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"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 10 - Reunion.
Accommodations - Wunder - New England.
Misato was sleeping in her room. She didn't care about Wunder, WILLE or anything else; she just wanted to drink and sleep. Her colleagues cast curious glances at her for drinking again; but no one had the courage to intervene or say anything.
Every time Misato drank herself to sleep, she had the same dream.
Misato's dream.
Misato sees herself in her old apartment. A place where she always felt good, a place where she felt safe, a place where she was happy.
She sees Shinji cooking, Pen-Pen waiting patiently for his lunch a few feet behind him. Misato smiles at the sight. She approaches slowly, sits down at the kitchen table and watches Shinji.
"Baka!" Asuka shouts from her room.
Misato is watching everything from her seat at the table. She misses this routine.
"Baka! Don't ignore me!" Asuka shouts as she violently opens her bedroom door.
"What is it, Asuka?" Shinji asks wearily, but without turning to look at her.
"Is dinner ready?" she inquires, annoyed.
"In a moment, give me about five minutes." Shinji speaks, manipulating the pans in front of him.
Asuka huffs and sits down in front of Misato.
At this moment Misato looks at Asuka's face, and her eyes widen. The girl's face is tired and downcast; a mark of blood runs down her cheek. Misato realizes it is from her left eye.
"Asuka! What happened to your eye?" she asks, worried.
Asuka lifts her gaze and faces Misato with a serious, irritated look. "Don't you remember? It was your fault!"
Misato's eyes widen and she starts thinking frantically, thinking about Asuka's accusation.
"You don't remember because you don't care!" the girl speaks, strongly.
"That's not true!" Misato retorts.
"Oh, it isn't? ... Then talk to me." Asuka growls at Misato.
Misato can only stare at Asuka. She didn't have an answer. She lowers her head in defeat.
"See?! You never cared about us! You only care about your stupid revenge!" Asuka continues, without mercy.
Misato feels the tears forming in her eyes, but she cannot cry.
"Easy, Asuka; I'm sure Misato cares." Shinji speaks as he places the dishes on the table.
Misato raises her gaze to look at Shinji, but what she sees makes her body shiver. His face is pale and with signs of decomposition, and a strong mark circles his neck. He sits down on the table next to Asuka and looks at Misato with a dead look.
"In fact, she wouldn't call me a monster if she didn't feel anything." Shinji speaks, accusingly, as he begins poking at his food.
"Shinji, I'm sorry... I don't know why I said that." Misato speaks, trying to cry, but she still can't.
Shinji raises his gaze to her. He continues with a dead look and asks. "If it is as much of a lie as you speak, why have you never come to visit me before?"
Misato stood there, staring at Shinji. She had never gone to visit him because she was afraid and ashamed; but she knew she would never have the strength to look at him. Not after having contributed to his imprisonment.
"If you don't answer, I will." Asuka speaks as she lowers her hashis and looks coldly at Misato. "You didn't go to visit because, deep down, you don't care."
"That's not true!" Misato screams and tries to get up from the table, but she feels trapped in it, she can't move.
"Misato... Did you, at any time, love me?" Shinji asks with a downcast voice, his face showing a sad expression.
Misato was about to answer, but feels her body waking up with an irritating noise that penetrates her mind. Her apartment begins to fall apart and she looks frantically to the sides, trying to reach Shinji and Asuka on the other side of her desk.
"No, Shinji!" Misato shouts, hoping to get the attention of her former wards; but she can't, she is surrounded by nothing.
End of the Dream.
Misato opened her swollen eyes, hearing her phone ringing on the table beside her bed. She snorted in annoyance and started looking for the phone, which was behind some empty bottles.
When she finely found the handset, she looked at the caller ID. It showed an unknown number, but Misato didn't care and answered with a tired voice.
"Hello." Misato said, in a bad mood. She was in a strong hangover, but she hadn't expected to hear the voice behind the line again.
"Hi Katsuragi... Long time no see." Kaji spoke.
Misato's eyes widened. She had thought Kaji was dead; he hadn't spoken to her in over ten years. She pulled herself together quickly and kept talking.
"Kaji?" Misato asked, confused.
"The one and only." Kaji spoke, trying to keep it as casual as possible.
"What do you want, anyway?" Misato asked in annoyance. All the feelings she was going through were causing her to be almost out of her mind.
"Um gee, I can see you still have your old fire."
Misato knew that Kaji only called her when he had done something serious. She just held the phone for a while, and after a few seconds he continued.
"Katsuragi, I need your help." His tone changed from casual to serious. Misato could tell the difference.
She sighed and raised her hand to her forehead. She couldn't just help Kaji like that, she had responsibility.
