Alright, everyone, sorry this took so long to get out. I've been doing lots of things. I've had a lot I've been considering over the past few months. Once such thing being the idea of potentially turning this story into an audiobook? Maybe? Probably not. But I was considering it. Still am. And have even had a few people offer to do voice acting. Which is cool. But, once again, probably too much to feasibly work on. Plus, I have no idea how many people would even bother to listen to it. Probably none.
Anyhow, the bigger thing I've been working on is actually the preview/reveal for the intro to act 3, which will, assuming everything goes to plan, be available right after I've published the finale of Act 2 (chapter 42) and should hopefully serve to hold everyone over until I actually get chapter 43 out. And I'm hoping it'll build up hype at least a little bit as well. I might even have a voice actress who might be able to help out with that.
As you can all probably tell, I've done some serious consideration on how I might up the production value of this story...
Most of this is probably just a pipe dream though. But the Act 3 reveal is legit and is definitely going to happen. It's just everything else that I'm unsure about.
Also, speaking of upping the production value, for anyone who is curious, I have uploaded art of Ahni and Amelia on this fanfic's accompanying facebook page. I'm hoping it'll make it easier to picture who exactly they are and give an image of them where my words just won't cut it in the way of a description. Once again, that facebook page is called Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love; A Notice for anyone who hasn't got it by now. I... don't post on it very often, but it is a place to access all the supplemental content related to this story.
Also, not to be rude, but I think I'm gonna skip review responses this time because this chapter took like... more than double the usual time to get out so, I'm sure everyone's tired of waiting and I myself am eager to get it out. Lmao, I've been working on this thing since February 2nd, and I was hoping to have it out in March, but that kinda didn't happen... Anyways, the music guide is next!
:Music Guide:
:Song One:
Enchanter I
Enchanter II
It should be played at the titlecard-
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-The American Solution-
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As always, it is available for download from a link provided on this fanfic's facebook page. As well as that, you can find it on youtube at- /watch?v=qoltiFqtEGo
:Music Guide:
:Song Two:
Rivers In The Desert
It should be played at the titlecard-
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-And Lo, The Skies Above Did Burn-
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I'm sure all the weebs are gonna love this. Once again, it is available for download from the link on my facebook page and is streamable from youtube at- /watch?v=9HKP8ufTj30&t=1s
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Text Guide
Standard Wording
"Spoken Dialogue/Sign Language/Phone Texts"
'Internal Dialogue/Thoughts'
(Flashbacks)
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[Slash denotes scene transition for the moment; this may be changed in the future so as to become more visible.]
Italicized text, however it is used, is nonstandard and is often used for, but not limited to, emphasized or stressed dialogue, phone texts, sign language, contextual references either through dialogue or narration or exposition, and extra-literary quotations among other things.
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Disclaimer: I do not own or profit off of Neon Genesis Evangelion, The End of Evangelion, or the Rebuilds of Evangelion. I do not own Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Sohryu, or any of the other characters/ideas from the Evangelion intellectual property collective. All licenses remain with the proper license holders. If asked to, I will formally remove this story from the hosting website.
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*Cruel Angel's Thesis and Eva intro starts playing*
Neon Genesis Evangelion
A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love
Chapter 40
As Goes Light,
So Goes Darkness
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A song of hope,
A song of doom,
Vermilion stained,
Its violent hue.
The sun bends low,
Then rises anew,
The gift of dawn,
A gift to you.
"Crimson Dawn" by, Amelia Bree Rineheart
Despite the balmy night air of eternal summer, she felt a chill. She grabbed her wrist to stop it from shaking, watching as a few ashes fell from the cigarette loosely held between her fingers. The winds were still and the flickering ashes fell down to the parking lot below before landing on and about a pair of scissors that lay discarded.
Leaning against the railing of the balcony, she gazed blankly at the scissors before sighing and exhaling a puff of smoke. The acrid cloud smelled strongly of lime and wafted up and into her eyes, almost causing her to tear up. She blinked a few times before letting go of her wrist and using her free hand to brush her hair out of her face and over her ear. Then, in a fluid motion, she grabbed her cap and pulled it from her head before holding it in front of her face.
It was grey and on the front of it was "NERV-02" stitched in white. Rotating it, she then gazed at the American flag sewn into it's side.
She closed her eyes and sighed again. She hadn't even been in Japan for an entire day yet, and she already felt she was in over her head. That in itself was expected but made all the worse by the events of the evening. What had been a lighthearted and cordial dinner had suddenly turned into a house of horrors festooned in fear.
A fear she was still trying to come to terms with.
With shaky hands, she put her cigarette back in her mouth and took another drag, breathing deep of the lime flavored smoke before putting her cap back on her head.
It didn't need to be said, but already, she wanted to go home. As excited as she had been to see a new land, to be in the city and see all the sights, she couldn't bring herself to enjoy the nighttime city skyline of Tokyo-3.
She wanted someone to comfort her. But she knew she was dominated by fear. And, because of that, she'd sought to separate herself from her company so she wouldn't cause them harm.
And so she stood alone on the balcony, trying to control her fear, though that was something she'd failed at many times before and was an art that still needed perfection on her part.
She hated the loneliness too. Fear drove her too it. Fear drove her everywhere. To and away from people, fear was the red tide that ebbed and flowed on the shores inside her heart.
She didn't want to be alone. She'd been alone much of her life and she was tired of it. Before her mother had died, she'd told her to ignore the people she went to school with. Too often, they'd only wanted to manipulate her or play some cruel joke on her or humiliate her.
For awhile, she was content with that. Convinced of the vileness of people, she was okay with being alone. Hell, she'd even desired it. And when it came down to it, when people wouldn't leave her alone, when they insisted on hurting her again and again, she would fight…
...and eventually, she would grow cold.
But then there was the light. Blinding and hot. So very, very, hot. It was as a second sun. Hot enough to set her soul aflame. And she promised herself she would never return to those tepid stagnant swamps of mediocrity. Never again would she let them trample her flames out with their muddied soles.
She couldn't stand being alone now after having spent so much time in the dark. And yet, she was, even if it was only temporarily. Even if it was to preserve her bonds, even if it was to ensure she wouldn't be alone later, she still despised it in the moment.
-The Beginning of The End-
Riding Home,
Riding Home
Finding Hope,
Don't Lose Hope
In every age, there are those who became incapable of bringing things to an end, try as they might. And then there are those who arrived to bring closure, to finally put an end to the cycle of suffering so that others could move forward. For, to begin, we first must see the end…
Behind her, the door to Misato's apartment slowly creaked open, though, unable to hear, she was oblivious to the person approaching her.
Asuka stepped out onto the balcony, the first thing catching her attention being Ahni's long and lustrous black hair draped over her shoulders and back, almost completely obscuring her blueish grey tank top. She heard the girl let out a sigh and saw a puff of smoke emerge from behind the silhouette of her shadowy hair.
So different from her own flaming hair born of fire, Ahni's was spun of darkness, almost causing her to disappear into the night, not unlike the smoke she exhaled.
"You smoke?" Asuka asked, though she quickly remembered the girl wouldn't have heard her.
She pulled out her phone before switching her digital keyboard to English and typing out the same question on it, preparing to inquire about the girl's habits, though still lost on how she should approach her. She didn't want to scare the girl after what had happened earlier, especially considering she still appeared visibly shaken up, tapping her foot on the ground and nervously twisting her hand around her wrist.
Ultimately, Asuka decided to tap on the railing Ahni was leaning on, hoping the vibration would grab her attention, which it did.
The girl's head quickly shot up and was almost instantly looking at Asuka.
Those blue eyes, not at all unlike her own, but oh how they fit her. Ahni almost frowned, for a split second thinking about how Asuka's eyes seemed to match her so much more than her own. How many times had someone at school stared at her for the odd coloration of her eyes? For being different? Asuka's were striking and drew attention, but they didn't look out of place on her. Ahni's eyes though, always seemed to draw attention that she didn't want. While it wasn't unheard of for someone in the Latin American countries to have blue eyes, it still made her stand out along with her deafness and the milky splotches of albino skin that where splattered across her otherwise caramel colored skin.
She quickly tried to push the thought from her mind. There was no reason to continue lamenting her past suffering when no one she'd met in her short foray into Japan so far had decided to put her down for her unconventional looks. And, hell, if anyone understood what it meant to be different in a new land, surely it was Asuka. The blue eyes and red hair certainly didn't help her blend in in a country where the majority of people had black hair and brown eyes.
Black hair and brown eyes that she should have had as well.
The girl broke herself out of her stupor and looked back out at the cityscape.
"Hey, Miss Asuka," the girl said in a shakey voice, though she tried to sound unworried which was admittedly rather difficult for a girl who couldn't hear.
She felt the girl tap on the railing again and looked back at the redhead before seeing she had held her phone out for her to read.
"You smoke?" the digital note asked.
"Heheh, yeah, I do," the girl chuckled as a few more puffs of smoke came out of her mouth with her somber laugh, "You wanna try?"
Ahni held her cigarette out for Asuka to take. Asuka didn't exactly know how to respond, but considering she hadn't said no and the cigarette was just waiting for her to take it, she ended up grabbing it to at least try to ease the tension.
Just before putting it in her mouth she caught a whiff of some kind of citrus. And, as she inhaled, she instantly tasted a ridiculously sour taste sweep over her tongue.
"Wha- What the fuck is that?" Asuka asked herself aloud as she coughed and handed the cigarette back to the girl, who, upon taking it back, took another long deep drag before sighing the smoke out.
Trying to stop herself from cringing at the sourness, Asuka managed to type out, "What's with that taste?" before once again showing her phone to Ahni.
"Oh… Oh, I should have mentioned, it's lime flavored."
"Uh huh…" Asuka mumbled.
Asuka lazily leaned against the railing and Ahni exhaled another puff of lime scented smoke. Ahni then glanced at Asuka, seeing the girl's lips sealed and surmising she had nothing to say.
"So, how's Amelia?" she blurted out.
Asuka sighed and typed something out on her phone before showing to the deaf girl.
"She seemed well enough. Shaken up I guess, but fine. I already went over everything with her about what we know. Also, you should give me your phone number so I don't have to keep showing you my phone," Ahni read as Asuka showed her phone to the girl.
"Oh, right. Of course. Here," Ahni said with a nervous fidget as she pulled out her own phone and showed it to Asuka.
Asuka took a moment to save the number to her contacts before texting the girl, "There. Much better."
Ahni read the text before sighing.
"This… isn't exactly how I'd planned to meet you," Ahni grumbled.
"I can imagine," Asuka texted the girl.
"So… what is this that happened to us then?"
"Honestly, I still don't really know myself. It's happened a few times now. It always starts out with our eyes glowing. And sometimes, we get that voice talking to us. I have no idea how or who it is but it happens. Usually, its pretty harmless. It causes pain most of the time. But, never any actually damage… at least, up until recently," Asuka typed out before sending the text and brushing her finger across the bandage over her eye.
As it so happened, Ahni glanced over to the girl as she felt the bandage.
"So, it did that to you?"
Asuka glanced back at the girl with a little gasp before returning her attention to her phone.
"Not exactly. It sort of indirectly caused it," Ahni read as Asuka's message arrived on her phone.
"Indirectly? I've been trying to keep up with the news, but I'll admit, I've been dealing with some stuff recently. I thought I remembered reading that you'd lost your eye fighting an Angel that had somehow commandeered Unit-03. And I remember, a few days ago, maybe a week or so back, back when Jet Alone was making headlines, a few days before that, I saw some article about your eyes glowing back then too. But none of the news articles I read mentioned anything about you guys hearing voices or anything."
Asuka cast her eye downwards and furrowed her brow. She then slipped her fingers into the bandages over her eye and began pulling them loose.
"Whoa! Hey, you don't need to show me. I don't want you like… exposing your wounds and getting them infected."
"If's fine. I need to change the bandages soon anyways,"Asuka said absentmindedly before remembering Ahni couldn't hear her.
The strands of bandaging finally fell loose and settled into Asuka's free hand. Ahni slowly cast her gaze from the bandages streaming between Asuka's fingers up to her eye socket. She inhaled sharply upon seeing a metal capsule lodged in the cavity as well as a dull blue glow emanating from behind it.
Ahni, quickly remembering how much she herself had hated it when people stared at her own odd features, consciously diverted her gaze down to the parking lot below, pretending like she hadn't seen anything.
After a few more moments, she felt her phone vibrate, receiving a text from Asuka that said, "Its okay. You can look."
"I… don't like looking… People always looked at me."
"I think I can understand why. You do seem to draw people's attention" Asuka texted the girl.
"Yeah… That's... always been the problem," Ahni said in a shakey voice, unaware of exactly how anxious she sounded.
Asuka noticed the girl's breathing had gradually become strained and deduced that the topic of conversation wasn't going to put the girl at ease. And, after everything that had happened earlier in the night, the last thing she wanted was to put the girl more on edge.
"Well, listen. You can chill out. And, also, don't be afraid to look at me. We're all friends here. And, to be honest, I kinda like the attention," Asuka once again texted the girl.
'Likes it? She likes it?' Ahni wondered in surprise upon reading the text.
Gradually, Ahni slowly found herself looking back up, meeting Asuka's gaze. She found maintaining eye contact rather difficult though. But she did manage to finally catch a decent enough glimpse of Asuka's now vacant eye socket.
It was obviously red in places. And some small amount of blood even managed to seeped out. But the most unnerving part was simply the faint blue pulsing glow, barely visibly even in the dark, that emanated from the back of her eye socket. One could almost make out glowing veins or some such that had burrowed into the flesh at the back of her eye socket.
And then there was the metal. Dark and cold, it looked uncomfortable sitting in Asuka's eye, though perhaps that was an understatement. Heavy and unwieldy, yet somehow it managed to fit in Asuka's eye well enough to allow the girl to blink. Despite how morbidly intriguing it was, Ahni shortly found herself looking away, taking yet another drag of her cigarette to occupy herself.
After what seemed like maybe a minute of her staring off at the distant skyscrapers, Ahni got a text from Asuka that read, "I don't know what all you've been told about. But things here aren't running as smoothly as they should be. You probably already figured that considering you've been reassigned here for the time being. Honestly, there's a lot to go over. But, as for these shenanigans, as I mentioned, they've been happening for awhile now. Not including tonight, the last time this happened was when we were fighting Unit-03. It completely took Shinji and Rei out of the fight and I was barely able to stay conscious enough to save them. Luckily, I managed to pull through up until the angel that had possessed Unit-03 actually took control of my Unit-02. By that time, the voice and stuff had stopped. But I was unable to do anything as the angel took control of my eva. Command ended up ordering Shinji to stop Unit-02, but he refused because I was in it. So, because of that, command ended up doing some control override and forced Unit-01 to fight Unit-02. Eventually, that ended up with my entry plug rupturing and I caught a piece of shrapnel right in my eye. But that's not all as I'm sure you can tell."
