Hello everyone, Calborghete here, how are you all? I hope well, here we are starting a new chapter.

Don't forget to like the page on Facebook, the direct link can be found on my Fanfiction profile page, or if you prefer search for "Calborghete" and locate an image of Shinji and Asuka. On this page I will post updates and it will also be easier for you to contact me.

So now without further ado, enjoy your reading.

Special thanks to YourBlandesTAN, for correcting the English errors, thanks buddy.


I want to thank everyone who is accompanying me in this journey and a special thanks to ShinasuEwigeLiebe and ABUSAMADRES AMANTE DEL ASUSHIN who are giving me a beautiful force in this project, thank you very much.


"Dialogues"

- Thoughts -

"Radio Talk"


Liability Note:

Evangelion, its characters and setting are the property of Hideaki Anno. Any brands, movies and series mentioned in this Fanfic are the property of their creators.


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Chapter 06 - Judgment

After the battle that took place, the flying fortress Wunder was in a good enough shape that it could continue its journey to New England. The ship would still need repairs, but the crew wanted to leave its current location, since everyone was afraid of running into other Mark.9 units.

With the general thought of the battle, everyone was beginning to wonder if they would have the firepower to fight these new enemies. They still didn't understand what had happened. Only the bridge crew and the pilots Mari and Asuka saw it, and their orders were not to divulge any information about the subject.


Wunder - Accommodations.

Mari was lying on her bed, with a thoughtful look on her face, reflecting on what she had seen in the last battle. She was thinking that she couldn't do anything about the enemy that had appeared.

- He was too strong... How can NERV build something that powerful without resources? Neither can we... - Mari was thinking while staring at the ceiling of the room she shared with Asuka.

"Scheisse!" Asuka growled at the television as her character died in the game she was playing.

Mari looked away from the ceiling and aimed her eyes at Asuka's back. She could see that her roommate was being easily defeated in the game, and she knew that, when that happened, it was because Asuka was focused on something else. Mari had a good idea on what it was: Shinji. In fact, she was sure of it.

After seeing that Asuka was about to throw the remote control at the television, Mari decided to try to get her to talk about what was bothering her.

"What is it, princess?" she asked, putting her trademark smile on her face.

Asuka at this moment had her back to Mari, angry that she had been defeated in the game; but she was also angry that she had been easily defeated in the battle. If Mari hadn't intervened in time, she would surely be dead right now. Asuka hated the feeling of being saved. She hated owing something to someone.

"Nothing." That was her dry reply.

"Come on, Princess... We have fought together for fourteen years and I know very well when you are lying," Mari spoke as she stretched out on her bed. "How many times I'm going to have to tell you: a Jet Alone can't win against an EVA," she got up and made her way to the bathroom. Mari knew that what bothered Asuka wasn't her defeat, but a certain boy in the cells.

Asuka still couldn't believe that Mari had spoken those words that frightened her so much. She huffed in annoyance as she ran her hand over her face. She turned off the video game and went to her bed, the one at the top.

Asuka lay down on her bed and began to stare at the ceiling of her room as she thought about Mari's words.


FlashBack

"Wow, isn't that obvious?" Mari said.

Asuka glared at her roommate with a confused look on her face. She quickly changed her gaze to Sakura who, when she realized that Asuka was staring at her, looked away with a smile on her lips.

"Obvious what, four eyes?" Asuka asked, feeling fear beginning to grow inside her. She somehow already knew what Mari was going to say, but she didn't want to believe it.

Mari at this moment looked at the ground and let out a tired sigh to feign indignation. After a few seconds, she raised her head, looked deep into Asuka's blue eyes and spoke slowly.

"It means... That... He... Loves... You."

A silence reigned in the room. Sakura was looking at Asuka, with a slightly flushed face and still smiling.

- I would like a Prince Charming. - Sakura thought with a dreamy look on her face.

Asuka was frozen in place, staring at Mari's gaze, feeling a strange sensation in her chest. It was a pleasant sensation, one she had felt only a few times in her life.

Mari kept her gaze firmly on Asuka, studying to see what her reactions would be.

Asuka realized that her heart was beginning to race, and started to feel her cheeks blush furiously. She looked away from Mari and replied as best she could.

"Ha! Shut your mouth, four eyes. Me and that brat? I think the LCL is hurting you," Asuka tried to growl, but she failed terribly. This was something Mari had clearly realized.

Mari maintained eye contact at all times. Her smile increased in size and she spoke in a provocative tone.

"Ha! Stop it Princess... do I need about talk about that night, after the puppy escaped?"


Asuka's Dream - Top

Asuka remembered that night. It was the night she'd had a nightmare, a nightmare in which Shinji was participating. In the dream, Asuka was back to the times before the third impact. She was back in Misato's old apartment, trying to say something important to Shinji; but he didn't want to hear it. He just turned around and started cooking.

Shinji had an angry look on his face. He confronted Asuka, who started to cry. He said something, but Asuka couldn't understand most of it.