"Kaji... I can't." Misato spoke, wearily.
"Katsuragi, I assure you it is in your best interest."
"What's so important?" Misato asked as she sat down and looked for something to drink.
"Just come, and please bring a doctor and some equipment." Kaji explained, still keeping his tone serious.
Misato stopped swallowing her drink and glared at the phone with a confused look.
"What have you done now, Kaji?!" she asked, annoyed.
"Just come, I will send you the location. If you are the person I think you are, you will come as soon as possible." Kaji spoke as he hung up his cell phone, without giving Misato time to respond.
She looked at the device, feeling worried about everything that was going on. She knew that Kaji used that serious tone when he was not joking.
After a few minutes of internal struggle, Misato got up, put on her red WILLE colonel's jacket and left her room, headed to Ritsuko's. Soon she arrived and promptly rang the room bell.
The door opened and the sight made Misato stop in her tracks. She had expected Ritsuko to be the one to open the door; but it was Maya who did it, even though Misato was sure she was in the right room.
Maya stared at Misato with a look of pure shock on her face. She hadn't expected that the Colonel herself would be on the other side of the door.
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Misato spoke up, with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Lieutenant Ibuki, may I ask what you are doing here?"
Maya at this point was blushing heavily. Stammering, she replied "It's not what you're thinking."
Misato widened her smile and retorted. "If it's not, then what are you doing in Subcommander Akagi's room in the middle of the night with that mess of a uniform?"
Maya could feel that she was about to faint, but she was saved by Ritsuko.
"What we were doing or not doing is not your problem." The scientist spoke as normally as she could manage. "See you later, Maya."
Maya couldn't look at Misato, who kept the smile on her face. She nodded and left the room, walking with accelerated steps. She desperately wanted to get out of Misato and Ritsuko's vision.
Seeing Maya walking away, Misato turned to Ritsuko keeping, her gaze on her face.
"You don't say anything." Ritsuko spoke to Misato, who could only raise her hands into the air. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
Misato lost her smile and looked back at Ritsuko, speaking in annoyance.
"Kaji."
"Kaji? Wasn't he dead?" Ritsuko asked, confused.
"I guess not. He needs help with something and has asked for a doctor, and you are one of the few people I trust." Misato explained, tired.
"I'll get my things. So, you want to come in?" Ritsuko spoke, equally tired. After all, she had stayed half the night up.
Misato shook his head and answered. "No, I'll wait. I don't want to sit on anything disgusting."
Ritsuko snorted and went inside to get her supplies and, after a few minutes of waiting, she came out with a large backpack containing almost all kinds of medical supplies.
"Isn't that a lot?" Misato asked, confused, as she saw the size of the bag.
"When it comes to Kaji, we have to be prepared." Ritsuko said, dismissively.
As Misato walked beside Ritsuko, she removed a communicator from her pocket and spoke. "Misato to bridge."
After a few seconds, Koji Takao's voice came on the communicator. "Ma'am, bridge speaking."
"I'll be out for a few hours. Sub-Commander Akagi is with me, you are in charge until we get back. Katsuragi out." Misato spoke into the radio.
"Yes ma'am, Acting Captain Koji leaving." Koji replied through the radio. Misato nodded and stowed the device in her pocket, continuing on her way to Wunder's cargo section. She and Ritsuko were walking silently.
After a few minutes, they were on their way to the location sent by Kaji. Each one was in her own world, Ritsuko wondering if Misato was drinking again, because she was smelling whiskey; and Misato thinking about her dream and Shinji's words, and also curious to know what Ritsuko and Maya were doing.
Kaji's Hideout
Kaji sat down on his couch with a tired and painful sigh, leaning back so that he could stretch his back.
"I'm too old for these things." Kaji spoke to no one as he stared at the ceiling.
Kaji was thinking about the day. He had killed two people, fought with another, captured one and rescued another.
"Not bad for an old man." He laughed as he remembered those events.
Shinji was lying on a bed, starting to wake up. He had an IV in his arm, and was looking at the ceiling of the room Kaji had put him in.
"An unknown ceiling." Shinji said, feeling the effect of the sedative that was still in his system. He closed his eyes and felt his consciousness drifting back to sleep.
Kaji was dozing on the couch when he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. Since he was a light sleeper from all the years of spying, he promptly got up and went to peek out the window on the approaching vehicle.
He picked up his pistol and went outside to get into position, in case he needed to fight again. The car stopped in front of the old house, and Kaji let out a sigh of relief when he noticed Misato and Ritsuko. He got up from his position and started walking towards them.
Cautious, Misato walked slowly to the entrance of the humble house. She drew her pistol and knocked on the door. She huffed in annoyance and knocked again, only harder this time.
