

Shinji looked down at the ground.

"If you're leaving, we have to leave this city soon." Kensuke continued, "But we can't blame you for that, we saw you suffer in that Eva."

"And if anyone tries to blame you, I'm gonna give them a head butt!" Touji said, his hand turned into a fist.

Shinji simply nodded and went off.

"Take care!" Kensuke said.

"Good Luck too!" Touji said.

Shinji approached the guard and said "Well…"

"Your time is up." The guard simply said and then escorted him into to the station.

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Shinji was now standing on the train platform, facing the city of angels, waiting for a train that will lead him out of where battles are fought to save humanity. The PA Lady said a few things before it went off. The train platform was completely abandoned. Shinji sighed.

He was about to sit down when something pinned him on his left butt pocket. He instantly looked for it and what came out was the harmonica from yesterday, given to him by that man…

"I didn't get his name…" Shinji said. He tried to remember what he said. Shinji then observed the harmonica, and on the top was a hidden compartment, and inside was a paper, what appears to be a letter. He opened it and started to read.

"Shinji, I know I wont have much time of a conversation at that camp, but I need to tell you a few things. First, is that you are now a coward because you let them get to you and now you are leaving or probably worse. Second is that you will find courage, even if you are that scared of things that's been happening around. Hey, I've been in tight situations I can relate, but not the big eva things no, but something else… Thirdly is… well… this was your mom's harmonica. She gave it to me a week before she disappeared. She said, that she really felt something wrong on her project, and she wanted to make sure I gave this harmonica to you Shinji. Make good use of it. And now, you can choose to leave or not, but I'll tell you this, if you stay, you will know that your mom is still alive and that you'll find her in a place that you obviously wont expect and that you don't force yourself in finding her. The truth will be presented Shinji, it'll be a matter of time if it does and endurance for you.

Mist Hero

Ps. I will help you if I can shinji, after all I'm someone you can trust."

Shinji just stared blankly at the paper, a tear from his right eye dropped down on it. The train arrived in front of shinji, and he stood up.

From outside the station a blue car halted into the parking space, with black rubber marks on the road. Touji and Kensuke just blinked and figured who it was.

"IT'S MISATO!" both screamed.

Mist just said, "Oh man…."

Misato stepped out of the car to look at the train already moving away.

She sighed, "I'm too late."

When the train was gone she was about to go into the car when she noticed a lone figure in the train station. It was Shinji. His friends was surprised and called for him. Misato smiled as shinji came out of the train station.

"I'm home." He said with a new desire to fight.

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Mist smiled and then quickly went home, where another surprise will bump him up….

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A/N: Obviously that was a long chapter and sorry for no eva battles

Next chapter is Rei, the 5th Angel and more to come!