"I hate you, Asuka."

That, she understood.

As soon as Shinji spoke, Asuka cried harder and tried to talk, but she couldn't. She saw Shinji turning around and leading Rei into the room. They were smiling.

Asuka could not believe the words she had heard. She tried to approach Shinji, but as soon as she moved she saw that the apartment was fading away, leaving her in total darkness. She could only hear her crying.

"Shinji please come back! Don't leave me!" a desperate Asuka began to scream in the darkness.

She found herself back to reality soon. Mari had woken her up, staring at her with a worried look on her face. Asuka could feel that her cheeks were wet.

- Mari? Did she wake me up? Was I crying? - Asuka thought in confusion as she returned her gaze to Mari's face.

"Is everything okay, Asuka?" Mari asked without moving her worried eyes. Asuka knew that she only called her by her name when it was important.

"Yes, I... I'm fine," was Asuka's response as she sat up in bed and wiped the tears off her face, still shaken by the dream.

Mari just watched her from the bunk staircase. After a while, once she saw that Asuka was well a bit better, she relaxed and tried to make conversation.

"So... want to talk?" Mari asked.

"What did I do?" replied Asuka, dejected, as she looked down.

"You began to struggle... You started calling for Shinji... You were asking him not to leave you."

"Oh my God," Asuka said, putting a hand to her face.

Seeing that this was really affecting her friend, Mari tried to help her in some way.

"Today was a long day. A lot has happened. You lived with him for a long time."

Asuka could only nod her head in agreement. She didn't want to meet Mari's gaze.

"Go back to sleep, Princess. It's over. But, if you need it, don't hesitate to call Aunt Mari here," she said with a smile on her face.

"Grow up, four eyes!" Asuka growled from her bed.

Mari, knowing that she had managed to calm her down a bit, went back to her bed, but she was weighing the words that her roommate had shouted. She knew Asuka had something with Shinji, but she didn't believe they were on that level.

"Good to know," Mari said to no one in particular as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Asuka lay staring at the ceiling, knowing she would not be able to sleep anymore. She could only keep thinking about Shinji's gaze and their words. Remembering the smile on his face as he went into the room with Rei, she felt a pang of sadness and cried again, but this time without letting out a sound.

End of Asuka's dream.


Asuka at this point turned pale and shouted to Mari:

"If you talk about it I will kill you, four eyes!"

Mari knew that she had hit a nerve. She knew that Asuka didn't like to show weakness. However, Asuka didn't know that Mari had already told Sakura about her dream. The nurse had promised to keep it a secret, and if Asuka talked about it, she would feign surprise.

"And you?" the redhead asked, pointing her index finger at Sakura.

"I what?" she asked, losing her colors.

Asuka huffed in irritation and hit back.

"About Shinji! What do you think?!"

Sakura only bowed her head and spoke almost in a whisper.

"I agree with Mari."

"I don't believe it," Asuka said as she brought her hands to her face. She tried to look angry, but she was actually hiding the blush on her cheeks.

As she calmed down, Asuka lifted her head from her hands and spoke.

"I am not in love with Shinji," she declared, in a strong tone.

In response, Mari spoke up, with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Who said you were in love with him?"

- Shit. - That was Asuka's thought as she stared at her old friend with a wide-eyed look. She knew she had said too much.

End of FlashBack.


- Could it be? Does Shinji love me? What is this feeling? - Asuka thought in confusion as she stared at the ceiling.

After a few minutes, Mari came back into the room and saw the perfect opportunity to tease her fellow pilot.

"Ohh! Look what love does to people... That's so beautiful," Mari spoke in a cute voice as she smiled.

"I am not in love with him, four eyes!" Asuka shouted, turning to face her.

Smiling and leaning on the doorframe that separated the bathroom from the bedroom, Mari said: "Repeat it until you convince yourself, Princess."

"Idiot," Asuka growled, turning to the ceiling again.

Mari at this point lay down on her bed to take a nap.

Asuka was feeling very confused, not only by Mari's words, but also by Shinji's.

- I'm not in love with him. -

- I'm not in love with him. -

- I'm not in love with him. -

- I am in love with him. -

Asuka growled as she stood up and began to put on her clothes.

Mari noticed it.

"Where are you going?" she asked, confused.

"To visit the brat," was Asuka's dry reply.

Mari flashed her best smile, jumped out of bed, and began to put on her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Asuka asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going with you," was Mari's reply. She had just put on her pants and a blouse.

"You won't!" Asuka spoke in a strong voice.

Mari only shrugged and continued. As she finished putting on her shoes, she turned and spoke in a defiant tone. "Try to stop me."

Asuka knew she couldn't argue. Once Mari got something into her head, it would never come out. Asuka could only snort in frustration. "Alright, but keep your mouth shut while I talk to the brat. I want to see his face when I ask... "

Asuka didn't finish that sentence, for she noticed Mari casting a mischievous glance at her and getting ready to speak; but Asuka interrupted her.