"Still wild." Kaji spoke as he approached the women from behind, causing them to jump, startled by his stealthy arrival.
Ritsuko had a small smile on her face at the sight of an old friend. Misato was lowering her gun that she had pointed at Kaji when she snapped and spoke angrily.
"Holy shit Kaji, I could have killed you!"
He smiled at her and talked in his natural, carefree style. "I see the weather has been good to you, Katsuragi."
Misato blushed as she saw him looking her up and down, and turned to go to the door that was locked. "Let's settle this soon, so I can leave."
Kaji smiled at her reaction. He shot a quick glance at Ritsuko and went inside the house.
There, Misato sat on Kaji's old couch, quickly noticing the smell of blood. She made a disgusted face at him. "You could at least clean this place up."
He sat down in front of her while Ritsuko prepared her things. She seemed to have realized that medical assistance was not for Kaji. He activated the listening blocker device and placed it on his desk.
"What I have to talk about is serious." Kaji spoke as he got the attention of the two women. He promptly changed his gaze to one that showed he was not joking.
Misato focused on him, with a confused look on his face. Ritsuko tried to cover it up, but she couldn't contain her curiosity.
"Sebastian is trying to figure out how to awaken an EVA." Kaji said.
Misato's eyes widened at those words. Ritsuko was also in shock, but managed to recover faster than her old friend. She blinked and spoke as calmly as she could. "That's impossible, it's not like an on and off switch."
"I know." Kaji said, dismissively.
"Th... Great, we have another super murderer as boss." Misato spoke as he raised his hands in the air in annoyance. "Can you prove it, Kaji?"
He only nodded. "I don't know his motives yet, but I can prove it."
"Why do you want medical assistance? You look very well." Ritsuko inquired.
"It's not for me, it's for the person he was using to decipher the EVA's secrets." Kaji's gaze turned to Misato.
"And who is this person?" Misato asked, tired already.
"Who is the only person we know who has managed to awaken two EVAS?" Kaji spoke, casually.
Misato snorted at his question, but she began to think about it. Ritsuko had a look of shock on her face, she had already figured out who this person was.
"It's not possible." She said, feeling her body start to shake. Misato didn't notice as she was still lost trying to figure out the identity of that person. That delay was due to the tiredness and the hangover she was suffering.
As she repeated Kaji's question while staring at the ceiling, Misato's eyes widened, her heart raced, and any trace of tiredness or hangover disappeared from her body. She promptly stood up and spoke, her body trembling with anxiety.
"Where is he, Kaji?!"
Kaji could only look at Misato's reaction and flash his best smile, but it was short-lived when he remembered the boy's condition.
"Kaji! Where's Shinji?"
"In the room facing the bathroom." He spoke, with sadness in his voice.
Misato, getting the information she wanted, started looking for the room mentioned. She couldn't believe it, Shinji was alive. She could feel her eyes starting to moisten.
When she found the room, she was about to open the door when she was interrupted by Kaji, who gave her a serious look.
"Get out of the way!" Misato ordered. "You know I can get you out of my way!"
She was feeling the effect of many emotions. The first was happiness. Shinji was alive, so she thought that maybe she could fix things. Another emotion, however, was fear.
"Misato, he's in bad shape. Sebastian did things to him; I had to sedate him... He's scared of everything; he thinks everyone wants to hurt him. Shinji believes he's still in captivity and that this is a trick." Kaji spoke, trying to make Misato understand. He was having a hard time keeping her under control.
Misato stopped as she listened to Kaji's words. She had tears in her eyes and they were streaming down her face. "No matter if he gets scared, I need to see him, Kaji." She looked at him with pleading eyes.
Kaji, noticing Misato's look, nodded. After all, he couldn't confront that look. "Okay, Katsuragi; but be careful. His condition is fragile."
She nodded, and Kaji slowly opened the door. Misato entered with care, not minding the smell of the place. She saw that Shinji was lying with his eyes closed, on the bed, and she slowly approached.
She turned on the lamp and the light illuminated Shinji's face. Misato felt more tears streaming down her face as she saw his condition. He was extremely thin, and his face was scarred. He had four marks running down his left cheek; it looked as if they had been made by the paw of a very ferocious tiger.
The marks were still pink, recent. He had marks on his other cheek, but they had no pattern and were smaller. His lips had cuts and his arms were thin and with purple marks, which were also present in the fingers of his hand.
Misato was crying as she ran her hand through Shinji's hair. She promptly leaned over and kissed his forehead, then she turned and left the room. She could feel her anger begin to rise, she was more than determined to help Kaji finish Sebastian off. Kaji followed Misato back into the room, for he knew that the image of Shinji had affected her.