Ahni looked back at Asuka, the faint blue glow from Asuka's eye catching her attention more than anything else. She assumed it was just some light from the machine lodged in her eye socket. But, the longer she looked at it, the stranger it seemed. It certainly didn't look like your average ocular prosthesis, that was for certain.
Ahni exhaled a cloud of smoke before saying, "I get the feeling you're about to tell me why you have some Nintendo 3DS Terminator type shit stuck in your head."
Asuka let out a chuckle before shaking her head in amusement and texting the girl back, "It's an angel."
Ahni was just about to once again purse her lips around her cigarette before reading the text and suddenly pausing.
'An… angel?' the girl thought to herself in shock.
"That's… the one that possessed Unit-03? The Eleventh Angel?" Ahni asked as she yet again slowly turned her head back to the girl.
Asuka gave the girl a solemn nod.
"Jesus, what the fuck?" Ahni mumbled as she placed her cigarette between her lips and grabbed her wrist as she felt it beginning to tremble again.
"The voice and glowing eyes is usually accompanied by pain too," Asuka yet again texted the girl, "For me, the pain's mostly been related to injuries that my eva got during past sorties. Though, it's often times blended with other painful or traumatic experiences from my past too. That's how it's been for all of us. It's always been some kind of pain that's been important in our past. For Shinji, it's usually been this pain in his eye. His first night piloting the Eva if I remember correctly. And Rei gets a burning feeling that she says she felt when she was defending Shinji from the fifth angel. And, as for me, I get a stabbing feeling from my second time in active combat with Shinji. Did you feel anything similar?"
"Pain from our pasts?" Ahni huffed, scratching the back of her head as she exhaled another breath of smoke.
The girl looked at Asuka, seeing her nod affirmatively at her.
"I get the feeling I know what Amelia's injury would be. But, as for myself…" Ahni trailed off as she drew her left hand towards her chest, her fingers tenderly rubbing at her skin just above the neck of her low cut tank top, "Yeah, I guess you could say I felt something like that."
Asuka's good eye followed the girl's fingertips as they traced down her cleavage, past her breasts and about to her sternum. Seeing how provocatively low cut the girl's shirt was, Asuka quickly found herself blushing and looked away from the girl's chest, though not before seeing a hint of ghostly white skin. Though, whether it was a scar or not, Asuka couldn't tell.
"I felt this sort of burning… tingling feeling in my chest," Ahni continued, "and… I do think I can pinpoint it to a time in my past but… I just don't understand how any of this can even happen."
"No one understands right now," Asuka texted the girl before sighing and looking out over the skyline of Tokyo-3.
She felt Ahni tap the back of her hand against her arm. She looked back too see the girl offering her cigarette again. And, not wanting to seem rude or otherwise uptight, Asuka accepted the proffered cigarette and took a drag from it despite the tangy and sour taste of lime mixing with smoke not exactly being her first choice when it came to flavors she found enjoyable.
Asuka handed the cigarette back to the girl before texting her, "Aren't you a little young to be smoking?"
Feeling her phone vibrate, Ahni glanced down to read the message before letting out a sullen chuckle and saying, "Isn't everyone? And since when has it ever stopped anyone from smoking? My father's been smoking ever since he was thirteen. I've been doing it since I was eleven, though he doesn't know about it… At least, I hope he doesn't."
For a second, Asuka was taken aback by the girl's response. But after thinking it over, she supposed the girl was making a certain amount of sense. After all, Asuka herself hadn't exactly been participating in sobriety much recently either and she assumed it was only a matter of time before Misato found her half drunken bottles of alcohol and know exactly who the culprit was.
Asuka raised her eyebrow before shrugging and texting Ahni, "Point taken."
Ahni pushed herself off from the railing before turning around and proceeding to lean against it again, this time with her back towards it.
"So, besides Bundt Cake, what should I call you?" Ahni asked, the dim glow of her cigarette illuminating the tip of her nose, "Miss Asuka? Pilot Sohryu? You're Captain of Genesis Squadron, right? So Captain Sohryu? Or do you prefer Langley?"
"Just Asuka is fine. You can leave out my rank. No one here really acknowledges it anyways," Asuka texted the girl.
"Hmph," Ahni huffed as yet another draft of smoke exited her lips, "That Ikari kid, he's second lieutenant too, right? Just like me."
"Yeah. But like I said, no one here really pays attention to that. We're all mostly just a family. Ranks don't really come into it," Asuka yet again messaged the girl, doubting Shinji himself even knew what his rank was.
"And even if we did care about that stuff, its not like it's even gonna matter once we leave," Asuka chuckled to herself, amused at the irony of telling a secret to someone who couldn't hear her.
"Hmm, family, huh? ...Even back in the states, Amelia and I were definitely more… structured I guess you'd say. I mean, we got some leeway being pilots and kids. But we were still the shining stars of Ember Squadron and were expected to… I guess carry ourselves with a certain amount of decorum or dignity… Not that we didn't get into our fair share of mischief. But we usually tried to hide it. But, its… different here. I've only been here a few hours but I can kinda see how you live differently than us. I'd kind of gotten used to the strictness and discipline but… truth is, it's never really been my style. I've always been a bit of a deviant at heart."
"I get what you mean. I've never been much for rules myself. You should see how often I've tried to get out of wearing the stupid uniforms they makes us wear at school. Its the colors really. Blue and white. They just really don't vibe with me. Red and yellow are more my thing," Asuka texted the girl, laughing at the certain amount of relatability she felt.
"So, how did you end up here then? Like, in Japan I mean. You were stationed in Germany up until recently."
"Transferred, same as you. Japan just needed reinforcements at the time. All they had were Rei and Shinji and the angels hadn't shown up in Europe. And, unlike you or Amelia, I wasn't piloting an experimental Unit. All I could do was fight and I was ready to do just that. So, instead of keeping me on the sidelines, they sent me here," Asuka texted the girl again after taking a moment to think back on everything that had happened over the past few weeks before also adding, "And I'm happy they did honestly. Its done so much to change my life for the better, even with all the bad things that've happened."
Reading the text, Ahni exhaled again, the smoke buffeting against her phone screen before spreading out like a vaporous spiderweb.
"I know I already said this, but I really, really, didn't plan to meet you like this."
"What do you mean?" Asuka texted the girl.
It was hard to tell in the dark, but Ahni had begun to blush some.
"Um… well… Oh, how do I put this? I…" Ahni said, her voice all afluster as she nervously grabbed her wrist, "I'm… kind of a fan of yours."
"Huh!?" Asuka questioned in surprise.
"I, uh, know that's probably kind of weird to say, being an eva pilot myself and all. But, I mean… You're just so phenomenal! All I ever got to do back at NERV-2 was fight off raider gangs that formed after second impact! And they were total pushovers! Not even a challenge. I didn't even get a chance to start up my weapons systems most of the time before they retreated! But whenever an angel showed up, they'd always show clips from you and Rei and Shinji on the news! I still remember when I saw the three of you on the news fighting the tenth angel. What was it's name? Sahaquiel or something! Like, holy shit, that part where Unit-01 caught it and Unit-00 grabbed it's core and then you stabbed it with your prog knife! And the whole thing just fucking liquified like a giant blood tsunami! That was so sick! You were actually out there making a difference while I was just stuck doing sync tests with Mark.04. And I've just really really wanted to meet you for so long, even before the angels became a problem. You're just so… so incredible!" Ahni finally finished saying, on the verge of hyperventilating from pure excitement.
Asuka was taken aback for a moment by the girl's enthusiasm. As she remembered it, her fight with Sahaquiel had been one of her lower points. She could vividly remember her disappointment in herself for being unable to do anything against the angel without the help of both Shinji and Rei. But here this girl was recounting the event as though it were some fight from an epic tale.
Hearing Ahni's words made Asuka rethink her outlook on that fight. It was actually quite a beautiful thing that they had been able to work together to stop that particular angel. And it seemed as though their bond had only grown stronger since then. In fact, it was directly after Sahaquiel was defeated that Rei had moved into Misato's apartment with Shinji and herself due to the wave of blood that erupted from it leaving many of the buildings in Rei's neighborhood in an uncertain state repair. And that of course led to everything that came after. It led to exactly where Asuka found herself in this very moment.
Mentally retracing her steps over the past few days, again, Asuka remembered everything that had happened before getting caught up on the day that had started this whole convergence. She could remember sitting in Misato's blue Renault on the way to Unit-03's test site. She hated blue, but the car hadn't given off the same off-putting expression to Asuka that day. Perhaps because of everything else on her mind, the Evangelion of course, but also Shinji and Rei.
She could remember Misato putting her hand on her head and stroking her red hair. And for once, Asuka hadn't pulled away. Hell, she hadn't even been mad. After all the indignities she'd forced Misato through, she almost felt sorry as she watched Misato smile at her, though she tried not to let her regret show. For all the mistakes Misato had made, she'd always stayed by her side.
"Listen, Asuka," she could remember the woman saying to her, "I know… I haven't always been the best… mother. But, you have people here who support you and care for you. I know your friendship with Shinji was a little rocky at the beginning. And I know our own… relationship hasn't always been on the surest footing. And I know you and Rei used to not get along all that well… But I've seen you all growing. We are here for you, Asuka. You can talk to us. You don't have to keep it all bottled up."
Trying to hide her feelings from the woman, she attempted to mask them with a sense of annoyance before responding with, "I… I know that. You don't have to tell me. I mean… I guess having friends isn't all that bad. I mean, I don't need friends. I've never needed anyone. I've always been fine on my own… But it's not bad."
She had been lying through her teeth of course. She'd never been truly okay being alone. Of course, she'd managed to convince herself that she'd been okay without anyone. But deep down, she'd known it was a lie. If she was truly okay with it, she wouldn't be with Shinji and Rei right now.
What exactly had been her thoughts that night again? She knew she'd whispered them to herself, knowing that Shinji wouldn't hear her as he listened to his music.
"I can't take this. I can't take being alone like this," she had said.
And then again later, when she'd finally pulled Shinji out of his fantasy world of songs, when he'd expressed his doubts over her actions, again she professed how she couldn't stand the loneliness saying, "Shhh! Ayanami's in bed, right? I don't wanna go in your room and wake her up. And Misato? Misato's passed out like a fucking rock. She's not gonna wake up. She's not gonna hear us. No one will hear us. So just… let… me… do this. Let me have this. Let me have you just for a little bit. I'm tired of being alone. I'm sick of it."
Asuka looked back at Ahni. The girl's pale blue eyes, awash with admiration, almost seemed to glow in the dark.
Yet again, Misato's voice rang in Asuka's mind, "You're right, Asuka. It's not bad."
Asuka had spent so long convincing herself she didn't need friends. The kids at her school in Germany avoided her as did the ones here in Japan. The adults back at NERV-3 likewise only treated her as someone to be tolerated. Her father, while he didn't despise her, had basically cast her aside after taking a fancy to that witch of a nurse Asuka now called her stepmother. Even Kaji had kept her at an arm's length all these years and he actually cared for her. And likewise, after experiencing everyone pushing her away, she put distance between herself and others in turn. Misato, both during her time in Japan and Germany. Rei too, even though she'd now warmed up to her. Toji and Kensuke were also just people that she put up with. Even now, it was difficult to call them friends, even if they had been there for her over the past few days. If it weren't for Shinji hanging around them, she wouldn't have had any interest in being around them. And even when she'd visited NERV-2, she'd made not even a passing effort to acquaint herself with the American pilots. Everyone was just someone who used her or who she could use in turn until she became bored of them.
Almost every human connection, every relationship, every bond she made was a shallow one, fated to fade, to snap like a spider's web when pressed too hard, and slip through her fingers like so many grains of sand.
And yet again, here she found herself. Face to face with with someone who, in all respects, be it skill or capability or recognition, was probably beneath her. Who she didn't have any reason to befriend. But still, she found herself comforting her. Someone who would probably weigh her down at the end of the day. Was she finally learning to reach out to people?
Maybe, just once more, even if it was only for a few days before she left this life behind, she could truly befriend someone and maybe change their life for the better just like Shinji and Rei and even Misato had changed her life for the better.
"Being friends isn't that bad…" she muttered to herself with a shakey breath, trying to convince herself of her own assertions.
Asuka thought very carefully about the next few words she typed out on her phone before sending her message to Ahni. It was ultimately a simple question. One that had led to many new beginning, but also, a fair few hurtful ends. But Asuka was willing to take that chance.
Ahni, feeling her phone vibrate, looked down to see what Asuka had texted her only to find those fateful words appear before her eyes.
"Do you want to be friends?"
/
-A Radiance That Brings Endless Night-
/
"I say something, and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens."- Elon Musk
Meanwhile, in the Eva cages at NERV HQ...
Ritsuko's eyelids hung low over her eyes. Despite the sharp glare that flashed in the lenses of her glasses giving her an aura of attentiveness, they hid what was, at the end of the day, a woman who had been worked to the brink of insanity. She ultimately lost track of how many days she'd been working without being allowed to retire for so much as forty winks. And there, looming in front of her, was the reason for it all.
She stared up at what used to be Unit-03. Though, perhaps staring through it would be more accurate. She could hardly recognize it as her mind went blank trying to keep up the pretense she was monitoring the engineers' progress when, in truth, she was almost about to fall asleep where she stood.
'I'm going to need some more caffeine soon… Or maybe something stronger…'
It was highly unusual for her, but if someone had come up to her at that very moment and asked her what day it was, she wouldn't have been able to tell them.
And, as it so happened, someone indeed had come up to her to ask her a question. Though, thankfully, it wasn't an inquiry on the date.
Ritsuko was finally broken out of her trance as she felt a rather large hand gently place itself on her shoulder.
"Hey, boss. Did you hear me?"
Ritsuko barely managed to look to her side before trying to come up with some kind of response. Hell, it took her a moment to even recognize who was talking to her. Thankfully, it was only her second in command, Koji Takao.
A tall intimidating man. At least, intimidating before you got to know him. Though, his height obviously didn't change with acquaintance, everyone around him testified that he had a heart of gold and what could be considered a certified do or die attitude. He was a bald man with a fairly middling sized beard and bright eyes still full of life despite him being older than Ritsuko.
Ritsuko could well remember the day she'd recommended Gendo hire the man. And she was glad he had, because this man had been a godsend to Ritsuko, often times taking a fair share of her burden during periods when she couldn't fully dedicate herself to any single task. And right now was precisely one of those times.