"Wow. Is that all you think about, pervert?"

"You started it," Mari rebutted.

"Let's go, quickly," Asuka said, with a tired sigh.

Mari still had a smile on her face as they left the room.


Colonel Katsuragi's office.

Misato had ordered Sakura to go to her office to give her an update on Shinji's condition.

Sakura was confused about this. She had imagined that Misato wouldn't want to know about Shinji. - Maybe she still has feelings for him after all, - the nurse thought.

"He's underweight, ma'am; way underweight. He's at 42 Kilos at the moment," Sakura explained to Misato, who had her back turned at her.

Sakura didn't know if she should continue, but since she wasn't ordered to stop, she did so.

"His white blood cell count is 18 % below the minimum. His body is showing clear signs of malnutrition. To sum up, nothing in his body is healthy. If he doesn't improve, even a simple flu could..." Sakura couldn't finish the sentence.

Misato let out a low sigh and turned around. She had placed her hat in such a position that Sakura could not see her eyes.

They were red. Misato didn't want to show that she had cried. "What about his mental condition?"

Sakura flipped through a few pages of his medical report. "He seems to be suffering from depression, judging by the few words he spoke to me. He is closing himself off mentally, which is not good. He seems to be suffering from affective blunting. He is taking a long time to react to stimuli. He responds, but don't expect complex responses from him. Even his pupils are taking time to react to light," Sakura explained, trying to sound strong but unable to. She finished her report with sadness in her eyes and in her words.

Misato at this point let out a dejected sigh and spoke, trying to keep her voice under control, but ultimately failing.

"Thank you, doctor. You are dismissed."

Sakura greeted Misato and left the room. As she walked away from the colonel's office, she thought:

- What was that? Was the colonel upset? I will ask Mari later. -

Sakura was returning to the medical ward. At the same time, Asuka and Mari were arriving in the prisoners' sector. Mari was chattering about something, but Asuka was not listening. She only cared about talking a little with Shinji.


Asuka asked the guards to open the door, but she did not allow them to enter along with her. The guards were confused by the request, but since Captain Shikinami knew how to defend herself, they obeyed.

The cell door opened and the girls entered. Asuka could see Shinji's sleeping form; he was facing the wall so his face remained hidden. She waited for the door to close before speaking. Alas, she couldn't muster the courage to do so.

"How are you, Captain Shikinami?"

Asuka's face lost color at this point and she wondered how he could know it was her.

She felt paralyzed when Shinji turned around and sat on the bed, still not lifting his head to look at her.

They were shocked at his state. His body was extremely thin; they could see it even through his white clothes. His face seemed to be sucked in, his neck was thin, and it looked as if he had been punched in each eye, for they were surrounded by black rings. It was clear that he had not slept.

Deep down, Asuka didn't know what to do. She hadn't expected him to be in such a terrible state. She could only think of one question at this point.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked in a firm tone.

After a few uncomfortable seconds, Asuka was ready to scream at Shinji's lack of response; but before she could speak, he replied, sadly:

"I only know one person who uses strawberry-scented shampoo. I guess your friend must be the pilot who was in the Pink EVA."

Asuka could only look down and sigh. She had hoped he would look at her as he talked. Mari was in the corner of the cell, just watching. She could feel the tension in the place, and thought it would be best to remain quiet.

"How are you?" Asuka asked after a few seconds.

Again, it took him a short while to answer, in a monotone voice.

"Fine."

This infuriated Asuka. "I can tell you aren't! What's wrong? You want to die!" she spoke in an irritated tone. It was not her intention, but she could not control herself. She still had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Why does it matter?" Shinji asked, still looking down.

This question angered Asuka even more. She could feel her blood boiling. She let her arms fall, walked over to Shinji, grabbed him by the necklace and looked him straight in the eye. Mari prepared herself to intervene.

Asuka stared at Shinji. His eyes were lifeless, and she was getting ready to swear. However, the sentence that he spoke next broke her heart. He said something she never expected to hear from him, something that made her want to cry:

"Please Asuka, let me die," Shinji had small tears in his eyes. "Just let me die in peace... That way everyone will be happy."

Asuka and Mari were in shock at this moment. The former could only look down, while the latter was looking at Shinji with a tearful look on her face.

"Do you think that's what we want?" Asuka asked in a downcast voice. "Do you really think that?"

Asuka was fighting hard against the urge to cry. Once she realized that she would lose the fight, she dropped Shinji and ran out of the cell. She didn't stop until she reached her room, where she leaned against the wall and sat down, curled up into a ball, and cried.

- Idiot! - Asuka thought as she sobbed.


Mari was still in Shinji's cell, just staring at him as he looked at the floor. Realizing that there was nothing she could do, she was turned to leave, but not before speaking to Shinji:

"She doesn't want that Puppy. Neither she nor Misato would be happy about it. I hope that, when you put your head together, you can see how much this hurt Asuka."