Ritsuko entered the room so she could begin to help the kid. She felt his pulse and began to gently remove the covers so she could examine him. She could see that Shinji had been tortured a lot, and she began to grope his body for injuries.
As she reached the ribs, Shinji let out a small groan. Ritsuko took her scissors and started cutting his old and battered shirt. She noticed a large purple mark on the side of his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled as she saw his condition.
As she recovered, she promptly went through her purse to get some medicine, and as she was preparing a syringe, she noticed that Shinji had woken up and was staring at her with wide eyes.
"Shinji?" Ritsuko noticed the boy's look of fear and remembered Kaji's words about him being afraid of everything and everyone.
Shinji's breathing began to quicken, his body began to tremble, his eyes kept staring at Ritsuko who only stood frozen in place. The two of them stood like that for a few seconds before Shinji looked at the syringe.
"Please... No…" he whispered in fear.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Shinji. This is an antibiotic for your wounds." Ritsuko spoke calmly so as not to frighten him further. "You're not trapped anymore, Kaji got you out of there."
Shinji looked confused. He remembered something, he remembered gunshots and some screams; but his mind turned to the period Sebastian was with him, how he was poked and prodded with various drugs. He wanted to believe that he was indeed free; but his mind was making him believe that it was all another one of Sebastian's tricks.
Shinji began to shake his head negatively, and his breathing increased.
"No... No..." Shinji raised his arms and held the side of his head. "That's a trick... That's a trick."
"Shinji calm down." Ritsuko tried to calm him down, but he was getting more agitated by the moment.
"No! Don't touch me!" Shinji screamed in desperation as he felt Ritsuko's touch on his shoulder.
"Shinji calm down!" Ritsuko spoke up as she began to hold the frail kid by the shoulders on the bed.
"No! Please, don't!" Shinji shouted as he struggled on the bed.
At this moment, Kaji and Misato entered in the room, they ran to the bed and held Shinji.
"What have you done?!" Misato shouted to Ritsuko as she tried to control Shinji's arms.
"Nothing... He woke up and just looked at me." Ritsuko said as she held him by the shoulders.
"I told you he was in a delicate state, Rits. Hold him down." Kaji spoke as he held his legs.
Shinji was screaming and trying to get loose as best he could, but he was too weak to overcome the grip of both Kaji and Misato. He was just waiting for the pain to start.
Ritsuko released him and began to prepare a light sedative for him.
Misato was holding only the boy's arms; she leaned forward and started talking to him, hoping it would work.
"Shinji... Shinji listen to me... You are no longer imprisoned." Misato spoke as calmly as possible, but he didn't seem to want to listen.
"No! That's a trick!" Shinji shouted, with his eyes closed and tears streaming down his face.
Ritsuko at this point applied the sedative to his arm and began to assist in restraining him.
"It's not, Shinji! Open your eyes, you'll see it's not." Misato spoke as he felt his movements begin to slow down, thanks to the sedative.
Shinji opened his eyes, but he was already too dizzy to be able to reason. The only thing he could make out was Misato's purple hair before it faded.
Seeing that Shinji was sleeping again, the group released their grip on him and looked at each other. Ritsuko had a look of shock on her face, she had never seen such a thing. Shinji was psychologically broken. Kaji was looking at the kid with pity in his eyes. He had seen people tortured before, but he had never seen a case like that. He was thinking about what Sebastian had done to him.
Misato was a mixture of emotions. She was happy that Shinji was alive, she was afraid of what it would be like when he could talk; but she was very angry, angry because she was seeing his condition. She was angry that someone could be sadistic enough to do such a thing.
Ritsuko recovered quickly and started working again. She made sure to put the IV back in and started applying the medicines to fortify his body. The best way to do it was to keep him sedated for the moment. Kaji and Misato didn't leave the room, they just watched their old friend work.
After a few minutes, Ritsuko had done what she could with the materials she had. She sighed tiredly, stood up and approached Kaji and Misato.
"He is very weakened." Ritsuko spoke as she looked at her colleagues. "He needs a hospital."
Misato didn't take his eye off the frail form of Shinji lying on the bed. "But how? If what Kaji said is true, the moment he is admitted to some hospital, Sebastian will know." Misato concluded, with anger in his eyes.
Kaji was standing, looking at Misato. He turned to Ritsuko and spoke "You could take him to the... What do you call it? Wundre?"
"Wunder." Misato corrected him, without looking away.
"We have all the necessary equipment there." Ritsuko said, agreeing with Kaji. "And we have more people to keep an eye on him."