He'd served in the Japanese Aerial Self Defense Force both before and after second impact, primarily participating in reconnaissance and rescue missions after second impact. But, as well as that, the man had done his fair share of engineering and repairs. While he wasn't exactly an authority in the field of absolute terror, the man knew his way around metal and was talented in his own right.
"Oh… no, Koji. I'm sorry. I… didn't hear you. I was… lost in my thoughts," Ritsuko said before sighing tiredly.
"Well, for your sake, I was only asking if you were doing okay. You look exhausted."
"Its that obvious, huh?"
"Ritsuko, not to be blunt… but yeah, it's obvious. Have you even slept at all?"
"Slept?" Ritsuko chuckled lifelessly, "I haven't had time to take a shower in the past… what? Three days? I haven't even had a chance to sit down for a quick meal. I've been downing chocolate bars and caffeine pills whenever I get a chance to pick one or the other up from my desk. I'm running on fumes and I think I'm about to be sick from all this caffeine."
"You know, for head scientist, you have some pretty unhealthy habits… You should probably get some rest."
"I can't. Ikari's orders," Ritsuko groaned.
"Listen, I know that, but I think we have everything well in hand here. Hideki's been making sure the grafting process for Unit-03+04 has been proceeding well. And Unit-02's head… or… what's left of it, has also been healing up quite nicely as well from what he's told me. Kid may be fresh out of college, but he's an ace when it come to that biochemistry stuff. I can't make heads nor tails of it without him. As for the dummy system, you're gonna have to have Maya continue working on that particular quandary. And, uh, also, the reason I initially came over here to talk to you, Midori I think said that the speaker near Mark.04's ear is also pretty much in place. Uh, actually, let me make sure on that. I forgot exactly what she said when I noticed you seemed a bit off."
Koji then cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting, "Hey, Midori!" up to Unit-03+04's head.
A girl with rather plump lips and voluminous shoulder length bubblegum pink suddenly popped her head out from behind a few plates of metal hanging from the side of Unit-03+04's face.
"Yeah!? What is it!?" the girl shouted back down.
"How's the speaker coming along!?"
"Uh, fine. It's hardly the most intense thing I've worked on," the girl boredly called back down.
"Great! That's excellent! ...Uh, what was it for again?" Koji asked the girl, his great bellowing voice echoing across the entire interior of the Eva cages without even trying.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT WAS IT FOR!?" the girl apparently named Midori furiously yelled down at the man, "YOU YOURSELF TOLD ME TO PUT THIS THING IN HERE BECAUSE MARK.04'S PILOT IS DEAF. AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WHY I'M DOING THIS! THIS WAS A CUSTOM JOB, YOU KNOW! IF I FIND OUT ALL OF THIS WORK WAS FOR NOTHING, I'M GOING TO BE SO PISSED! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA-"
Koji looked back at Ritsuko with a smile before reassuringly telling her, "See, it's all fine. Everything is going smoothly. Everyone knows their job and is doing it well. Midori might seem like the kind of person who doesn't want to put in the work, but she's dedicated to doing a good job. Which is why she gets so… loud when you question her work. It's good to question it though. It keeps her sharp and aware of the task at hand, even if it does push her buttons a bit."
"So you… didn't forget why Mark.04's needs that speaker?" Ritsuko questioned the man.
"Of course I didn't! Like I said, my little performances down here are just to keep everyone attentive and consciously thinking about the task they're doing. It's good for innovation and I've found it also helps prevent mishaps so long as everyone is well rested. And speaking of well rested, you should really go take a break."
"Gosh, Koji. You're a good engineer and an excellent leader too. I realize now that a lot of the miracles that happen down here are because of your management skills," Ritsuko said as she gingerly rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, like I said. My acts down here are for the benefit of keeping everyone sharp. So, now that I've convinced you I've got everything well in hand here, why don't you go take a nap in the rec room. I'll even send Sumire with you just to make sure nothing untoward happens. If you're lucky, maybe she'll even make you some Masala Chai. Her mother used to visit India before Second Impact and… the war. And, also, I've had some of it myself so I have it on good authority that she makes the best Chai in the entire Geofront. Should help relax you just enough to put you to sleep."
"Yeah… yeah, maybe I will go take a short nap. Thanks, Koji."
Koji smiled at the woman before then looking over his shoulder at another woman with dark skin and equally dark hair tied into a ponytail leaning against some of the scaffolding around Unit-03+04.
"Hey, Sumire, you free?" Koji questioned.
The girl perked up and her dark brown eyes glittered with a mysterious and sultry light as she glanced up at Koji.
"Just so happens I am. Not much I can do at this stage in the repair process," the woman said as she pushed herself off the scaffolding and made her way over to Koji and Ritsuko.
"Can you accompany Doctor Akagi here over to the rec room? She's not feeling too hot and I want someone to look after her. Averagely, Lieutenant Ibuki would be the one to accompany her, but she's already preoccupied with trying to sort out why the dummy system won't engage."
"Yeah, it's not a problem at all," the woman said with a cool smile that starkly contrasted with Ritsuko's grateful but sullen expression.
Ritsuko let out an uncharacteristically timid laugh before apologizing, saying, "I'm really sorry. I promise I'll try to be quick with my nap. If I take some diphenhydramine right now, I should be on the verge of passing out as soon as I get to the couch in the rec room."
"Uh, well, you're the Doctor I guess. But, really, it's not a problem. There wasn't really any work I could do with the Eva's right now anyways. I mean, that was why I was sorta just chilling," Sumire said reassuringly.
Ritsuko had a haunted smile on her face as she tried to think up some kind of response but she was simply too tired to reply in a timely manner.
Koji took notice of this and once more put his hand on Ritsuko's shoulder.
"Hey, try to take it easy for a little bit, will you?" the man sternly recommended to her.
"Yeah, I'll try," Ritsuko said as she pulled out a bottle of medicine from her lab coat, "With everything that's happened the past few days, I just… there's been so much to do. Having surgery done on Pilot Sohryu and making sure her restraining bolt was working. All this refitting work for Unit-03+04 and repairing Unit-02. The dummy system. I'll also need to do at least a few tests with Pilots Rubikard and Rineheart to see if Unit-03+04 even functions as intended. There's a whole slew of other classified things I can't even talk about, but that's gonna need tending to soon as well. I haven't even had a chance to check up with Pilot Sohryu again since she left the hospital with Pilot Ikari the other day. And that's to say nothing of Pilot Ikari himself. His injuries weren't life-threatening, but he still wasn't in great shape."
"All the more reason to get some rest for now," Koji yet again stressed to the woman.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ritsuko said before opening the bottle of medicine and downing a few pills.
"Did I hear that right? You're helping that criminal tend to his wounds? And he's been allowed to go free!?" the sharp voice of Midori suddenly cut through the air.
Ritsuko looked past Koji to see the flamboyant pink haired woman had descended from her perch on top of the Eva down to the catwalk of the Eva cages and was marching straight for her, Koji, and Sumire.
Despite her exhaustion, Ritsuko stood at attention as Midori barged up to her, something akin to fury burning in her eyes.
"Yes, I suppose that is accurate," Ritsuko confirmed solemnly.
"But why!? Why would they? How could they let him just walk out of here!? He should be locked up for the rest of his life after what he pulled!" Midori spat.
"He's…" Ritsuko started to say before cutting herself off and sighing, "He's an important component of Unit-01."
"Oh, what!? You're telling me he's still going to be piloting that thing!?" Midori shouted, completely appalled.
"No… No," Ritsuko said, "He's been restricted from piloting. Currently, Evangelion Unit-01 has no designated or assigned pilot. Not even the dummy system can act as a temporary pilot. Unless it enters a berserk state, Unit-01, as of right now, is no longer functional as a combat asset."
"Well, that's some good news," Midori huffed, "But I still think he's getting off too easy though. I bet his father pulled some strings what with him being the Commander and all. He went crying to his daddy to lighten his sentence and now he gets to go and be a blight upon the rest of the world in the mean time."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Ritsuko said, "You heard the exchange Pilot Ikari had with the Commander after we activated the dummy system?"
"Of course I did! He was about to bring the roof down on our heads!"
"Yes… well, that aside, the conversation isn't exactly what I would call uncharacteristic, especially in Commander Ikari's instance. The Commander has always been quite cold toward Pilot Ikari. And neither seemed very amenable to polite conversation, especially given my knowledge of what happened after he was detained."
"So what!? Who else was supposed to free his little punk ass!? It was obviously his father," Midori said assuredly.
"That much is probably true," Ritsuko confirmed, "But I don't think Pilot Ikari is the one who convinced his father to let him off the hook. It was probably... someone else."
"Like I give a damn! I've lost too much to Second Impact just for my supposed allies to turn their backs on me and kill me here."
"Hey, come on, lay off it, Midori," Koji interrupted the girl, "Ritsuko's already said he's not gonna be piloting. So just leave it be, okay? We still have a lot to do."
"Hmph," Midori huffed before turning around and marching off, "I'm not working on these war machines just to have them used against me. They better make sure that piece of shit never gets inside an Eva again or he's going to kill us all."
Ritsuko and Koji watched the girl storm off with mildly concerned expressions.
"Um, Koji, one last thing." Ritsuko said.
"Yeah?" the man asked as he looked back at Ritsuko.
"Make sure that the Mark.04 half of Unit-03+04 is painted silver and that Unit-03's half is left black. I want each side easily distinguishable for easy identification in combat."
"Can do, boss."
Ritsuko took one final glance up at Unit-03+04 before departing the Eva cages.
'What is happening to our world?' she wondered as she looked at the gleaming monstrosity.
/
Some time later, at Ahni and Amelia's residence…
"Well, goodnight then," Asuka texted Ahni as they both stood on either side of the threshold leading into the apartment.
"Oh, of course. You too!" Ahni said with a rather giddy smile, waving at Asuka as the redhead turned to go back up stairs to Misato's apartment.
She watched the girl's scarlet hair swish back and forth behind her back for a few more moments before shutting the door to her apartment. She then looked though a few notifications on her phone as she made her way into the mostly vacant kitchen. All that was really of note was a text from her father that she figured she'd answer later. At the moment, she didn't even know how to put into words everything that had happened tonight.
She turned off her phone and stuffed it back into the pocket of her ragged torn jeans, which, while not eminently presentable, were rather flattering on her. Perhaps too much so. She then looked up from the floor to see Amelia standing in the kitchen, her arms crossed and holding an empty Listerine bottle.
"So, you somehow managed to drink the rest of the Listerine behind my back before dinner?" Amelia signed to the girl, giving her the most suspicious look she could muster.
"Mmgh, something of the sort," Ahni said with an unsure shrug.
"For a deaf girl who can't hear herself, you're pretty stealthy," Amelia signed with a huff.
"I can sing too!" Ahni bragged as she flipped her hair over her shoulder before mustering her best singing voice and shouting, "You're outta touch! I'm outta time! But I'm outta my head when you're not around! You're outta touch! I'm outta ti-ime! But I'm outta my head when you're not aro-ound!"
'You could say that again since I'm the one always keeping you in line,' Amelia thought to herself before walking up to the girl and bonking her on the head with the empty Listerine bottle.
"You're better at being quiet than you are at being loud," Amelia signed to the girl after she'd managed to refocus her.
"Oh, that's pretty high praise coming from the mute girl!" Ahni teased as she leaned towards Amelia.
Amelia took a step back to gain some distance between her and Ahni, but the Enchantress was not so easily escaped and for every step Amelia took back, Ahni took a mirrored one forward.
"You wouldn't be challenging me to make you shut up, would you?" Ahni teased again as she continued to close in on Amelia.
Eventually, Amelia found her back against the wall of the kitchen and she could retreat no further. Ahni's eyes narrowed mischievously as a smile grew on her face. With a fluid motion, Ahni yanked the bottle of Listerine out of Amelia's hands before tossing it over her shoulder. Amelia gasped as Ahni then took her hands and pinned them against the wall.
"Can't say much without your hands now, huh?" Ahni said with a sneer before letting out a dark chuckle.
Amelia gave the girl an offended and pouty glare, but this only seemed to feed further into Ahni's amusement.
Ahni smirked before leaning into Amelia even further and finally giving the girl a gentle and soft kiss.
They stayed like that, trying to find comfort in each other, for probably the next ten seconds before Ahni separated from the kiss. Letting go of Amelia's hands, the girl instead wrapped her arms around Amelia's waist, rested her head on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, "I'm scared… I want to go home."
Amelia's expression softened and she slowly wrapped her arms around the girl's back, pulling her into her own embrace before stroking her long black hair.
"I'm sorry. Forget I said that. We should get everything unpacked."
Amelia felt the girl slip out of her arms as she made her way over to the suitcases and dropped to the floor. Amelia closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain her focus, before she too went over to her own suitcase and began unzipping it.
Flipping the top open, there were a set of folded clothes, mostly of a dull yellow and pastel pink color palette. How starkly it contrasted with Ahni's clothes, unfolded and thrown into her suitcase as though she were rushed off her feet fleeing the end of the world. Most of Ahni's clothes were blue, grey, or black. Many of them were also torn in places. Even the jeans she wore were almost at the point of being nothing more than rags. With holes worn in the shins, calves, knees, and both the inner and outer thighs, some of which erred on being unacceptably revealing, the jeans were nearly on the verge of unwearable. But, any time Amelia tried to get the girl to wear something more pristine, it usually ended in failure.
She supposed it was just the girl's style. And, it probably didn't help that she didn't have the willpower to enforce a more disciplined wardrobe when that wardrobe was also her weakness. Ahni's charms were nearly unbeatable, even against someone who'd gotten used to trying to resist them.
Amelia, being so orderly on the other hand, had organized her entire suitcase as efficiently as she knew how while still making room for a few other things, one of which was a small but suitable fold out mattress, which, despite its small size, had nearly stuffed her suitcase to the point of bursting.
Setting her few sets of clothes aside, she pulled out the mattress before standing up and throwing it out on the floor.
"Aw, cutie, you brought your telescope!" Ahni exclaimed as she saw the metallic tube sitting in Amelia's suitcase, "But… you can't see much of anything with all the light pollution!"
"Even so, I can still see Jupiter and Mars," Amelia signed as she adjusted the position of the mattress by gently nudging the sides of it with the toe of her shoe.
"But… you really brought a telescope when you could have brought... anything else?"
Amelia gave the girl a preposterous and confused look before glancing down at Ahni's suitcase.
"Have you seen what you brought with you?" Amelia signed before gesturing at Ahni's suitcase which contained a few out of place items.
"What? This?" Ahni questioned as she pulled a long red… something out from under her clothes.