Left alone again, Shinji thought about Mari's words. He began to cry.

- I only know how to hurt people... Asuka I'm sorry... You don't know how much I wish things were different. – Shinji thought, curling up into a ball and crying on his bed.

When Mari finished talking to Shinji, she left his cell and headed for Rei's. At this moment, she tried to put on a happy face. She didn't like to show that she was sad. This time, however, she couldn't.


Misato Katsuragi's office - Wunder - A few minutes earlier.

"So, Misato; that's the plan," Ritsuko spoke as she showed the schematics for building a new type of input plug, a dual input system. That way, two pilots could control a single EVA.

Misato was looking at her with an incredulous and confused expression.

"Will that work?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"All indicates that yes, it will. The data we extracted from the input plug of unit 13 showed that the pilots could synchronize, as well as an increase in piloting and synchronization capability," Ritsuko said. She was a little excited about the whole idea. She couldn't deny that her old NERV job, of building and improving EVAs, still produced some enjoyment in her.

"I don't know Rits... Will it work?" Misato asked as he scratched the back of her head.

"It worked in Unit 13," Ritsuko answered, picking up a cigarette.

Misato could not understand why they had to use a double plug, since they only had two EVAS and two pilots. It made no sense to her.

"But even if it works, Rits... We only have two pilots and two EVAS. Unit two is going to be repaired," Misato said, still trying to understand.

Ritsuko at this point rolled her eyes and smoked her cigarette to calm down a bit.

"Misato, we have to try," she said, in a tired tone. It was night already and everyone should be asleep by now, but they were still discussing. "Our EVAS were not able to face the Mark.09 model. Were not for the miracle of unit 1, we would all be dead now."

Ritsuko paused for breath and continued talking:

"With the double plug, we can potentiate the EVA. We may have a chance."

Misato was thinking about the battle. She knew they had been saved by unit 1 and Shinji somehow. She turned to Ritsuko and spoke in a tired tone.

"Go ahead."

Ritsuko only nodded and gave a small smile, but before she left the room, she stopped and turned to look at Misato.

"Are you okay?" Ritsuko asked, not as the vice commander of Wunder, but as a friend.

Misato realized this and only nodded positively, but deep down she wasn't. In a few days, she would be standing in a courtroom, testifying in Shinji's trial.

Ritsuko knew this. She had always been good at reading people's expressions. She knew what was bothering Misato. She was thinking about what to say, but couldn't find anything to help her friend. She just nodded and left the room.

Misato was gathering her things to retire to her quarters, when she stopped and looked at her monitor. Shinji had company in his cell. She promptly realized that it was Mari and Asuka.

- What are they doing there? - Misato thought in confusion before turning on the sound on her computer.

"Please Asuka, let me die," Shinji was crying lightly. "Just let me die in peace... That way everyone will be happy."

What Misato heard broke her heart. She couldn't believe the words Shinji had spoken. She felt tears forming in her eyes.

- How can he think such a thing? How could he give up like that? - Misato thought, angered, as tears ran down her cheeks.

Misato didn't see Shinji as the coward many called him, she had always seen him as a very determined person. He just showed things in his own way. He had never really given up on something, he always came back.

Misato saw that the conversation was over. She turned off her computer and got up to go to her room. She knew that what Shinji had said would stick in her head; but she needed to think about what she would say to try to help him in the trial, and that was going to occupy her mind that night.

"I will help you Shinji... one way or another." Misato spoke to no one. She wiped the tears off her face and headed for her room.


Detention Center - Wunder.

As Mari walked toward Rei's cell, she thought about Shinji's words, and about his defeated face.

- Wow, the Puppy is worse than I imagined... I'll have a quick word with the clone and then check on Asuka. - Mari thought as she stopped in front of Rei's door, telling the guards that she wanted privacy.

Rei's guards were not as persistent as Shinji's, so they just nodded and opened the door.

Mari, upon entering Rei's cell, realized that she was lying on the bed with her eyes closed.

Mari found the sight strange, as the clone was looking like a vampire in bed, but she was better than Shinji in physical appearance.

Rei was trying to sleep, because there wasn't much one could do in the cell. She just kept thinking about her existence and ate the food that was handed to her. Realizing that she had company, she promptly opened her eyes and sat up.

Rei looked at Mari with her intense red stare. She stood still, waiting for the visitor to start talking.

Mari was paralyzed as she stared into Rei's eyes, delighted by their intensity. She couldn't stop staring at them. After all, she had never interacted with an Ayanami type before, and she was finding the experience very interesting.

"So, clone... How are you?" Mari asked, struggling to keep her face neutral and cheerful. Shinji's words were still flowing through her head.

"Fine," was Rei's Monotone response.

Mari at this point was thinking that this conversation was going to be difficult, but she couldn't help but notice that there was something different about this clone, and it confused her.

"How are you?" Rei asked.

Mari could only feel his eyes widening at the question, she hadn't been expecting it. Not from an Ayanami type.