"Hahaha... at Wunder? Really?" Misato asked, with a false sense of humor. "Almost all the crew members want him dead."
"We can hide him. Rits can convert an interrogation room into a bedroom, we can watch from the back room and have security cameras." Kaji added. "Could you do that, Rits?"
She replied with a nod. Misato still looked like a statue on a wall. She had gotten good at that. She was thinking about Kaji's idea. On Wunder she could give Shinji all the medical support he needed. She knew that some crew members sympathized with him and she could use that to her advantage.
Misato only nodded. After all, that was the only idea they had.
The group retired from the room and headed into the living room to discuss how they were going to transport Shinji to Wunder without being seen; but Misato asked something that was out of line with the conversation.
"Kaji... What was it like?" Misato looked at the cup of tea Kaji was preparing.
"How was what?" she spoke in confusion.
"The place where they were keeping Shinji, what was it like?" Misato asked as she raised her gaze to the man.
Kaji sighed and spoke. "His cell was horrible. There was no lighting, it was cold and damp. He had a futon for a bed, if that could be considered a futon... The walls were concrete; he didn't even have a toilet. When I entered the cell he was leaning against one of the walls, he looked like a caged animal."
Misato lowered her head and let out a long sigh. "How did Shinji get through three months of that?" She asked to the floor.
"I don't know. I really don't know." Kaji spoke as he realized it was dawning. "You guys have to go back."
Misato had a confused look on her face.
"I'm not going anywhere." She spoke with determination.
"Misato, you have to go back, you have to command the Wunder." Kaji pleaded as he returned the look she was giving him. "Also, you guys have to act like everything is normal."
"I will not abandon him again, Kaji. I will not make that mistake again." Misato growled in annoyance.
"Misato, you won't be abandoning him, Kaji will be here taking care of him until we can get him to Wunder." Ritsuko spoke. Kaji nodded positively, while Misato looked away from him and quickly at her friend and comrade.
"Okay." Misato spoke low and turned her gaze back to Kaji. "I'll be back in two days."
Kaji nodded, and he realized that Ritsuko was writing a paper note.
"What's that?" he asked, with curiosity.
"Instructions." Was Ritsuko's cold response as she handed him the paper.
The women headed for the vehicle in which they had arrived, they boarded it, and started their way back to Wunder.
On the way, Misato had a scowl on her face as she held up a listening blocker device Kaji had given her a few minutes ago. He had asked her to always use it when they talked about Sebastian or Shinji. She activated the device and spoke.
"Son of a bitch bastard!" Misato suddenly shouted as she punched the dashboard of the car.
Ritsuko got a little startled as she drove the car, and she cast a glance at her friend. "What was that?"
"Nothing." Misato spoke as she looked out the window. "How could he do such a thing?"
"Men like Sebastian don't care about consequences; they just want to accomplish their goals at any cost." Ritsuko spoke as she kept her gaze on the road.
"But awakening an EVA… Hasn't he seen what these things are capable of? How does he think he can control such a great power?" Misato wondered in annoyance.
"I don't know. We're lucky that Shinji could take it and didn't give in." Ritsuko spoke, still without looking away from the road.
Misato looked at her friend with a suspicious look, but decided not to say anything and remained silent for the rest of the trip. She was thinking about the look of fear on Shinji's face when she was holding him.
Wunder - Command Bridge.
After a few hours, Misato and Ritsuko were back at Wunder, but the former didn't look tired. She had too much on her mind to have such a luxury. Ritsuko was disguising it well. After all, it wasn't unusual for her to have few hours of sleep.
Ritsuko was looking at Wunder's building schematics, thinking about how she would turn an interrogation room into a hospital room, thinking where she would put all the equipment needed for Shinji's recovery, and how she would transport it there without arousing suspicion.
Ritsuko thought of Maya and Sakura, but she didn't know if she could trust them. However, she didn't have much choice. She would need help, and thus she decided to start with Maya. After all, they had more intimacy with each other. Ritsuko blushed slightly at the memories in her head.
She picked up her radio and spoke. "Bridge to maintenance."
"Ma'am, this is maintenance." Maya's voice replied.
"I'll be coming over for updates, bridge out." Ritsuko spoke as professionally as she could.
"Okay bridge, maintenance off." Maya said, just as professionally.
Misato looked briefly at her friend as she left the bridge. She knew Ritsuko would need help. She was thinking about how she was going to talk to Asuka and Mari about it. Misato let out a tired sigh as she squeezed the space between her eyes.
Sebastian Commander's Office
"What?!" Sebastian shouted as he clutched the radio with all his strength.
"Sir, the place is empty. We only have number four's body here, no sign of number two or the prisoner." Number one spoke over the radio.