"And the rest!" Amelia signed before leaning over Ahni's suitcase, shifting her clothes aside, and revealing a slew of… items that most people would wonder how one so young had managed to get her hands on.
"Yeah!? What about them!?"
Amelia closed her eyes and sighed before signing, "If NERV knew you were spending our money on sex toys, they probably wouldn't be paying us. You're lucky no one at the airport said anything."
"Hey, if I remember correctly, we use your spoofed ID to get these. And you yourself said you wouldn't be able to pull something like that off again on this side of the world. So, no harm done, right? Besides-" Ahni said as she stood up and walked over to Amelia.
Ahni then jabbed the long red thing into the side of Amelia's ribs before pressing a button on it. In the next moment, there was a sharp snapping sound, not unlike the crackle of electricity, and Amelia almost jumped out of her skin.
After landing back on the floor, Amelia glared at Ahni while rubbing the side of her chest where she'd just been jabbed.
"-I knew you wouldn't be able to live without the shock wand, hahahahaaah!" Ahni cackled in a fit of laughter.
"Stop making me horny before bed, you brat!" Amelia signed as she stamped her foot in frustration.
/
A few minutes later, at the Katsuragi residence…
There was a soft knock on the door. From the couch, Shinji glanced at Misato, who was sitting at the kitchen table drinking yet another beer to calm her nerves. The woman looked back at him, and without any words, she nodded before getting up to open the door. Averagely, Shinji himself would have been happy to get the door himself despite being further from it. But, at the moment, he was mildly occupied.
He glanced down seeing Rei sleeping in his lap. He was up later than usual though Rei hadn't managed to stay awake.
The girl's breathing was so light, she hardly moved at all. Shinji stroked his hand through her soft blue hair, the girl completely oblivious to the touch, not stirring in the slightest.
"Hey, Asuka," Misato said as she opened the door.
"Hey, Misato," Asuka said back before Shinji heard the door shut.
"Your bandages are gone. Did anything happen?" Misato asked as both her and Asuka rounded the corner into the kitchen.
"I threw them away a few minutes ago. I needed fresh ones," Asuka said as she continued on through the living room while Misato sat back down at the kitchen table.
The girl then made her way into Shinji's room. On the floor next to Shinji's futon, there was a crumpled paper bag. She knelt down and began rummaging through it, pushing aside a few pill bottles so she could grab a clean roll of bandages.
More than ready to get this over with, she yanked the roll out of the bag and was about to leave before she heard a small clattering sound right as she was about to stand up. She looked back at the bag and then at the floor. In the dark and with only one eye, it was hard to see, but on the floor, she could make out her neural connectors.
With a scowl, she picked them back up before angrily chucking them back in the bag. She then stood up and briskly made her way into the bathroom, not even stopping to look at Shinji or Misato along the way. Truth be told, despite what she'd said to Ahni earlier about liking the attention, she really didn't want Shinji or Misato to see her like this. It wasn't entirely a lie, but with Shinji relying on her and planning to run away, she didn't want to give him any more reason to worry about her. So, for now, she tried to carry on and act as unbothered as she could.
Upon stepping into the bathroom, Asuka threw the roll of bandages onto the counter and looked into the mirror. The skin around her eye was still bruised and some small amount of blood was smeared under her eyelid. Yet again, she found herself frowning.
Trying to ignore the urge to feel sorry for herself, she grabbed a rag and soaked it under the sink before trying to wipe away some of the blood.
"Shit!" she whispered as she felt another pulse of pain.
She then let out a frustrated exhalation before throwing the rag back onto the bathroom counter and proceeding to grab the bandages.
She yanked a length of the bandage from the roll before lifting up the hair behind her head and trying to run it under her locks. Even if it caused the wrap to be oriented slightly lower, she didn't want her hair to be too restrained under the bandage and tried to leave as much of it as loose as she could. And, after finally securing the wrapping in place, she pulled some scissors out of the drawer, snipped the bandage, and left the bathroom, this time less stoic than she was before.
"Everything okay, Asuka?" Misato asked.
"Yeah… Everything's fine," Asuka said boredly.
"What time is it?"
"No idea," Asuka replied before making her way to the couch in the living room.
Misato tossed her empty can of beer into the trash before stretching and saying, "Well, I guess that means it's probably too late. I'm going to bed. Don't stay up for too much longer. You all need your rest."
After pushing her chair in, Misato then made her way to her bedroom and slid open the door. But, before leaving, she looked over her shoulder, seeing Asuka take a seat on the couch next to Shinji.
"Oh, one more thing," Misato continued, "When I called Ritsuko earlier, she said she wants to see you all tomorrow. She didn't say when, so I guess whenever works for you would be fine."
"Agh, great…" Asuka grumbled.
"Oh, and Asuka. Don't do anything too frisky with Shinji tonight. Like I said, you need to rest," Misato said with a wink.
Asuka straightened her back and looked at Misato incredulously as a blush spread across her face.
"Wha- What's that supposed to mean!?" Asuka shouted.
Misato just shrugged before chuckling and closing the door to her bedroom.
Asuka stared at the door to Misato's bedroom in total shock. Everything was totally silent except for the distant sound of a car honking a block or two from the apartment.
"Doctor Akagi told her," Shinji said.
"Of course she did…" Asuka sighed, "God, next thing I know, everyone on the track and swim teams at school are gonna know I'm not a virgin anymore. Geez…"
"It's okay, Asuka," Shinji said, putting his hand on the girl's shoulder.
Asuka finally looked back at the boy, her expression softening a bit as she saw his face smiling at her despite his own embarrassment at Misato's words being plainly visible through a blush of his own.
"I'm sorry, Shinji. I don't mean to make it sound like a bad thing," Asuka said before she nuzzled her face into his shoulder, "I just… don't know how to tell people that we're together. And, even if I did, it's not like I want everyone to explicitly know that we fucked. I mean, can't anyone just leave stuff to the imagination?"
"It's okay, Asuka. I understand," Shinji said before kissing her on the cheek.
Asuka felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt Shinji's lips press against her and she spontaneously put her arms around the boy, pulling him closer to her.
"I…. feel so safe when you're around," Asuka whispered.
"I feel safe with you too… Asuka," Shinji said as he stroked her hair.
Asuka then pulled out of the hug and dropped the roll of bandages on the cushion next to her.
"Here, gimme your hand. I need to change your bandages," Asuka said as she held her palm out.
Shinji offered his hand to the girl and she grabbed him by the wrist before sliding one of the scissor blades under the bandage on Shinji's hand. With a quick snip, the bandage became noticeably looser and Asuka proceeded to carefully unravel it from the boy's hand.
Pulling the bandage off, Asuka could see the raw pale skin of the burn on Shinji's palm. For a second, she caught herself staring at it, a feeling of both pride and regret filling her heart.
"So… first her, and now me, huh?" Asuka mumbled before looking down at Rei, watching her as she slept on Shinji's lap.
"Yeah…" Shinji said before he too looked down at Rei.
The girl snored lightly as she laid on her side. Shinji could see the girl's eyes twitching under her eyelids. Perhaps she was dreaming. Of a war? Of a peaceful life in a quiet house? Maybe of going on a fishing trip with Kensuke teaching her and her friends how to land the biggest catch? Or maybe she wasn't dreaming at all. Perhaps she was simply resting in the cradle of darkness, doing her best to conserve her strength for the journey ahead of them.
Asuka gently placed her hand on the girl's hair and stroked it. Rei didn't seem to notice as Asuka brushed her hair behind her ear so she could get a better look at her face.
"Poor thing," Asuka said, "I dunno how she can sleep so easily at a time like this. I'm so worried about the future, I can hardly get to sleep, even with the painkillers making me drowsy."
"How were the Americans?" Shinji asked.
"Well enough I think," Asuka said as she picked up the bandages and started wrapping them around Shinji's hand, "They were shaken up, but I did my best to tell them that everything should be okay… I don't know if I believe it myself, though. But they both seemed to look up to me a bit, especially Ahni. So, I think they were both able to listen to what I had to say. They seemed to be in better spirits when I left them."
"And, uh, which one was Ahni again?" Shinji said, trying not to wince as Asuka pulled the bandages just a little too tight over his hand.
"The one with the white streak in her hair. Guess it makes sense. She's young and impressionable. I think it was easier convincing her everything was okay than it was myself," Asuka mumbled as she finished wrapping the bandage around Shinji's hand before snipping it with the scissors.
"Hey, Asuka, everything is going to be okay," Shinji said as he raised his freshly bandaged hand up and brushed his fingers against her cheek.
Asuka looked surprised for a moment before a slight blush spread across her face. And, despite everything, she even caught herself smiling as she felt a tingling sensation tickling her inside her chest.
"Shinji?"
"Mmhmm?"
"I wanted to apologize…"
"Huh? For what? What's there to apologize for?"
Asuka slowly raised her hand before brushing her fingers across Shinji's cheek.
"The other day, when I hit you," Asuka mumbled, looking to her side regretfully.
Shinji looked at the girl in surprise. After everything that had happened the past few days, it already seemed like a distant memory fading from sight.
"Even after saying I wouldn't hit you anymore, I still slapped you," Asuka continued, "I should have been more understanding. I still don't think how you treated Rei was right. But, at the same time, it's not like it was unrealistic for you to think the things you did. And, I also feel like I made things worse doing that. I didn't have to hit you. I didn't have to lash out like that."
"It's okay, Asuka. Too be honest, I'd already forgotten it happened."
Both of them sat silent for a moment, watching as Rei slept in Shinji's lap. Once more, Asuka stroked the girl's hair while Shinji rested his palm on Rei's arm.
"I know this doesn't excuse what I did, but…" Asuka mumbled, "Do you know why I did it? Why I slapped you?"
"Because… Rei deserved better? That's what you said," Shinji asked, glancing at Asuka with a confused expression.
"That's true," Asuka confirmed, "But that's not why I slapped you. Truth be told, even though I was warming up to her, I didn't really care for Rei in that moment. At least, I didn't care about her enough to slap you. That.. changed when we went to her apartment. After I saw her with that knife, I… feel like I connected with her. Seeing her about to do what my mom did… it changed something inside of me. It changed how I saw her. Ever since I moved here, I've treated her like… just some emotionless doll, just doing what she's told. I never treated her like a person. But when I walked into her apartment, and I saw her crying, pointing the knife at her, seeing the fear in her eyes when she saw me and then you, I realized that, even though she can hide it well, she's a human, just like you and me. And she can be hurt. When I saw her crying… I just… I felt so bad about everything I'd done to her. And, I see now, I was taking my fear out on her. I was treating her like a doll just like how my mother treated me like a doll… How she replaced me with a doll. And… that's why I slapped you, Shinji. Because I was taking my fear out on you as well."
Shinji could see Asuka beginning to tear up some as she spoke. So, with his freshly bandaged hand, he pulled Asuka closer and hugged her.
"It's okay, Asuka. You don't have to say anything else."
"But I do," Asuka sniffled, "I was afraid, Shinji. We'd just finished making love. I put my heart in your hands. The same way I gave my heart to my mother. I wanted her to keep me safe. And, after everything we've been through, I guess I wanted you to keep me safe too. I've treated you badly since I first got here. But, you always tried to protect me, even when I was ungrateful for it. Even when you were scared, even when I didn't ask for it, even when I didn't want your help, you were always there, ready to pull me out of the water if I got in too deep. And, I guess I took that for granted. I didn't realize it wasn't your responsibility to protect me or support me. But, I'd gotten so used to it. And… when Rei ran away that night, I guess, hearing you talk about what she said, it sounded like you where going to cast her aside… It sounded like you were going to forget about her like my mom forgot about me. And… after what had just happened between us, I was scared. I was… so scared that if your treated her that way… how would you treat me? What if I did something wrong? What if I finally pushed you over the edge? And it made me realize I didn't want to lose you. ...I know it sounds stupid. But I slapped you because I didn't want you to go. That's why I told you not to let us go. Because we're all we have."
At this point, Asuka was on the verge of sobbing into Shinji's shirt, though she tried her best not to.
"Asuka…"
"Does that… make sense? I thought it did in my head. But when I actually say it, I'm not so sure… I guess I always saw you as mine… That's sorta messed up to say. I don't own you. You're free to do whatever you want. But… I somehow didn't always see it like that. It was always, Shinji, go cook for me or Shinji, come do this thing with me. I was so used to you being there in my life. And, even more than that, I needed you in my life. No one's ever treated me like you do… and I didn't want that to end."
"I think I understand. You're saying that.. because I was upset at Rei, you thought I might leave her. And you thought that if I could leave her, I could leave you too. And you didn't want that."
"Yes," Asuka sniffled again, "Yes, exactly. I don't want to be alone anymore. But I should have just said that instead of hurting you. Everyone has darkness inside them, and I made a mistake because of that."
Shinji held the girl a little tighter, telling her, "Don't worry, Asuka. I'm not going anywhere without you. Or Rei. And soon… soon we'll be away from all of this. So, you don't have to cry, okay?"
"I know," Asuka mumbled, pulling out of the hug, "Shinji?"
"Hmm?"
Asuka slowly leaned back towards the boy, hinting at what she intended
"Can you give me one last kiss… before bed?"
Shinji also found himself gravitating towards the girl, whispering, "Asuka," before his lips connected with hers.
Either one of them could be forgiven for thinking time had stopped. In the dead of night, buried in the silver darkness of Tokyo-3, they hardly moved. The muted sound of a distant train horn blaring in the distance, the ambiance of the footsteps of a million people on the street, Rei's nearly silent breathing, and the sound of their lips and heartbeats where the only indications that time was still passing as it should. The proof that each toll of the bell, each tick of the clock, was dragging them closer and closer to the end…
...To where it would all begin.
Asuka then felt a vibration from her pocket, her phone in all likelihood. Though she was regretful to break the kiss, she did.
"Shit, I'm sorry, Shinji. Gimme a moment," Asuka said as she fumbled for her phone.
"It's fine, Asuka. Don't worry."
Utterly confused by who would be texting her at this hour, she assumed it must've been Ahni but was surprised to see it was indeed Kaji. She could stop her eyes from widening. It had only been at this very moment that she realized she hadn't spoken to Kaji since before she lost her eye and that he must've been worried about her.
"Hey, Pumpkin Patch. Sorry for texting you so late. Hopefully I didn't wake you up. I know I'm trying to get to bed myself, but had some business to sort out first. I wanted to talk to you in person. Tomorrow, if that's okay. Or today if you're reading this in the morning. You can feel free to bring your friends along. I have things to speak with Shinji about as well, but it wouldn't hurt to have Ayanami accompanying you. And I know the Americans have a vehicle. So they can join as well since my place isn't exactly near the train station. I hope you're doing okay. I'll see you tomorrow," the text read.