"Fine, thank you for asking," Mari spoke as she gave Rei a smile.

- This clone is definitely different. - she thought.

"What is your name?" Rei asked.

Mari was still recovering from her shock at seeing such a different clone.

"Oh, my name is Mari," she replied, holding out her hand to Rei, who just stared, not knowing what to do.

"Mine is Rei," she replied while looking at Mari's hand and her own at the same time. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to proceed."

Mari at this point was finding the idea of interacting with an Ayanami type funny, but she felt that there was something different about her that made her fascinating.

"Just raise your right hand and hold mine. That way we'll officially get to know each other," she explained.

Rei was feeling strange. She kept looking at Mari's hand and did as instructed. She reached out her right hand and gently squeezed Mari's. Rei didn't know why, but she felt good about the physical contact.

- Her hand is warm. - She thought as she analyzed the feeling that welled up inside her.

- Her hand is soft... Just like a porcelain doll's. - Mari thought, also analyzing the situation.

"So we are officially introduced," Mari spoke, smiling when she realized that Rei had not yet released her hand.

- I guess we will have to teach her everything. - Mari thought, laughing on the inside.

"You can let go of my hand."

Rei at this moment released her hand and looked at her face.

"When you shake a person's hand it's for a short time. It's strange to hold it for a long time," Mari explained.

"I see," Rei replied.

After a few seconds of silence, Mari was thinking about going back into the room to see Asuka. Before she could even turn to leave, Rei asked:

"How is Ikari?"

At this moment Mari lost all expression from her face, unable to keep up the happy façade.

"Bad, Rei. He's bad," Mari answered, with sadness in her voice.

Rei was visibly shaken. She didn't know why, but she felt sadness at those news.

Mari realized this and tried to cheer her up. "Hey... He'll turn it around."

Rei faced her with a confused look and asked: "What do you mean 'turn it around'?"

Mari let out a weak laugh and explained: "It means the person is going through a bad phase, but they will get through it."

- I hope so. - Mari thought.

"I see," Rei replied.

"Now I have to go. It was nice talking to you, Rei," Mari said, turning to leave.

"It was nice talking to you too, Mari," Rei replied, but she felt the need to ask another question. "Are you coming back?"

Mari at this moment was knocking on the door for the guards to open it. Upon hearing Rei's question, she turned to answer quickly.

"When I have time, yes; why not?" Mari replied with a sincere smile.

The door opened and Mari left the Rei's cell, who kept pondering about Mari's words. She really wanted her to come back.

Mari couldn't help but think of Rei as she returned to her room.

- She is nice. I hope you can talk to her more. – Mari thought as she stopped in front of her room. She was scared of going in, because she didn't know what Asuka's condition would be.

As she opened the door, she was met with a sad sight: Asuka was sitting on the floor, with her head between her legs, crying and mumbling something.

Mari approached her and bent down to put a hand on her shoulder. Mari could feel the tension in Asuka's muscles. She was hoping the redhead would trust her and let it out. After all, they were longtime friends.

Asuka froze the moment she felt Mari's hand on her shoulder. She was confused whether to continue or not, she was too upset to think rationally. Still, she decided to trust Mari.

"How can he think like that?" Asuka cried.

Mari sat down next to her. "Don't take it seriously. He is broken. When he comes out of this bad phase he will beg for your forgiveness," she said, putting her arm around Asuka's shoulders and hugging her lightly.

Asuka let out a forced laugh. "But you saw his eyes... He really wants that," she sniffled.

Mari didn't know how to help. She only squeezed Asuka in hopes of giving her some comfort. "Rest assured, Princess. He wouldn't do something like that."

"How can you know?"

"Because he's too much of a coward to do it. Besides, if he really wanted to, he would have done it already," Mari spoke in the hope that it would help.

Asuka was feeling a little better about all this. "Hopefully, Mari. Hopefully."

Mari, knowing that she had helped a little, decided to play with Asuka.

"He just needs a little bit of love," she said, with a smile on her face.

"Shut your mouth, four eyes," Asuka replied, but she couldn't stop the blush on her cheeks. "How did it go with the clone?"

"Are you asking about Rei?" Mari knew she was, but this could help Asuka.

"Who else would be, you idiot?"

"She's nice. She's really different. Can you believe she asked me how I was doing?" Mari replied with a smile on her face.

"That's weird," Asuka let out a small laugh.

"Yes it is. She asked if I would come back."

"Will you?"

"If it works out... I enjoyed talking to her," Mari replied, but not before realizing that Asuka had let out a yawn. "So princess, it's time for your beauty sleep," she got up and helped Asuka to her feet.

At dawn, the Wunder could be seen on the horizon, approaching New London Air Base, where they would land and dock for repairs.

After a few hours to get everything properly prepared, the Wunder landed and its doors opened, so that the crew members who had been given the day off could go out and enjoy themselves.

Misato was in her room, preparing to meet Shinji. She had been told that the convoy was already waiting for them outside the ship.