Sebastian closed his eyes tightly and put the radio to his forehead, trying to control his anger. He was furious that he had lost his main asset; he thought that no one could find out Shinji's location. He was wondering where he had gone wrong.
"I should have put hidden cameras." Sebastian said to no one in particular.
"Try to find out as much as you can and come back." Sebastian ordered as he placed the radio on his desk.
"What would my grandfather think of me if he were alive?" he spoke, hiding his face in the palms of his hands.
"I would think you were incompetent." The voice in Sebastian's head spoke. "You know the committee will not tolerate failure."
Accommodations
As the day was winding down, the Wunder remained inoperative. No one could get Unit One to work again, but the Wunder would not be able to sail forever. All the members were beginning to think that the mighty ship would never fly again, that they would be docked in New England until someone dismantled the crew.
Asuka and Mari were in their room, the latter was playing video games on the couch, the former was beside her, watching Mari play and leaning her head on her knee.
"You must not go that way." Asuka said, seeing the path Mari's character was taking. "There are more enemies there, four eyes."
"I know, it gets more interesting that way." Answered Mari as she began to fight with various enemies.
"Shit." Mari spoke up in annoyance at seeing her character killed.
"I told you so." Asuka said dismissively from her seat on the couch.
"But Princess, one should not run away from a challenge." Mari spoke as she turned off console and put away the controls.
Mari, seeing that Asuka was still depressed and hoping to get her to open up, decided to ask.
"Do you want to talk, Princess?"
Asuka looked at Mari with a hard to read face. She was pondering the idea, but decided she didn't want to; she didn't want Mari to see her as weak. She was going to go through that alone.
"No." That was Asuka's dry reply.
"You know, Princess, not talking about it will end up killing you." Mari spoke, sympathetically.
"Hahaha... You know, four eyes; I can see how that helped you. How are your sessions with Sakura and the Clone?" Asuka hit back, hoping to make Mari stop asking, but she knew her attack was too weak for her fellow pilot.
Mari knew that Asuka was trying to deflect the situation. Asuka only knew how to attack.
"It's going well, thanks for asking. Sakura tries to help in any way she can and Rei is cute in her own way." Mari spoke with a smile on her face.
"Rei? Is that what she calls herself now?" Asuka retorted with fake annoyance.
"Yes, she has evolved quite a bit... Now I just have to start spoiling her. After all, she can't get boring like you." Mari said, keeping her smile on her face.
Asuka wanted to answer, but decided to keep quiet.
Mari realized that Asuka was not going to answer, and there was an uncomfortable silence until Mari tried a direct attack.
"I miss him too."
Asuka clearly moved at Mari's phrase. She shifted uncomfortably on the couch and looked at her roommate. She wanted to say something, but was using all her strength to keep her emotions in check.
"You have to talk about it, Asuka. It helps." Mari spoke, with the hope that she could help her friend.
"Talk about what, Mari? He died... died like a coward." Asuka said, but Mari could see that she was lying. That was not what she really thought.
Asuka began to feel the tears gathering in her eye. She knew she couldn't keep it up for long, so she tried to change the direction of her gaze.
"I know those aren't your true feelings. That day in the commander's room showed me that." Mari spoke in compassion.
Asuka felt a tear run down her cheek, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. She just stood there, staring at Mari.
"Do you know what hurts the most? It's you finally accepting that you love him and he does something like that... It's you knowing that you've always treated him like crap and him saying he cares about you and you not having the opportunity to apologize... It's killing me, Mari." Asuka spoke as her voice began to break and more tears streamed down her face.
"Knowing that he's dead and you can't change that fact… You don't know how much I wanted to talk to him, to tell him how I feel, to apologize for being a complete bitch... The trial showed me that, it showed me that he really wasn't guilty; but I was too stupid to realize... I always had that impression, but instead of doing something about it I let myself get carried away and believe the easiest answer." Asuka continued, her voice breaking further with each sentence.
After a few seconds of silence, Asuka wiped her face and spoke one more time. "But now, what's the point? He's dead... And I'll have to live with that guilt, maybe I deserve it... That's a good punishment for being so dumb."
After speaking, Asuka got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower and reflect on everything she had talked about. She had finally admitted to Mari that she loved Shinji, and had let her inner barriers open up a little.
Mari was sitting on the couch, happy that Asuka was finally opening up to her a little, but upset that her friend would never get the chance to talk to Shinji again about how she felt.
In some interrogation room in Wunder.
Maya was working hard with Ritsuko to convert the place into a hospital room. She was still in shock over the news about Shinji's condition, but also happy that he was alive.