"Is everything okay, Asuka?" Shinji asked, slightly concerned by the girl's silence.
"Uh, yeah," Asuka said after shaking herself out of her surprise, "It's just Kaji. He said he wants to talk with me tomorrow. And you."
"Me? About what?"
"No idea. He was short on the details… He always is."
After returning her attention to the phone, she texted Kaji back, "Thanks, Kaji. I had something I wanted to tell to you too. Tomorrow. I'll also be sure to bring Shinji with me. Rei will probably come too. I don't see her staying behind. As for the Americans, I'm not going to ask how you know they're with us. But I'll ask them. I do know that Doctor Akagi said she wants to see us tomorrow too. I assume that includes them as well. I don't know how long we'll be able to stay. But I think I can make it work. I'll see you tomorrow, Kaji. I'm happy you checked in on me."
She waited a few more moments, staring at her phone, seeing if the usually distant man would respond to her. Even if she was with Shinji now, she still cared about Kaji and she wished he would open up to her more. And she hoped he would take the hint that she was happy to hear from him.
After there seemed to be no response, she was about to put her phone back in her pocket, until, at the last second, another text came in.
"I'm happy I checked in on you too."
Upon reading the text, a small smile appeared on Asuka's lips before she finally put the phone away.
"Okay, Shinji. Give me your other hand. I still need to bandage it. Then we can go to bed."
/
-The Distance Between-
/
The Distance Between
Ahni & Amelia
"Fear is the needle that pierces us that it may carry a thread to bind us to heaven."- James Hastings
A few hours later, in the middle of the night, at Ahni and Amelia's residence…
"Amelia?" Ahni whispered, her face nuzzled into the girl's neck as she tried to sleep, "are you awake?"
In the darkness, Ahni felt the girl rhythmically tap her shoulder a few times, confirming she was indeed still awake.
"So, you couldn't sleep either?"
After a few moments, the light of Amelia's phone screen lit up the space between the girls and a small area around the mattress.
"What's wrong, darling?" Amelia signed, removing her arm from around Ahni so she could speak with her.
"Its nothing. I just want to go home," Ahni said as she nuzzled her face into Amelia's chest, averting her eyes from the light.
Amelia pushed the girl out of her bosom before signing to her, "I can't talk to you if you aren't looking at me."
"I know. I'm sorry," Ahni whined before yet again burying her face into Amelia's chest, "Do you know if you could just cuddle me for a little bit? I want to feel your fingers in my hair and your breath on my face."
Yet again, Amelia pushed the girl away to speak with her.
"Ahni, I know it's hard. But we're here now. And we can't go back. It won't be easy, but at least we're here together. I know it's scary but Unit-02's pilot said it shouldn't be anything to worry about."
"Still though… I didn't expect it to be like this. I thought it was going to be fun. Seeing the world. Being in a real city! Finally meeting the person I've looked up to for years now. I didn't expect to have some ghost in my head. I still don't even know what happened tonight. It doesn't feel real. ...I don't want it to be real. I wanted tonight to be more romantic since its our first night in a new country."
Amelia's face displayed a mix of pity, worry, and hurt as she stared at Ahni's blue eyes, on the verge of tearing up, sparkling in the phone light. She shut her phone off and immediately pulled the girl into a hug, trying her best to kiss Ahni on her forehead. In the darkness, she heard Ahni begin sobbing into her shirt and she hugged her a little tighter.
Not being able to sleep the first night in a new home wasn't uncommon. Pangs of yearning for home would claw at almost everyone. But this was anything but an average case of homesickness.
"I'm- I'm scared!" Ahni choked out one last time in a strangulated voice before her sobs began to blend into the ambiance of the night.
/
The Distance Between
Asuka, Shinji, & Rei
"I'm not trying to be anyone's savior. I'm just trying to think about the future and not be sad."- Elon Musk
Meanwhile, in Shinji's room, at the Katsuragi residence…
Despite how tired Asuka was, she found herself restless as she lay in bed next to Shinji and Rei. Rei had composure and nerves of steel, and so it was little wonder that, even with all the traumatic events that had happened over the past few days, she was still able to find herself asleep. And it was understandable that Shinji would be tired. Being beaten the day before and then spending the very next day hiking would have taken a lot out of the boy. And, on top of that, he apparently wasn't a stranger to the idea of running away.
But Asuka wasn't like that. Even with all her courage and capabilities, she had to admit there were things she was scared of. Despite the abuse she'd suffered when she was younger, she had been pampered, treated specially, and well taken care of by Kaji, Misato, and the people of NERV-3. She had never felt the need to run away before. And the idea of living on the street, while liberating, was also unsettling to her.
But she couldn't stay here. Could she? No. Not with Gendo running NERV HQ. Sure, he may have been doing what was necessary. But Asuka still just couldn't accept that.
'Soldiers die all the time, right? They're expendable… I'm expendable… No. I can't think like that! I'm Asuka! I'm Asuka Sohryu! Asuka Langley Sohryu! I have people who look up to me. Who rely on me. I'm not just someone who can be thrown away… am I? I mean something to somebody… Somewhere… Even that blue eyed brat said she looked at me as some kind of hero.'
In the darkness, Asuka could barely see Shinji. Laying on her side under the covers, she placed her hand on Shinji's chest. She could still feel the welts and bruises on him from the day before.
'But even with the admiration of the entire world, you're the first one who's really made me feel needed. You went through all this for me. You stood up for me. You attacked NERV… for me. Maybe Kaji was right. There is no right or wrong; only your side and theirs. The hero will kill one person to save the world… but the villain will destroy the world to save one person that's important to them. I always thought I was a soldier. I thought I was the hero. I thought I was ready to sacrifice myself to save the world. But… I'm not. I'm not and now I'm getting ready to run away. But… I'm an Eva pilot. If I just leave… is that the same as just letting everyone else die? Does that make me… evil? I don't even know what I am anymore.'
Asuka repositioned herself and kissed Shinji on the side of his neck.
'I'm beginning to see why Shinji isn't close with his father. His father does what's necessary to protect the world. But Shinji does what's necessary to protect his heart. And to protect Rei. And even me. I don't know if I can really say that what Commander Ikari did is wrong. But I can't find it in myself to forgive him either. But am I even any better? Is anyone?'
"I love you," Asuka whispered in Shinji's ear before she rolled over onto her other side.
She didn't want to reach out from under the covers with how cold it always was in Misato's apartment. But, at this rate, she wasn't going to get any sleep unless she numbed both her pain and her mind. There was a rustling sound as Asuka's hand finally found the paper bag that had her medicine in it. Reaching inside it, she pulled out her bottle and opened it before fumbling around for a pill. Unfortunately, she didn't have any water and so, upon getting her fingers around one, she would just have to do without.
She cringed as she swallowed, causing her eye to become pained yet again. A timely reminder of why she had decided to run away with Shinji in the first place.
She then felt around for her phone. She'd left it somewhere next to the futon. And finally managing to lay a finger on it, she pulled it into her palm before turning it on. She immediately opened a search engine before typing good places to go on vacation to.
Scrolling through the results, she saw many locations she'd already seen while searching for destinations to run away to before. Preferably, she wanted a place that looked nice, a place with a view, though, whether that view was of a cityscape, a forest, a mountainside, or a beach, she couldn't decide. Hell, for all she knew, she wouldn't even be able to stay in a single place if she, Shinji, and Rei wanted to remain hidden.
"Asuka?" Rei sleepily mumbled.
"Huh!? Wondergirl?" Asuka asked as she looked over her shoulder, back at Shinji and Rei.
"Why are-" Rei said before a yawn interrupted her, "Why are you awake? You should be resting."
"I'll go to bed in a bit, Wondergirl. I just needed to take my medicine. It'll make me drowsy in a few minutes. So go back to sleep."
Rei tiredly blinked her eyes before resting her chin on Shinji's chest, trying to scoot closer to Asuka to see what she was looking at on her phone.
"What are you doing?" Rei questioned again.
"...Looking for places to go to," Asuka said after hesitating for a moment.
"To run away to?"
"Yeah, Wondergirl. To run away to."
"...You are scared?"
"I am, Wondergirl. But I'm more scared of staying here."
"I… understand," Rei said, sounding slightly depressed.
"And you?"
"I… am scared too," Rei confirmed.
"I know it must be hard for you," Asuka said, turning around and sitting up from the mattress to look at Rei, "I know the Commander means a lot to you. And I won't blame you if you choose to stay. Especially since you need LCL."
"No! I'm not leaving you! I will not!" Rei asserted, though Asuka could hear the pain in the girl's voice.
"It means a lot to me that you'll say that. But you may not have a choice, Rei."
Both the girls sat quiet for a moment, the sound of Shinji's breathing the only thing breaking the silence.
"Asuka…" Rei started, "Commander Ikari doesn't hate you."
"I know that," Asuka growled as she averted her gaze from the girl, "But that doesn't change anything! Commander Ikari tried to kill me! He took my fucking eye from me!"
It was then that Rei noticed a tear fall from Asuka's cheek and the girl then quietly began sobbing as she put her hands over her mouth, trying to muffle herself.
Rei sat up and put her hand on Asuka's head, trying to emulate how Asuka would put her own hand on her head when she tried to comfort her.
Slight though the movement was, it was enough to awaken Shinji, who immediately heard the girl crying.
"Asuka? Asuka, what wrong!?" Shinji asked as he sat up, instantly ready to comfort the girl the moment he recognized the sound as belonging to her.
"Everything!" Asuka squeaked out in a whisper.
That explanation didn't help much but still spoke volumes to Shinji. It didn't take much guesswork to figure out what was wrong anyways. Whatever it was that had gotten to her, Shinji only knew one way to comfort the girl and he put his arms around her, hugging her as she sobbed. He gently rested his head on the back of the girl's shoulder, occasionally feeling her warm skin through the locks of her hair draped over her shoulder.
"It's okay, Asuka. It's okay," Shinji reassured the girl, feeling her tears drip onto his arm.
"Everything will be well, Asuka," Rei added, agreeing with Shinji's sentiment as she continued to pet Asuka's head as lovingly as she could, "the other day, Commander Ikari told me to protect you, Asuka. So I will. I will protect you and I will protect Shinji."
"I wish he'd take his own advice!" Asuka rasped out angrily.
Though no one saw, Rei's expression indicated she almost seemed hurt by Asuka's words.
"I… I'm sorry," Rei whispered.
Asuka finally looked back at Rei, her single blue eye glimmering with the ambient light of the phone in the darkness.
"I don't want to leave you behind, Rei... But I can't stay here. I just can't," Asuka whispered as yet another tear slipped off her cheek and fell onto Rei's thigh.
Rei suddenly felt her heart drop at Asuka's words and she even found herself beginning to tear up as she thew her arms around Asuka, trying to comfort her just as much as she was trying to comfort herself.
"No one's leaving anyone, Asuka," Shinji told the girl as he gently swayed her back and forth in his arms.
"I- I hope not!"
/
The Distance Between
Kaworu & Seele
"Not just beautiful, though-the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they're watching me."- Haruki Murakami, Kafka on The Shore
Meanwhile, on the Moon, inside Lunar Base Tabgha, NERV-07...
"Evening, Kaworu," a man said as he walked over to a supply shuttle, preparing to move a box from it to the loading bay.
"Oh, good evening, Engineer Lyonel," the silver haired boy said, leaning against the wall as he watched the man and other workers chip away at the process of resupplying NERV-07 with vital supplies such as food, medicine, and materiel.
"You can leave off the engineer part and just call me Lyonel, you know. We've known each other long enough," the man grunted as he hefted a box off of the supply shuttle and onto the loading deck.
The boy quickly walked over to Lyonel, helping him to lift the box.
"Hey, you're fine. You've already done more than enough. I can handle this," Lyonel affirmed.
"Oh, please. Let me help, Sir. I'm stronger than I look," the boy said back.
Without complaint, the two men then lugged the box to the edge of the loading bay before both taking a seat on the cold metal floor.
"Well, I think that's just about it," Lyonel sighed, "We'll need to clear out once the ship is ready to take off. But I doubt we'll be here that long. Still gotta move the supplies out of the airlock and refuel the ship. I don't think they'll mind us taking a quick rest in the meantime."
Kaworu looked at the man before smiling and nodding.
"Here, you want this?" Lyonel asked as he pulled what appeared to be a candy bar out of the pocket of his pants.
"Oh, perhaps. But… wouldn't you rather have it? Or perhaps share it?" Kaworu asked.
"Nah, it's mint chocolate. I prefer my chocolate without mint. Don't tell the other guys I said this, especially not Luis, but I'm kind of a chocolate freak. I appreciate it for exactly what it is. Which is why I don't like things like chocolate cake. Lots of chocolate cake, especially the cheap mixes you buy in the store, just aren't chocolaty enough for me. It's too watered down. I'd rather have a proper chocolate bar over chocolate cake any day. The chocolate cake is less chocolate flavor but with more carbs, which I don't need. Especially up here on the moon where physical labor isn't half as bad. I'd hate to think how much this crap would weigh back on Earth... So, you want it then?"
"Well, I suppose when you put it that way, yes, I'll take it," Kaworu confirmed.
Lyonel then gently tossed the chocolate bar to Kaworu which floated over to the boy rather slowly before he plucked it out of the air. Kaworu then split open the wrapper, exposing the rich candy. Instantly, the scent of mint wafted into Kaworu's nostrils and he began to understand what Lyonel meant by the mint perhaps being too overpowering in comparison to the chocolate. Even so though, he figured he'd make sure to confirm again if Lyonel didn't want any of the candy. But, just as he was about to ask the man, he noticed him staring out a window with a view of earth.
"Do you miss Earth?" Kaworu prodded the man.
Without shifting his gaze, the man let out a chuckle before saying, "…Sometimes."
"You're from the United States, right? ...Where do you call home?"
"Southern Florida… I call it Southern, but it used to actually be the North half before Second Impact. After the flood came though, that changed everything. All dead and buried now, along with anyone else who might remember."
Kaworu looked down at the piece of chocolate before closing his eyes, letting the world fade to black. And when he opened them again, the world remained black. The boy then looked to his side, at Lyonel. And where there had once been a man, there was now a light shaped like that of a human being, glowing a bright and lively green in the darkness.
"Is there anyone on Earth that you desire to see again?" Kaworu asked.
Focusing on the man intently, Kaworu sought to divine every small insignificant thing he could, watching as the green glow of the man seemed to flicker for a moment, perhaps in a bout of melancholy.
"No. That's why I came here, to the moon. There's no one left on Earth who would miss me. My sister and mother died in second impact. And my father died shortly thereafter."