Misato realized that she was shaking, and quickly held her hands to try to control her anxiety. This would be the first time they would see each other since their return from the red earth.

She quickly put on her cap and headed for Wunder's holding cells.

When she got there, she met up with Ritsuko, who was waiting at the door to the entrance of the detention area, along with half a dozen guards who would escort her out of Wunder.

Misato knew there was no need for the guards, but this was no time to challenge the instructions from her superiors. She simply nodded to Ritsuko, who gave the order to move on.

"We'll get the Ayanami type first, so on the way back we can pick up Shinj...BM-03," Misato said. The guards nodded. They could see tension in the air, so they decided to keep quiet.

When they arrived at Rei's cell, she showed no resistance to being handcuffed. Misato stared at her and realized that she was calm. The team stood behind Rei the moment they reached Shinji's cell.

Misato hesitated a little as she opened the door. She knew things would be difficult. When the doors opened, she could see that Shinji was standing with his hands behind his head, leaning against the wall with his back to her. He had heard the commotion outside the cell. Since he already knew it would be opened, he had decided to get into position already.

The guards waited for permission from Misato, who was frozen in place.

Ritsuko saw this and stepped forward, ordering the guards to enter.

No one knew, but Misato was struggling fiercely to keep her emotions under control.

Shinji was handcuffed. When he turned around and saw that Misato was present, he lowered his head and shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't look at her. Misato acted almost the same, the only difference was that she had to maintain her pose in the presence of her men.

The walk to the vehicles was uncomfortable for everyone. The group crossed paths with some crew members who saluted the colonel, while also casting glances and whispers at Shinji. Misato realized this and wanted to tell everyone to fuck off, she wanted to protect Shinji tooth and nail; but she couldn't do that.

As he reached the vehicles outside, Shinji shuddered, for he had been almost a week without seeing sunlight. Once his vision adjusted to the light he could see a bit of the city.

The group was split up to go five in each car. Misato decided to go with Rei, and Ritsuko would go with Shinji. She knew that many things were going through Misato's head at that moment.

The train headed for the United Nations building in New London. The engineers decided to keep the building as close to his original design as possible.

As they entered the garage to avoid the public, they were greeted by the UN director and Commander Sebastian. No one noticed, but he had a small smile on his face when he saw Shinji's condition.

- Thank you, fate. This will make things easier. - Sebastian thought as he looked into Shinji's eyes.

"Thank you, Colonel Katsuragi; we'll take it from here," UN director Laura Barbosa spoke. She had a medium accent, but she was easy to understand. She was a good looking woman, born in Sao Paulo 2, the new capital of Brazil. She was from a family of diplomats and had come to the UN directorate due to her great efforts in keeping peace in South America. She was a fair person, and of good character.

Shinji was looking down the whole time. He knew that the hour had come. The hour of his judgment had come.

"OK, ma'am," was Misato's short answer.

She stared at Shinji as he was taken to the UN detention area

Laura noticed Misato's gaze on the prisoner, and could only wonder at her situation. It couldn't have been easy, having to arrest her former ward.

"The hearing will begin in a few hours. Please, get ready," Laura spoke, receiving a nod from everyone present.

After a few hours, Shinji was sitting, waiting for the hearing to begin. He didn't know what to do, he could feel his anxiety rising; but what could he do to make his case better?

At this moment, he raised his trembling hand to his head and began rubbing his forehead.

"Speak your side of the story. Do your best to show that the villain of it all was NERV" The voice in Shinji's head said.

- But will it help? I'm already doomed. - Shinji thought, depressed.

"Then fall on your feet. Don't be a coward and fall on your feet." The voice spoke in a strong, assured tone.

Shinji knew the voice was right. He nodded, for he knew he would only get this one chance to speak.

After what seemed like hours, he was called to be taken to the place of his trial.

When he arrived there, he met the lawyer who would defend him. He found it strange to meet him now. How could he be defended by someone he had never spoken to before?

The courtroom consisted of one large room. It was luxurious, with crystal chandeliers on the ceiling and rustic in style. On the left wall was a painted picture symbolizing justice, on the right wall was a window with a panoramic view of the city.

In front of him were the people who would define his fate, twenty human beings from different countries. Shinji couldn't help but feel overwhelmed inside. He knew that all eyes were on him.

At the other end of the room he could see familiar was Asuka, Mari, Misato, the bridge people who had once worked at NERV, and the current people from Wunder. Their expressions ranged from concern, pity and sadness, to hatred.

Everyone was told to stand up for Judge Ayana. She was a woman from Ethiopia, already in her 60s.

"We are in session," she spoke in a strong voice.

Everyone sat down.

"We are here to judge the actions of Shinji Ikari. Will the defendant please rise?"

He stood up.

"Mr. Shinji Ikari, you are charged with Mass Murder in causing what is known as the third impact, escape from custody to go work for terrorist institution NERV, and conspiracy to commit another mass genocide in what is known as the near-fourth impact. How do you plead?" Judge Ayana asked as she directed her cold gaze at him.