After a few minutes, the pair heard a set of feet approaching the place. Maya lost her color and started looking at Ritsuko, who remained calm at all times. After all, no one knew why they were moving the room.
"Will you guys shut up?" Misato's voice was heard.
Ritsuko let out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was the colonel, but she was apprehensive to see that she had company.
Misato found the room. It had many boxes still to be brought inside. She entered and came across Maya and Ritsuko.
Misato, upon seeing Maya, flashed a mischievous smile and told some other two people to come in as well. Hyuga and Shigeru entered the room and looked at Maya with a surprised expression.
"So you're in on this, too?" Shigeru asked.
Maya only nodded.
"Cool, the whole gang reunited again." Shigeru spoke as he clapped his palms together. Everyone in the room was smiling at his enthusiasm.
"Come on, guys; all this mess has to be ready for tomorrow." Misato ordered as she removed his jacket and threw it somewhere.
Everyone nodded and got to work.
The next morning - Wunder Bridge.
Misato, Ritsuko, Maya, Hyuga and Makoto had tired looks on their faces. They had finished the room with all their equipment, but it was already night and nobody had gotten too many hours to rest. However, they could still work.
Ritsuko was in the office, discussing how they were going to bring Shinji to Wunder, what ways they could get him to the room.
"Remember he will be sedated, Misato." She said as they reviewed the plan.
Misato, realizing it wouldn't work out, spoke tiredly. "I didn't know it would be so hard to bring him on board."
"We will make it. By the way have you talked to Mari and Asuka?" Ritsuko asked.
"God, no." Misato said as she put his hands on her head.
"They can be useful, you know?" Ritsuko suggested, dismissively, as she looked at Wunder's hallway schematics.
"I'll talk to them today. Happy?" Misato asked, picking up the papers on her desk. Ritsuko only flashed a small smile and returned to the hallway schemes.
In the evening, a few hours before they left to pick up Shinji; Misato was standing in the doorway of Mari and Asuka's room, working up the courage. She breathed in a few times and knocked softly on the door.
After a few seconds, the door was opened by Mari, who cast a surprised look upon seeing Misato. After all, she had never been to their room before.
"Commander, what can we do to help?" Mari asked in her normal tone of voice.
"Can I come in?"
Mari just looked confused at her, nodded and walked away.
Misato entered the room and examined the place. It was smaller than hers, but had good space. She sat on the couch and waited for the girls. Meanwhile, Mari told Asuka, who was in the bathroom, that Misato was present. Then, she sat down on the floor in front of the colonel.
"How are you doing?" Mari asked, to break the uncomfortable silence that remained.
"Fine." Was Misato's response
Mari just nodded and went back to being silent.
After a few minutes, Asuka came out of the bathroom dressed in just a pair of panties and her WILLE jacket. She sighed, sat down next to Mari on the floor and waited.
After a few seconds, Misato told them to get ready, for she needed their help to transport a person aboard the Wunder.
Mari and Asuka looked at each other in confusion.
"Who is this person?" Asuka asked.
"I can't talk here." It was Misato's professional response. After all, she had forgotten Kaji's device in her office. "I only ask that you trust me."
Mari was the first to speak. "You can count on me." She said it with a smile on her face. She trusted Misato, after all.
Misato nodded to Mari with a smile and looked at Asuka.
Asuka was wondering who this very important person was. She turned her head and looked at the smiling Mari.
"Fuck it, I'll help." Asuka said, dismissively.
Misato smiled and spoke with determination. "Get ready, we leave in half an hour. Meet me in cargo sector 3."
"Now?" Asuka asked, annoyed.
"Yes, why?" Misato asked as he headed for the door.
Asuka huffed in annoyance; she was getting ready to lie down when Misato arrived. "Nothing."
Misato nodded and opened the door, but she turned and spoke with a smile on her face. "When we get back, tidy up that area." And she pointed at the state of the room. When the door closed Misato let out a sigh and started to head to the section where Ritsuko was waiting for her.
Asuka huffed again as she picked up her pants and put them on. Mari was already dressed beside her; Asuka didn't know how she could get dressed so quickly. Soon after, they were ready they went to the section indicated by Misato.
On the way to Kaji's hideout.
Asuka was wondering what was so important and why they were in a van; but she decided to keep those questions to herself. After all, she would find out who that person was in some time, and the same was true for Mari.
As Misato approached the location, she turned off the lights of the vehicle and drove it slowly. When she got close to an old house, she stopped the van and got down.
Asuka noticed a man approaching Misato. She knew him.
"I don't believe it." Asuka spoke up.
"What?" Mari asked. She had already recognized Kaji, but she had never mentioned that she knew him.
"It's Kaji." Asuka spoke up in shock.