Kaworu watched as the glow from the man seemed to fade even more.
"But… there's still more, isn't there? Something, someone else?"
"You can read people too well," Lyonel sighed, "...I had a girlfriend when second impact happened. But… I never found out what happened to her. I pray for her every day. Hoping she's okay. Hoping she escaped like I did. Fifteen years and I still don't know if she's alive or dead. You'd think I'd have moved on by now. But… I could never move on from her. I may have been young at the time, probably about your age, but I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Sometimes, I still feel her in my sleep. Her beautiful baby blue eyes looking down at me and her dark brown hair tickling my nose, all of it a hallucination as I wake from a dream and find myself alone again. I only hope God is listening to me and that he somehow spared her even if they… haven't found her yet."
"Do you… think God is listening?" Kaworu asked the man, still studying him.
"I don't know anymore. I try my best to make this world better though, even if he isn't. That's why I'm here. No one on Earth needs me anymore, but here I could hopefully be of use to someone. I don't want anyone to have to go through what I went through. I don't want anyone else to end up like my mother or sister. I want to make the world a better place. I know that sounds stupid and naïve, but I believe it with all my heart and give my all to make it happen, even if it's hopeless in the end."
The glow from the man seemed to intensify. Like a fire in the night, the man's soul seemed to light up at the thought of doing good for the world.
"Well, God may not be listening. But I am. And I will remember your words," Kaworu said with a smile.
The man finally tore his gaze from Earth, looking back at Kaworu in what might be called astonishment. Lyonel then noticed the boy's eyes seemed to be glowing red. He would have been scared witless had this been the first time he'd seen the boy's eyes aglow. But Kaworu was a strange kid, often times doing things that seemed to defy science, sometimes bordering on the miraculous. On numerous occasions, Lyonel had seen the boy walking on the surface of the moon in nothing but casual clothes. In other instances, Kaworu seemed to have a nearly magical ability to transcend the language barriers of all the people working at NERV-07. The boy would speak, and even when the language he spoke was not the one that someone else shared with him, they seemed to understand him anyways. And every time such an occurrence happened, Lyonel was told to not question it by his superiors. But now, face to face with him, he had to ask.
"Your eyes… They're glowing. Why do they do that?"
Kaworu seemed surprised for a moment before his smile returned to his face. He then blinked and his eyes returned to their normal red color. From his point of view, color returned to the world, and Lyonel lost his green glow, now being just another man in an orange high visibility suit.
"They do that when I try to connect with people. To understand them. When I try to feel how they feel and to look further than the flesh."
"Look further than the flesh? I'm… not sure I understand," Lyonel said in disbelief.
"That's quite expected. I don't understand it myself either. I used to call it a gift from God. But, seeing the world through these eyes, I'm not so sure anymore."
"Is your ability to connect with people how you're able to talk to everyone. How is it that I hear you speak Japanese, a language I don't understand, and yet the meaning of your words rings clear in my mind?"
"I believe you're right. It is my ability to intertwine myself with others that allows me to convey my intent. Instead of talking, think of it as me being attuned to the whispers of your soul. I understand your words and you understand mine not through language, but through our hearts."
"I'm… still not sure I understand."
"It's okay. You don't need to," Kaworu said with a smile.
"So, what about you then?" Lyonel asked after a few moments of silence, "Do you have anyone back on earth waiting for you?"
"I do."
"Oh? Who are they to you?"
"A friend," Kaworu said as he took his turn to gaze at earth, "He's not someone I've ever met before. In fact, I've never been to earth. But I just know we were born to meet each other. And there's so many things I can't wait to show him. He has friends as well. And I hope in time, they will be my friends too, even if they don't know me yet. And, like you, I want to make the world a better place… for him. I have this inclination that he'll change the world and I feel this great swelling in my chest when I think of such a prospect."
"Hmm, he sounds very important to you."
"He is," Kaworu said, looking back at Lyonel, "And to everyone else. I believe he might bring happiness to many people. So I would like to repay him for that."
"You're a good kid Kaworu," Lyonel said before standing up, "I also feel like you could do good for the world."
"I try my best," the boy said graciously.
Lyonel then leaned over to pick up the box and move it from the loading bay further into the facility, but he hesitated for a moment as an insect crawled out of it before crawling over the edge of the box and falling to the floor.
"Ah, a beetle. I wonder where it came from," Lyonel casually pointed before crushing it with his boot, "Not that it matters anymore."
"Why… did you kill it?" Kaworu asked, almost seeming hurt.
"It wouldn't have survived up here. No food or water, except for ours. And most people don't want to leave their consumables open for bugs. It would have starved to death. Better to end its suffering than letting it slowly die."
"I… see. So you kill it out of mercy. It would have died anyways. So you decided to be kind to it and kill it before it came to pain."
"Yeah, something like that," the man said with a smile.
Yet again, Kaworu closed his eyes. And when he opened them, he could see a faint orange glow emanating from the beetle's corpse as the rest of the world faded to black. The glow then seemed to separate itself from the bug's body, like a spirit leaving it's corporeal vessel. A spark of life, flickering, fading, gone too soon. Kaworu then held his hand in front of his face, observing himself. His own body emitted a pale golden light in comparison to everyone around him. Lyonel's was green. The beetle's orange. Another pair of workers on the far end of the loading bay also glowed, one blue and one grey. Some people's glows seemed strikingly similar to others. But no one else that Kaworu could see had the pale golden light he had.
"Well, I'm gonna get this box hauled out of the bay and brought to one of the storage rooms. You can feel free to rest a bit longer," Lyonel said.
Kaworu then blinked and his vision returned to normal.
"Oh, no. Please, let me help."
"Thanks, Kaworu."
/
The Distance Between
Gendo & Shinji
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."- Plato
Meanwhile, in Gendo Ikari's office, at NERV HQ…
Patiently, he waited. His gloved fingers interlacing with each other. Viewing the camera feed on his computer, he watched as his older compatriot finally wended his way back to his side.
There was a knock on the door and commander Ikari spoke into his microphone.
"Enter, Fuyutsuki."
The door quietly opened, letting the tired old man through.
"Evening, Ikari," Fuyutsuki greeted the man as he trudged to Ikari's desk.
"How did it go?"
Fuyutsuki sighed, gazing down at Gendo as he arrived beside his desk.
"The Vatican Treaty… has been temporarily suspended with no set date for the resumption of enforcement. Unit-03 and Mark.04, as well as the sixth and seventh children, may remain in Japan for the time being. The U.N. should be making a formal announcement within the hour."
"Very well," Gendo stated, seemingly unphased by the news.
"Ikari… Neither Keel nor Ravus attended the ad hoc summit. But they did contact me afterwards asking after your plans. I, of course, didn't tell them anything in particular. However, Keel's son and Ravus's daughter were both in attendance. Neither of them approached me and they hardly spoke during the session, making no attempt to intervene, so I must assume they were only there on Seele's behalf to keep their parents abreast of developments. Either they're backed into a corner or they're confident and content to let things proceed as is. And I can hardly imagine they're actually on the ropes."
"Even if they were, they wouldn't show it."
Fuyutsuki placed his hand on Gendo's desk, leaning in front of the man, trying his best to look him in the eye.
"What do you intend to do, Ikari?"
"...Forge ahead," was all Gendo said.
Fuyutsuki closed his eyes and sighed before standing back up.
"You're sure about that? Do we still even have a fighting chance? Unit-02's pilot is out of commission for now. And while she will heal in time, that doesn't change our current circumstances. You yourself forbid Unit-01's pilot from piloting anymore. Rei is capable, but you said yourself she wouldn't be enough. The Americans have practically no experience fighting the angels and to top all of that off, the dummy system is no longer working in Unit-01, Unit-02, or Unit-00 while the spare clones are also unfit to pilot. Can we even win this? Is this truly the way?"
"It's the only way…"
Yet again, Fuyutsuki sighed before solemnly nodding. The man then held his hands behind his back before turning and walking to the window behind Ikari's desk.
It was a beautiful and calming sight. A nighttime view of the Geofront from near the top of NERV HQ. Given that the entire structure was subterranean, there were no stars. But the lights of the elevators carrying people to and from the surface were a suitable replacement. And somewhere, on one of those elevators were a handful of Seele's members. On another, there was a NERV employee, finally going home for the night after working overtime. Perhaps there was a random citizen on one of them coming to visit an injured friend at NERV Hospital. And, given that a multinational meeting had just concluded, there were probably diplomats and emissaries, finally returning to the surface where they would arrive in the heart of one of the most vibrant cities on earth before making their way to a diner or a hotel or the airport. Returning to their jobs, responsibilities, and their loved ones. Returning to the stagnancy and excitement that composed the music of life.
The wind was almost nonexistent this far underground, and the pine trees and grasses that were cultivated in the Geofront stood nearly still as did the water in both the lake and the giant manmade pool that had been constructed next to the pyramid that was NERV HQ. One could almost mistake it as an utterly lifelike painting depicting a scene from a science fiction novel. But it was no such thing. It was real. Tangible. Every tree painstakingly planted by a member of the landscaping crew that had been maintaining the parks and scenery of Tokyo-3 since the first day its name was christened and the city declared the final seat of power, the last bastion of hope and faith in a world that had been forsaken by god.
"Our world is so… so beautiful, don't you think, Ikari?"
Gendo finally stood up from his seat before walking over to the window and standing next to Fuyutsuki, taking in the view with him.
"Yes… I suppose it is."
"I didn't see it when I was younger. I was blind to it all," Fuyutsuki said, shaking his head in disappointment, "I remember when I was a boy, my mother would look out at the trees and tell me how beautiful she thought they were. I didn't understand. They were just trees I thought. So drab and green. And green happened to be my least favorite color. And so I brushed it off as a difference of opinion when in reality, it was a difference in perspective. And, now that I know how precious life is, now that I've lost my mother, my father, Yui, only now after seeing how easily it can all be wiped away do I understand why something as simple as a tree can be so beautiful. Everyone fighting and dying to make a difference, lashing out in the darkness and reaching for each other's hands. Before, I would have thought it a waste of time to plant a tree. I was always looking to the next day and I wouldn't have noticed the tree's growth the next morning. But the tree fights just as hard to live as any of us. It may not look like it. But it does. And now, I can't help but want to plant one myself. To nurture it and take care of it and to watch it succeed and grow strong with my help. That's what makes it so beautiful. Not the texture of the bark or the shape of the leaf or color of the flowers. It's the miracle that any of it is even here to be witnessed that's so beautiful. The fact that we're a part of it all and exist together in life. It makes me wonder how you look at the world, Ikari… And how the world looks at you."
Gendo looked over at the older man with an expression that could almost, if not quite, be called surprise.
"Does that strike you at all?" Fuyutsuki continued, "Does it ever eat away at you, Ikari? All the things we do?"
Gendo furrowed his brow, though his unease was hidden by the glare in his glasses.
"If you mean Shinji, then…" Gendo said before struggling to find his words, "I… I don't take pleasure in doing the things I do. But it's all that I can do. I cannot be there for him as his father. I've put too much into my own goals to squander it all by wasting my time trying to make things right between him and I. And, while I'm not doing any of this for the world, or even him, he stands to benefit from my work just as every other person does. Everyone in my world will be happy, I'll make sure of it. It will be perfect. Never again will man look on his neighbor and feel fear or hatred. Never again will he be misunderstood. There will be no more pain."
"And what of the cost?"
"The prize is worth the price. I have suffered. And so has everyone else. As we know life, it is inevitable. That is why I will not feel guilty over hurting him now. Even without me, he would have suffered in this world. What difference does it make if that suffering is inflicted by me? He'll forgive me when he sees my new world. A world with no sorrow. No pain. A world where my son can have anything he wants and his every need is met. Once I have created that world, then I can be his father as I should. He can have the family he never had. Find the love of his life."
"And what if he already has found that love? You heard what Pilot Sohryu said when the most recent angel attacked. Saw how your son reacted at the thought of losing her. And you obviously haven't forgotten about Rei's feelings on the matter. You told me she barged in here the other night begging for him to be released. And even before that when she tried to kill herself."
"I'm well aware they share a unique bond. But I know only too well how easily that can be torn away. Such relationships are almost always fated to fail. Their love is a forbidden one, much like my own, and it is like to end in heartache. No, I'm not convinced he will find happiness with Sohryu or Rei. Any he does attain will be fleeting and temporary… gone too soon. But even if that weren't the case, as I said, I'm not doing this for him, I'm doing it for myself."
"So it does eat at you then? I didn't initially bring up your son," Fuyutsuki inquired.
"It weighs as it should. Nothing more, nothing less."
"I see," Fuyutsuki nodded in thought, "...and what of the world? How do you think history will remember us? Remember you? Say, for a moment, that we failed in fulfilling our plans, do you think they will see you as the committer of a great atrocity or someone who held a torch for them to gather 'round in the dark?"
"Reality is reality and perception is perception and the truth is colored with both. How people see me is of no moment. Hitler, Stalin, Gandhi, Subetai, all had their sympathizers and their detractors. All dead and gone now, as well as anyone else who remembered the spark in their eyes. Everyone who knows the truth is no longer capable of speaking it. And if our plans do not bear fruit, everyone who can speak our truth will eventually be gone as well. The truth will fade, turning into legend and then history. Unattainable by all who would desire the truth for themselves. History is learned, not lived. Even when the history is newly written in a book, the truth is distant and untouchable. Farther away than the stars. People say we live through history every moment. But that's simply not true. We craft the history in the present, turn living breathing people into characters, larger than life; making them heroes and villains as suits our fancy while the truth remains in the past with no one to carry it forward. Such is the fate of those bearing the fruit of knowledge. One need only look back fifteen short years to second impact. Already the lies replace the truth as history. Adam, the first angel, hidden behind the ink smeared on the page."
"Well, if the world's view doesn't matter to you, then how do you see yourself?"
"As exactly that; myself. Everyone has their views. Shinji probably sees me as an evil. But I'm only doing what I need to do to protect my heart while Shinji is doing what he deems necessary to protect the world. Meanwhile, the people at the recent summit, excluding Seele, probably see me as essential to survival and as a beneficial protector, or at least an orchestrator of good, even if I don't do any of this for them. I don't know what I am. But I don't need to because my life is what I make of it. I don't need to know what I am to know who I am."
"Ikari…"
"...There are times I've doubted my choices. Regretted them even. But never have I doubted my resolve. But I know I am not invulnerable. And that is why I sent Shinji away. Why I made sure to never get too close to Rei. I cannot become anchored here. Not in the past and not in the present. I have to make the future I want a reality. And for that, I mustn't become attached to these ephemeral things and the people in the here and now. But, once I have created my perfect world, our perfect world, then… then I may finally be able to appreciate the present for what it is."