Shinji at this moment was looking down, thinking about what he would say. He could feel all eyes on him. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"Not guilty."

Those present at the session started talking. The comments ranged from people who agreed with him to people who started cursing because of his words.

Mari, who was nodding positively, whispered: "That's it Shinji. Stand firm."

Asuka was clearly anxious but said nothing. Misato did the same.

"Order!" Ayana shouted, and everyone went silent. "The prosecution can start."

"Thank you, your honor. We are here today to judge the actions of a single person, a single person who, along with the greatest terrorist this world has ever known, managed to wipe out 2/3 of life on earth. That's approximately three billion lives! Lives that were taken by this man!" the prosecutor was pointing his fingers at Shinji, who could only bow his head.

"We want justice to be done. That concludes the prosecution," The man sat back in his chair as he flipped through a stack of papers.

"The defense may begin," Ayana ordered.

"Thank you, your honor. We are here to prevent the blame for these events from being shifted. We all know the main villain of this story, and that villain is Gendo Ikari, the man who deceived many institutions to accomplish his goals, including the one we are in now. Gendo is a manipulator, and if he can manipulate entities and nations, he can easily manipulate a 14-year-old boy into doing whatever he wishes. It's unfair to put all the blame on a kid who didn't even want to pilot in the first place. He was blackmailed by Gendo, through the use of an injured colleague," seeing that he got the result he was hoping for, the defense concluded: "I rest my case, your honor."

After a few hours of reading documents and reports, Judge Ayana turned to Shinji and asked:

"Mr. Ikari, will you tell us your version of what happened that day?"

Shinji was clearly uncomfortable, but he answered as best he could.

"I didn't know this would happen. I had decided to leave NERV because my father had used me to hurt a person very dear to me. I was on the train when the angel attacked the city... I didn't want to go back so I went to a shelter. I could hear the fighting, but still I didn't move. After a while, the wall broke to reveal the head of Unit 2. The pilot spoke to me and showed me the destruction caused by the angel... I could only stare in shock as it ate Unit 0 and began to transform into something," Shinji at this point was fighting back the tears that threatened to come out. He stopped and began to breathe to calm himself down.

"After I saw that, I started running towards one of the entrances so I could get to unit 1. When I arrived there, I could see that my father was trying to make it work. I confronted him and went inside the unit to face the angel," Shinji stopped to take a breath.

Those present, especially Misato and Asuka, couldn't believe it when he said he had confronted their father. They were staring at Shinji with a confused look on their faces. They couldn't imagine that such a thing could have happened, and they would have liked to see Gendo's face at that moment.

"When I reached the angel I could see that it was in the NERV control room. I fought him off and managed to get him back out, but my battery died. I was so angry that it was too late, I don't know how but I managed to get the EVA working again... I just wanted my sister back," Shinji felt a tear run down his cheek.

Everyone present was confused when Shinji referred to Rei as his sister. Most were thinking it was either a glitch in the translation or that he had made a mistake. Misato was frowning at this point. As far as she knew Gendo only had one child. Asuka was in shock, she didn't know what to think. Ritsuko was the only one who knew the truth behind Rei. She assumed, with a smile on her face, that Shinji had discovered the secret while at NERV.

"Order," the Judge demanded.

Shinji continued: "After that... everything is blank. I just remember pulling her out from inside the angel and everything going white... then I felt a sharp pain in my back. I don't remember anything past that."

When Shinji finished speaking, the Judge turned to the prosecutor and gave him the floor.

"Mr. Ikari, when you said you left NERV, why did you come back?" the prosecuting attorney asked.

Shinji replied: "I don't know. I didn't want to run anymore."

"If you are that innocent, then why did you run away while being carried by the Wunder?" the prosecution rebutted.

"Objection! We are discussing the third impact here," the defense said.

"Overruled. Answer the question," Ayana ordered, in a firm voice.

"I don't know. I was desperate. Everything had changed, everyone hated me... I didn't know what to do," a sad Shinji spoke.

"You could have stayed. Nothing would have happened," the prosecutor rebutted. "You know what I think? I think you left so you could go back to your father and be able to finish things this time."

"That's not true!" Shinji tried to speak with a strong voice, but couldn't.

The prosecutor only smiled and took a document from his desk.

"In that case, I would like to read this document, dated a few weeks after the third impact, in which the current Colonel Katsuragi wrote 'I took him to my apartment because I felt sorry for him. Now I see he is a monster like his father. I don't care what they do when they catch him. He was always like his father, I tried but he wouldn't pay attention to me'," the prosecutor concluded while staring at Shinji's shocked face.

Misato had her head down, embarrassed that she had said that 14 years ago. Asuka and Mari were staring at her with shocked looks on their faces. Mari was completely floored, she couldn't believe that Misato had said such things, and Asuka thought the same.