"Alright, let's go" Ritsuko said as she got out of the Van.
When Asuka and Mari got down from the van, Kaji flashed a smile at the sight of Asuka and Mari.
"Look what we have here, Miss Shikinami and Makinami." He spoke as he approached.
Asuka had a confused look on her face. How did he know Mari anyway?
"How are you, Kaji?" Mari asked as she hugged him.
"I'm doing fine, Mari; and you?" Kaji spoke as he returned the hug.
Asuka was looking, confused, at the scene in front of her. Misato was looking with the same expression a few meters behind.
"Shall we?" Kaji asked as he pointed to the door.
When everyone was inside, he offered everyone a cup of tea, while Ritsuko prepared something. Asuka spoke after everyone had settled.
"I prefer coffee." She said, dismissively, as she sat down. She was already getting impatient with all the mystery.
"How is he?" Misato asked Kaji.
"The same, he's still sleeping." He replied, sipping his tea.
Misato looked down.
Asuka felt her blood boil and, standing up, asked. "Who?"
Kaji threw her a surprised look and turned to Misato. "You didn't tell them?"
She raised his hand, scratched the back of his head and retorted with another question, to change the subject. "No… How do you know Mari?"
Kaji was about to answer when Mari spoke first, thinking it was a good time to relieve stress.
"I met Kaji when he took my virginity in a bathroom of a nightclub."
Everyone's eyes widened. Asuka would have spat if she had drunk her tea.
"What?!" Asuka, Misato and Ritsuko shouted in unison.
Kaji was in shock, he had not expected that from Mari; who now was laughing in her seat on the couch.
"Hahahaha... Just kidding, people." Mari spoke, between giggles, as she controlled herself.
"This is not the time for playing, four eyes." Asuka growled.
Ritsuko shook her head and spoke from her spot. "Guys, let's focus."
Misato threw Kaji a look that said 'this is not over.'
Kaji recovered, turned to Asuka and Mari and cast a serious look. "Girls, I don't know how to say this… I was hoping Misato would have told you about who we're taking to Wunder."
"Who is this person, Kaji?" Mari asked. She completely changed her posture; her playful and relaxed posture was replaced by a serious one. Even Asuka was tense.
Kaji sighed, clearly anxious. He breathed in and spoke directly. "Shinji."
Mari and Asuka's eyes widened. The latter stood up and shook her head, while the former was in shock on the couch.
"No, that's not possible... Shinji is dead." Asuka said, with moist eyes.
"He's not, Asuka. He was with Sebastian this whole time." Misato spoke with sadness on her face as she remembered Shinji's condition.
"What do you mean, with Sebastian?" Mari asked once she recovered.
"Commander Sebastian wanted some information from Shinji. He kept him as a prisoner all this time. He was torturing him, Mari." Kaji spoke as he looked at her.
Mari was beginning to feel her anger rising, but she couldn't let it take over her. She had to remain calm. After all, she was an EVA pilot.
Asuka was leaning over the sink in the small kitchen, repeating Kaji's phrase about Shinji being tortured all this time. She felt a tear run down her face. Her guilt increased even more as she remembered that she had insinuated this to Shinji in the red earth.
"How is he?" Asuka asked without turning around.
"Bad, Asuka. He's been hurt a lot, physically and psychologically. He thinks everyone wants to hurt him, and we have to keep him sedated at all times, for now. Just by looking at our faces he already goes into despair." Misato spoke, saddened.
Asuka shook her head and whispered. "Das kann nicht passieren."
"Can I see him?" She asked.
"Sure, he's asleep." Kaji replied.
Asuka turned and stopped in front of Kaji. Everyone could see that her eye was red.
He nodded and went to the bedroom door, opened it and turned on the light.
Asuka was afraid to enter. She felt Misato's hand on her shoulder. She looked at her superior, who only nodded to give her strength. The two entered together.
Asuka approached and looked at Shinji's face. She was shocked by the image, as was Mari, who bent down and took his hand. Asuka knelt beside the bed, cautiously running her hand through Shinji's hair, and slid her hand over his cheek. She felt tears streaming down her face.
She promptly stood up and ran out of the room, Mari following her.
Kaji, seeing the whole scene, decided to intervene and spoke to Ritsuko and Misato. "Well, let's get started."
Outside the house, Asuka leaned over the small wooden fence. After seeing Shinji's condition, she allowed herself to cry. Mari hugged her from behind to try to give and receive some comfort. Asuka turned and hugged Mari with a strong grip and cried on her shoulder. Mari also allowed herself to cry.
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.
Special thanks to YourBlandestNightmare, who is kindly correcting the grammatical errors in the English... thank you friend.
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.