"Then, let us pray, for everyone's sake, that this world you dream of comes quickly, so that we may lay down our weapons and bring this needless suffering to a swift and decisive end, old friend."
"Yes," Gendo said, staring out at the various lights illuminating the paths and infrastructure of the Geofront, "lets."
"The black headed people of Sumeria I ruled, I governed; mighty mountains with axes of bronze I destroyed."- Sargon of Akkad
/
-A Final Lesson | The Seconds Fade Faster Than You Think-
/
"We seek not a conflict, but rather a restoration of balance, a judegment."- Captain Matias Torres, the Hero of Comberth Harbor
The next morning, at the Katsuragi residence…
Stretching, Asuka almost hadn't even realized she'd woken up. It had been a slow wind up into consciousness as she became aware of her eye being closed and her arms flexing.
But, if anything was going to signal to her that she was awake, it was the pain in her eye. Begrudgingly, she opened her good eye and immediately reached for her bag of medicine. She yawned as she pulled out a pill and then threw the covers off of her.
Apparently, Shinji and Rei were already awake as they where nowhere to be found, but Asuka could smell something cooking in the kitchen.
She quickly threw on a red tank top, a yellow skirt, and some white flip-flops before opening the door to Shinji's room and stepping out into the small hallway leading into the living room. Misato was sitting on the couch watching the television and drinking her usual can of morning Yebisu. But, upon hearing the door slide shut, she looked over her shoulder to see Asuka plodding into the living room.
"Good morning, Asuka," the woman said cheerily.
"Yeah, morning," Asuka said groggily before yawning again, trying to ignore the pain in her eye.
"Hey, I know you just woke up, but I figured I should let you know, when I called Ritsuko last night and she told me she wanted to see you, that also includes the Americans. And, since you're the only one who can talk to them..."
"Yeah, I got it. I'll let them know," Asuka said as she made her way into the kitchen.
Rei sat at the kitchen table, silently waiting for Shinji to finish cooking breakfast. The girl was so patient, she didn't even have her phone out looking at news or entertainment. But that was just Rei. Always the odd one out.
"Hey, baby girl," Asuka cooed as she walked up to Rei's side and hugged the girl's head into her hips, stroking her hair.
"Good morning," Rei said sweetly.
Asuka then leaned down and kissed Rei on top of her head before giving the girl another headpat. It was right after doing so that Asuka heard some kind of amused laugh from the living room. She glanced over at the couch, seeing Misato with a cheeky smirk on her face, tilting her head a bit to get a slightly better look at the girls' interaction.
"Hey, what's that laugh for!? You already know what's going on here!" Asuka accusingly questioned as she pointed at Misato.
"Heheh, I have no idea what you're talking about," Misato said through a chuckle before taking a swig of her beer and returning her attention to the television.
Asuka glared at the woman, but quickly calmed herself. It's not like her relationship was going to remain a secret forever. And it would be easier on her if Misato didn't tease her. So, perhaps the woman feigning ignorance wasn't so bad as some things were better left unsaid and she really didn't want to get into a lengthy and compromising explanation. Sometimes, just pretending things were normal was a more effective way of making something normal than actually explaining why it should or shouldn't be normal.
So, instead of being insecure about the woman's reaction, Asuka took the graceful exit Misato had provided for her. Consequently, her expression softened before glancing over at Shinji, who was still preoccupied with cooking breakfast.
Coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around the boy, resting her chin on his shoulder and singing, "Guten Morgen, mein Schätzchen."
"I only understood half of that," Shinji laughed bashfully.
"It means I love you," Asuka giggled into the boy's ear.
"What!? No it doesn't! You said guten morgen! Doesn't that mean good morning?"
"Oh, yeah? What's the difference?" Asuka giggled as she shook the boy back and forth playfully.
"Oh, geez, I dunno," Shinji chuckled while trying not to splatter hot oil on himself or Asuka.
"What's the difference Mister I don't know? What's the difference, huh, Mister I only understood half of that?" Asuka joked before kissing Shinji's cheek and whispering, "Would I be saying good morning to someone I don't love?"
"I guess not," Shinji said before looking over his shoulder at Asuka.
The girl closed her eyes and gave the boy a quick kiss on his lips.
Misato once again snuck a glance into the kitchen and smiled seeing Asuka clinging to Shinji. It was almost enough to make her forget all the awful things that had happened the last few days. Almost, but not quite.
"So, what're you cooking?" Asuka asked.
"Uh, not all sure yet. Obviously the eggs," Shinji said, looking down at the sizzling yolk and whites in the skillet, "But uh, I figured I'd make something else since we have the Americans downstairs. But, I'm not sure what all they'd like. So, I thought I'd ask you."
"Uh… I don't know either. McDonald's?"
"Eww…" Shinji grimaced.
"Yeah. I know. The only thing I like from there is their chicken nuggets. And that's just because they use that tempura batter. Doesn't have shit on your tempura though."
"I don't like to boast, but yeah, my tempura is better," Shinji said rather confidently.
"Hey, hey, I got an idea. We still have some of those purple Okinawan sweet potatoes, right?"
"Uh, the Beni Imo? Yeah, we still have some. But we're not supposed to talk about them because it's illegal to take the whole potato out of Okinawa despite most of it being flooded after Second Impact. I suppose that makes the potato even more valuable after the fact though..."
"Ooh, you've been doing illegal things in the underground potato blackmarket, huh Shinji? If you'll forgive the pun, I wanted to ask if you know what's so cool about those potatoes? They were originally from Latin America before being brought to China and then Japan through trade, you see? And, sorry, I'm about to make another potato pun, but guess who else has roots in Latin America."
"Uh, that puny tiny Latina girl who called me short last night even though she's shorter than me?"
"Hahah, you're still sore about that?" Asuka questioned through a giggle.
"You said she was a blue eyed brat. And I'm starting to see why you call her a brat now," Shinji huffed.
"Well, we still have some mirin too, don't we?" Asuka asked.
"We do. I saw it earlier," Rei interjected.
"I think I know where you're going with this," Shinji said.
"Yeah, I was wondering if you could make some daigaku imo out of the Okinawan sweet potatoes" Asuka said with a cheery smile, "I can't imagine anyone not liking fried sweet potatoes. It's like funnel cake kinda, don't you think? Purple funnel cake. And who would turn down funnel cake?"
"I don't quite know that I'd call it funnel cake, but I get what you mean. Desert for breakfast. It couldn't possibly go wrong."
"Hmmhmm, precisely!"
"Alright, I'll work on getting it made," Shinji said.
"Great. Then I'll go get the Americans assuming they're awake," Asuka said before kissing the boy on his cheek one last time, "I'll see you in a few minutes."
"Well, I'm outta here," Misato said, throwing her empty beer can in the trash as she walked through the kitchen, "Ritsuko's probably gonna be pissed at me if I'm late to work again."
Misato then grabbed her signature red leather jacket from the coat-hanger and hurriedly put it on before slinging the strap of her purse over her shoulder and heading out the door.
Asuka finally released Shinji before following quickly behind Misato as she left the apartment. There must've been something palpable in the air, as both of the women could sense there was something to be said though they both stayed silent until they were outside the apartment and the door had been shut.
"So…" Misato questioned as she made her way towards the stairwell, her heels producing a clack that echoed with every step.
Asuka rolled her eye and sighed before asking, "What all do you know?"
"About?"
"About Shinji and Rei and me."
"I'll tell you what I told Shinji last night. I know enough," Misato said with a wink as she began making her way down the stairwell.
Asuka felt her face heat up by a notable amount and she tried her best to not look mortified.
"What's with that look?" Misato chuckled.
"Th- That doesn't tell me anything!" Asuka stammered.
"Asuka, your face is almost as red as your hair. What is wrong?" Misato asked as she came to the bottom of the first set of stairs and casually leaned against the wall, deliberately blocking Asuka's path.
"N- Nothing!"
"Exactly. Nothing's wrong," Misato said reassuringly.
With a deflated expression, Asuka sighed and looked at the ground.
"I guess there wasn't any point hiding it after I said I loved him over an open com…"
Misato closed her eyes and smiled.
"There wasn't. And besides, I'd already noticed you three acting weirdly even before then."
"Geez, you're killing me here," Asuka mumbled in embarrassment.
"I'm doing no such thing! You're just being dramatic," Misato said before gently brushing the girl's hair out of her face, "If it helps you feel any better, I had my own share of adventures back in college. And they weren't that dissimilar from yours."
"Oh, Jesus. Please don't tell me. I don't want to know any more about that."
Misato, despite the situation, couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"You probably wouldn't believe who I was in bed with anyways. But, that's besides the point. I'm just trying to tell you, Asuka, that I understand where you're at right now. And that you don't have to be embarrassed around me."
"That's comforting but in a really weird way and I don't want to talk about it anymore," Asuka sighed.
"Well, I guess I better be off then," Misato said as she pushed off the wall of the stairwell and began making her way down the next flight of stairs.
Trying to hide her embarrassment, Asuka boredly watched the woman begin her descent. And, of course, Misato stopped once more before turning around.
"Oh, Asuka, one last thing. If you need any pills, let me know, okay?" Misato said before winking at the girl.
Yet again, Asuka's face became red and flushed.
"I- I don't know what kind of pills you're talking about, but I'm quite sure Doctor Akagi has that sorted out!" Asuka shouted defensively.
Misato only chuckled in reply before continuing on downstairs, leaving Asuka on the fourth floor. Asuka closed her eye and tried to recompose herself before opening it again and glancing further down the balcony, towards the Americans' apartment. Breathing deep of the morning air, Asuka finally took the first few steps towards the apartment. Though, after crossing about half the distance, she heard the door unlock before it was flung open with rather more force than Asuka was expecting. It was then that a grey blur burst forward before pouncing on the guardrail of the balcony.
Stupefied, Asuka watched as Ahni leaned over the railing further than what could reasonably be called safe before the girl shouted out at the top of her lungs, "HELLO WORLD! AND GOOD MORNING TOKYO-3!"
Still in shock, Asuka then watched in bewilderment as Amelia rushed out the door before grabbing the girl by her grey tank top and yanking her back from over the edge of the rails.
"You're going to fall, you idiot! And you're making a scene!" Amelia disciplinarily signed at the girl after spinning her around to face her.
"Agh! I can't help it though! It's the big city! I've never felt anything like this before!"
"I understand. But please be calm while I find us something to eat," Amelia begged, hoping to keep her rowdy acquaintance under control.
"Uh, does she always do this?" Asuka asked curiously.
Amelia's head spun around to face Asuka in an instant which consequently also drew Ahni's attention to the redhead.
Amelia gave Asuka a shrug while Ahni proceeded to greet Asuka with a smug "Oh, hey there, Second Child."
"Uh… morning, Sixth and Seventh," Asuka said with some degree of uncertainty, "Were you uh… going anywhere? Because, uh, I needed you- both of you, today. Um, for both business and pleasure."
Amelia tilted her head curiously before translating for Ahni.
"Oh, we were just going out to find something to eat," Ahni said with a curious amount of charm, "I was thinking we could just steal from a vending machine. I know this cool little trick I've been meaning to try out, you see. But, I don't have the materials I need to pull it off and Amelia is pretty adamant that I don't get us into any trouble. So, we were just gonna go looking around the neighborhood for a little noodle shop or something. But if you need us today, maybe you could show us around."
Amelia once again elbowed her companion in the ribs at the mention of thievery and tried not to blush as she frustratingly signed to the girl, "We're supposed to be dignified warriors, not highway robbers!"
"Well, if it's food you're after, Shinji's already working on breakfast. I did tell you both last night that you can come by whenever you need. And I was expecting you to be there for breakfast today actually," Asuka said, casually inviting the girls over as odd as that was for her.
As always, Amelia translated for Ahni, giving the girl a few suspicious looks in the process. Ahni herself also made a few gestures, seemingly making a few minor clarifications over what was to be said exactly.
Ahni then nodded, snapped, and winked in unison before turning back to Asuka and declaring, "Well, if it's food you're offering, lead the way, Second Child!"
Asuka then gestured for the girls to follow her back up stairs. And, as soon as she'd turned around, she found Ahni prancing up beside her, her narrowed eyes glistening in the morning sun and a big cheeky smile on her lips.
"So, Shortcake's the local chef then, huh?"
"Uh, yeah, he does most of the cooking around here. I cook too sometimes. Moreso recently since he's been a little beaten up since… the last angel attacked. He's probably better at it than I am though. We had a cooking contest awhile back, and… all of his friends voted for him. At first, I thought it was rigged. And it was. But… not the way I thought. Anyhow, he's the one handling most of the cooking at the moment even though I told him to lay off it since he's supposed to be healing. Stupid boy won't listen to what's good for him."
Amelia caught up with Ahni before translating everything for her, which earned a few surprised looks from Ahni.
"Hmmhmm, interesting," Ahni chuckled, "I'll have you know I'm something of a chef myself. So, if Shortcake needs any help with cooking, I would be glad to lend my expertise! Consider it a favor since you're feeding us and all."
Asuka then suddenly felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out to see someone had texted her, "Don't listen to her! She's just going to douse everything in lime juice!"
Ahni, being nosy as she was, looked over at the phone before reading the text and then turning to Amelia, giving her an appalled look.
"Hey! I am not!" Ahni whined as she gently pushed the girl.
"Uh, I guess this is Amelia who texted me?" Asuka questioned before looking at the girls giving each other some rather interesting nonverbal gestures before seemingly returning to the conversation at hand.
"Oh, uh, yeah, you probably already figured, but I gave Amelia your number last night. I hope that's okay. I promise I would never give it to anyone else. I just figured since we're working together and that's the only way she can really talk with you without going through me…"
Asuka nodded curiously.
"Oh, uh, speaking of communication, how did you learn to speak English?" Ahni asked.
"Oh… uh… it's complicated. But, a lot of the people back at NERV-03 used to speak at least some English. And my father was half American. I mean, my father was half German and half American while my mother was half Japanese and half German. So, I kinda grew up speaking both German and Japanese. I didn't have a first language like some people do. I've been speaking both of them since I first started talking. And I picked up on the English and French a littler later. Uh, I should add that it was mostly my English that I polished. My Italian, Spanish, and French are actually kinda rubbish and I haven't had time to brush up on them what with saving the world and all."
Asuka waited while Amelia went through the trouble of translating yet again. She and the other girls were almost at the stairwell by now and Asuka could hear the engine of Misato's car start. It was only just then that she realized the woman had probably heard Ahni shouting earlier, which caused Asuka to cringe on the inside.