Shinji could only look down, thinking about the word "Monster." He knew he couldn't hold any pose now, he just looked down and cried softly.

Seeing that he had succeeded, the prosecutor finished.

After much bickering between the prosecution and defense about the third impact, Shinji could only think of Misato. How could she have said something like that? Did she think he was a monster?

When the break came after six hours of debate, Shinji was taken to a cell again so he could have lunch. After 30 minutes of rest, everyone was called back in to discuss the almost fourth impact.

Shinji was confronted by the prosecution about why he had left Wunder. He tried to argue about being confused.

"When I heard her voice, I thought everyone was lying to me. I didn't know she was a clone," Shinji's voice came out as a whisper, but the microphones could zoom in for everyone to hear.

"Could you tell me how you removed the DSS necklace from your neck?" the prosecutor asked.

"It wasn't me... it was Kaworu," Shinji's expression fell further at the mention of his friend.

"That is impossible. The collar can only be removed by Colonel Katsuragi," the prosecutor rebutted.

"I don't know how... I was so shocked by the revelation that Rei was a clone of my mother that I didn't even realize how he removed her from me," everyone was surprised by Shinji's words. Not for the fact of the collar removal, but for his revelation about the origin of the Ayanami types.

Asuka was in total shock, along with Mari and Misato. Gendo had cloned his own wife, what kind of sick person was he? That was the general thought of everyone. Now they understood why he had referred to her as his sister a few hours ago.

"How?" the prosecutor continued as if nothing had happened.

"I don't know..." was Shinji's reply. "He just put his hands on my neck and it unlocked, that was it... and then he put it on himself," everyone looked at Shinji with confused looks.

"Why?" asked the confused prosecutor.

"I don't know," Shinji replied.

The prosecution continued to massacre Shinji with heavy arguments. The kid almost collapsed, it was too much for him to handle in one day.

"According to Captain Shikinami, you pulled the spears even against her and your copilot's requests, why?" the prosecutor asked.

"I was desperate to fix everything. Kaworu said we could fix the world... fix the third impact... I just wanted to be forgiven... I wasn't listening when he told me to stop," Shinji cried at this point.

Everyone was feeling sorry for him after hearing his side of the story. The only one who was worried about the course of the trial was Commander Sebastian. He couldn't afford to lose Shinji and was already thinking of a secondary plan in case he was acquitted.

"But still, you did," the prosecutor charged.

Shinji could only look down and say "I'm sorry."

"Everyone was at that time." Spoke the prosecutor dismissively.

The judge ended the arguments after a few more hours of debate between defense and prosecution. She felt she had enough information for the jury to reach a verdict.

"Before we continue, does the defendant wish to say anything?"

Shinji stood up and spoke. "I know I made a mistake. I'm not running away from responsibility, but I hope you can give me another chance. I didn't know what I know now... I want to help make things right," Shinji concluded with a depressed tone.

After a few exhilarating hours of deliberation, the judges reached a verdict.

"Everyone stand up," the Judge ordered as she looked around to see Commander Sebastian nod positively at her. She nodded back at him, who responded by putting a smile on his face.

Everyone was anxious about the verdict; Shinji could feel that he was almost fainting.

"After hours of deliberation, defendant Shinji Ikari was found not guilty of the charge of Mass Genocide in what was known as the third impact... but he was found guilty of attempting to cause a fourth impact. I sentence you to 15 years imprisonment in closed circuit without the possibility of parole. This court is adjourned," thus Judge Ayana concluded by striking the gavel.

Silence reigned among everyone. All of Shinji's friends were looking at the judge with confused stares. How could he have been convicted like that? Something was wrong.

Misato was in shock. She had hoped that she could take Shinji to Wunder and give him some function so she could try to fix things between them. She couldn't imagine that this could have happened. She wanted to cry, knowing that she had destroyed Shinji with her report.

- I am such an idiot. - Misato thought to herself in irritation.

Asuka was trying her hardest not to cry. She knew it was very likely she would never see Shinji again.

Mari's face was grim as she watched the guards take Shinji through a door, shaking her head as she thought that something was not right in that story. She needed to look for Kaji.


Kaji was listening to everything with his radio. He was with Toji and Kensuke, and the three of them were shocked by what they heard.

"There's dirt in that," Toji spoke angrily.

"I agree," Kensuke said.

Kaji could only nod. He was thinking that Commander Sebastian had something to do with Shinji's sentence. He just had to be able to prove it.

- We will get that information. We will bring the truth about everything. - He thought darkly.

- What are you up to, Sebastian? –


Author's Notes: Please review, your critiques (Good or bad) are very important to me, you know that I take a lot into consideration what is said and it also gives me strength to continue this translation project.

Don't forget to also like the Facebook page, search for "Calborghete" and locate a picture of Shinji and Asuka, on this page I will post updates and it will also be easier for you to contact me.

Special thanks to YourBlandesTAN, for correcting the English errors, thanks buddy.

Well, see you next time.