"Oh, right. How silly of me," Ahni chuckled, "I totally forgot you were at NERV-03 until recently. I should have guessed. Our escort yesterday said something similar. I kinda forgot being all the way over at NERV-02 and all. Hell, even a lot of the stuff over at NERV-01 flies under my radar. It's mostly stuff from here that makes it over. This is where all the action happens after all. Lots of people talk about you three you, know?"
"Ugh, tell me about it," Asuka said under her breath, despite the girl not being able to hear her.
"By the way," Ahni continued seemingly without a care in the world, "I heard Ayanami was dating that Shortcake. I mean, no one's gotten any statements from them yet, at least not that I've heard. But the media seems to try to keep up with them nonetheless. And they've done a better job of it here than they have in the states. It's all just a bunch of speculation though. Back in the U.S., Amelia and I would stay on base at NERV-02 for the most part. The paparazzi vultures and reporter leeches didn't get let in to question us. So, for the most part, no one besides the people at NERV-02 know Amelia and I are dating. But, I wanna hear it from you. The news lies all the time. Urinalist is a more fitting job title than journalist as far as I'm concerned. Always pissing out some headline that'll grab attention or inflame people. Keeps the money rolling in so I'm told. But despite that, I still find myself reading articles about you three when the brass doesn't give me enough info. As I said last night, I'm a bit of a fan. So, I have to know, what's the deal with you three? Are Pilot Ayanami and the Shortcake actually dating or is it just a soldiery bond that got spun into a romance by the media?"
Amelia once again elbowed Ahni, seemingly trying to tell her it wasn't any of her business. But Ahni had gotten used to ignoring such things and hardly noticed.
"Eh, I'm not a fan of the news either but they're right about that," Asuka confirmed, "Rei and Shinji are dating."
Amelia's eyebrows rose in surprise at that and she tapped Ahni on the shoulder to get her attention. But she didn't even have time to say anything before the look on her face gave it away to Ahni.
"Oh," Ahni said before laughing mischievously, "So they are then? In that case, I actually have a question for you. It's been a theory of mine for some few weeks now."
Amelia once again elbowed the girl as though she already had knowledge on this supposed theory. And Ahni yet again ignored the jab with practiced indifference.
"Uh, yeah? What is it?" Asuka asked, seemingly beginning to raise her guard as she had an inkling as to where this conversation was headed.
Amelia yet again nudged Ahni, rolling her eyes and giving her a nod that told her to ask away.
"So, first, so I can explain my line of reasoning, awhile back, I saw a picture of you and Shinji holding hands after leaving a little bakery type deal if I remember correctly," Ahni said as Asuka's face immediately became flushed, "Oh, and Rei was there too, also holding Shinji's hand. I saw that picture in an article speculating about… well, the three of you. So… is there anything going on with you three? I mean, like I already asked, what's the deal with you three? And I do mean all three of you."
'Jesus Christ,' Asuka thought to herself in pure mortified disbelief, 'It really is like everyone knows who I fucked? I know I'm famous, but I really can't have any privacy? I thought it was bad enough Misato knew, but this chick from the other side of the world can really tell I'm getting it on with Shinji? Oh geez, and that means she knows I'm doing it with Rei too.'
"Listen, there's something I need to tell you. It's only fair after last night and I need to get this out of the way anyways," Asuka said as she stopped in her tracks, turning around to face the girls as she stood at the top of the flight of stairs.
Both of the other girls stopped just a few steps below her and looked at her with eager anticipation. Amelia made a few gestures to Ahni before tilting her head at Asuka, seemingly letting Ahni know she had something to say.
"Ordinarily, I would take great offense to someone prying into my life so much," Asuka stated, "But I find your curiosity and admiration in me endearing. And I can't deny that I asked the both of you a similar question last night about you two being together. And that probably wasn't easy for either of you to confess to when you didn't even know me. And shrewd questions, such as the model ones you've chosen to ask, warrant honest answers. And, as fellow Evangelion Pilots, I suppose it's reasonable that we should share a bit about ourselves. The only reason I didn't let you in on things last night was because, at the time, I didn't, and still don't, know how to tell the people I'm closest with about this. But, I'm quickly finding out this whole ordeal isn't even something that I need too tell people about because, apparently, anyone with more eyes than me is able to see exactly what's going on here. And even if they couldn't, they'd find out soon enough. So there's really not a point in hiding it anymore. And in fact, I was debating telling you this before even bringing you in for breakfast today because, honestly, it would be weird for you to see my interactions with the others if I hadn't told you. And, quite frankly, I'm getting sick of hiding myself from people. It's exhausting. And I'd rather not hide myself from the both of you. So, if you're asking if I'm dating Shinji… and Rei, then the answer is yes. I am indeed. And I hope that given your own relationship, that won't be a problem for either of you. I'm eminently aware that it's… unconventional. But… my whole life, our lives, are anything but average. And so… sometimes… things happen. And sometimes, the things that do happen aren't normal. It was a very specific set of circumstances that brought me together with them just like it was a specific set of events that brought you together and then consequently ended up with the both of you on our doorstep. If I didn't know better, I'd say God had a hand in it. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that as long as you don't make a big deal about it, I don't mind you asking after us. That's all I require, is your understanding. And I understand I may have come off a little defensive while saying all of this, and I don't mean to. But, I'm very stressed out right now, and though I expect you to be cool with everything I've told you, I don't actually know that you will. So, in return for answering your question, I have to ask... are we cool?"
During the course of Asuka's recital, Amelia had been translating for Ahni. And both of the girl's expressions had become more and more blown away with every word Asuka spoke. As soon as Amelia had finished, both of the girl's locked their eyes with Asuka.
"Oh, absolutely, we're cool!" Ahni quickly exclaimed, "And uh, don't worry. I know I seem gossipy. But I'm not. I don't even have any friends to gossip with. And even if I did, I wouldn't say anything. My lips are sealed! And uh… Amelia's lips are also sealed, though that was… probably already self evident given that she can't talk. And uh, I can totally joke about that because I'm her girlfriend."
Amelia then suddenly looked at Ahni with a preposterous and almost offended look. Not that she minded the joke, but the total gall of Ahni sometimes still took her by surprise. It wasn't the first time, but every day, it became more and more clear how much Ahni had become Amelia's own mouth, speaking with such certainty in her place.
"Good. Because Shinji's been working hard to cook for us all and it would be a shame to send you away after he's put so much effort in for everyone," Asuka said with a smile.
Asuka then resumed her trek back to Misato's apartment. Amelia made a few gestures to Ahni and they shortly followed after her.
As Asuka finally closed in on the apartment, she yet again felt her phone vibrate.
Apparently, Amelia had texted her again asking, "Earlier, you said you needed us for pleasure and business. What all does that involve?"
"Oh, uh. Well, I have a.. friend I intended to meet today. But he lives outside the city and there's not a train station nearby his place. So, I figured that maybe you could drive us to meet him and while I'm talking with him, you could use it as an opportunity to take in the sights. Oh, and I'll pay for gas. So you don't need to worry about that. Anyhow, after that, we all need to head over to NERV HQ. The head scientist wants to meet with us. I imagine she wants to run tests on you two at least," Asuka mentioned as she pulled open the door.
"And by head scientist, you mean Miss Ritsuko Akagi?" Amelia texted the girl again as she stepped into the apartment behind Asuka.
"Oh, so you know her then? Yeah, it's Doctor Akagi." Asuka said nonchalantly as she continued down the foyer.
Amelia made a few gestures to Ahni, probably revealing her most recent discoveries to her while Asuka finally rounded the corner into the kitchen.
"Well, I hope everyone's ready for breakfast," Asuka as she stretched before taking a seat at the kitchen table.
Seeing Shinji, Ahni shot the boy a devious smile before greeting him with, "What's up, Shortcake?"
Curious, Shinji looked over his shoulder and saw the girl eyeing him with a look he couldn't quite describe the intent of.
"Uh, good morning?" Shinji questioningly said to the girl before feeling a sense of awkwardness as he remembered the girl couldn't understand or even hear him.
Seeing the boy speak to her, Ahni's smile widened even more before she started chuckling in a rather unnerving manner.
"Uh, Asuka? Why's she laughing!? Why's she just standing there looking at me?" Shinji nervously asked the girl.
"No idea. But I don't think she means any harm," Asuka shrugged.
Amelia made a few gestures to the girl which only succeeded in drawing Rei's attention while Ahni didn't seem to notice.
However, that wasn't going to last for long if a certain bird had anything to say about it.
Ahni felt something soft brush against her calf before it then transformed into something rather sharp.
The girl cringed and suddenly jumped into the air in a panic, spinning around as she did so, only to come face to face with the true bringer of destruction, Pen Pen.
Upon landing, the girl immediately tried to retreat from the bird, cursing and shouting, "LA CONCHA DE LA LORA! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOUR POLLO ESTÚPIDO!?" before accidentally backing into Shinji!
"H-Hey!" Shinji stuttered as the girl nearly shoved him onto the stove top.
"WHY DOES YOUR FREAKY ASS CHICKEN HAVE CLAWS IN IT'S WINGS!" Ahni shrieked as she continued backing away from the bird.
"Pen Pen," Shinji sighed as he picked the penguin up and set him on a kitchen chair before going to the fridge and pulling out one of Misato's beers for the bird to drink.
"Your… Your bird drinks beer!?"Ahni questioned in shock as she watched Shinji crack open the can for the bird and put a straw in the opening.
"Well, we have to make beer battered chicken somehow…" Asuka teased.
Pen Pen then glared at Asuka before squawking at her angrily.
"Knock it off. Its was just a joke!" Asuka shot back at the bird.
This utterly surprised Amelia as she listened to the exchange. While she couldn't be sure due to language differences, it sounded as though there were a legitimate conversation happening between the German and the penguin.
"Don't worry, Pen Pen. No one's going to eat you. Misato wouldn't allow it," Shinji reassured the bird before petting his head a few times.
"Warkin' frackin' wark-wark!"
"It's okay, Pen Pen. She didn't mean anything by it."
"Brrbrrbrrbrr," the bird hummed as he shook his head back and forth.
"I… I knew parrots could talk. But this is a whole 'nother level. Am I reading your lips right? Are you speaking with that animal?" Ahni questioned in astonishment.
"Waaaark!" the bird exclaimed before jumping on the kitchen table in what seemed to be an act of frustration.
"Pen Pen, please behave yourself," Shinji begged of the bird, "You shouldn't be walking on the table."
"Warkin' Frackin' Warkin' Wark!" the bird angrily voiced as he marched down the table before stopping in front of Asuka and glaring at her.
"Get the fuck out of here or I really am going to eat you!" Asuka spat as she cringed away from the bird.
"WAAAAAAAARRRK!" the penguin screamed, rapidly flapping his wings, causing some loose feather tufts to fly from him before gently drifting in the air.
Rei then suddenly reached out and lifted the bird off the table before pulling him into her lap, which seemed to instantly calm him down as she petted his head.
Ahni and Amelia's eyes locked, seemingly silently asking each other what the hell had just happened.
"Uh, Second Child?" Ahni nervously asked, "Why does your bird have claws in it's wings?"
"Huh!?" Asuka questioned before glancing at Pen Pen happily sitting in Rei's lap, "Oh, right. Sometimes I forget he's not a normal penguin. He's been genetically modified. Though I'm not sure if his claws are from genetic manipulation or if they're some kind of cybernetic implant."
"The penguin is a cyborg! I repeat, the penguin is a cyborg!" Amelia frantically signed to Ahni.
"Your penguin's a cyborg!?" Ahni asked in amazement.
"Uh… I dunno. Are you a cyborg, Pen Pen?" Asuka asked the bird.
"Pen Pen is a cyborg?" Rei questioned as she looked down at the strange creature sitting in her lap.
"Wark!"
/
Some time later, in the apartment parking lot of the Katsuragi residence…
"Your truck is uh…" Asuka trailed off as she stood before Amelia's Chevy, somewhat appalled at it's state of disrepair.
"I know. I know. It's rusty," Amelia texted the girl as a light blush spread over her cheeks.
Asuka pulled her phone out of her pocket, reading the text before smiling at Amelia.
"I wasn't going to say that! It's just… Um, it has… personality," Asuka said before looking back at the truck with a forced and worried smile, "It's interesting."
"I don't think I've ever seen such an old car in person," Shinji said as he examined the exterior of the vehicle, "Um, where's the rest of the seats? There's… five of us."
Ahni then barged ahead through the group of children, not unlike how Asuka would have in the past. She then crossed her arms and leaned against the truck, smirking at Shinji.
"You seem impressed, Shortcake. You should see my impala!" the girl said in a showoffish manner, tilting her baseball cap up and letting her aviators slip down her nose, trying way too hard to look as cool and slick as possible.
"She said that you look like you're impressed," Asuka whispered to the boy.
"Impressed?" Shinji questioned, "Yeah, I'm impressed. Impressed this thing made it here without falling apart."
"Is… it safe?" Rei questioned rather more earnestly than jokingly.
"Sure it is! Maybe…" Asuka asserted before glancing at Amelia, "Well, after you, Amelia."
Still trying to hide her blush with her hair, the girl cast her eyes to the ground as she unlocked the door. She then made a few gestures towards Ahni who seemed completely unphased by whatever she'd been told. Amelia then opened the door and stepped in before starting the truck.
"Wait, wait, wait! Where are we supposed to sit?" Shinji asked, trying not to let his question be drowned out by the engine.
Shinji glanced to his left, looking for an answer from Asuka, only to see the girl had already left his side and was circling around to the other side of the truck and in the process of opening the door. The boy then heard a thump and looked back at the truck to see Ahni had clambered into the bed of the truck.
"Asuka!? Asuka, wait!" Shinji cried through the still open door of the truck, "Where am I supposed to sit?"
"Sorry, Shinji. There's only two seats up here. And I need to be up here so I can tell Amelia how to get to Kaji's place. So I guess you're just gonna have to sit in the back."
"In- In the back!?" Shinji stuttered fearfully.
The boy glanced over to the rear of the truck, seeing Rei clambering aboard with Ahni's help.
"But- But, Asuka, there's no seat belt!" Shinji once again nervously expounded.
"Well, what do you want me to do about it? Surely there's something back there to hang onto?"
"Aren't you being too casual about this!?"
"And aren't you being too stingy? Come on, Shinji! We still have to go see Doctor Akagi later today. And there's no telling how long that's going to take."
"What're you doing down there, Shortcake!?" Ahni shouted at the boy.
"You know, I haven't heard you say Shinji a single time since we've met! My name is Shinji! Not Shortcake or wherever it is that you're calling me!"
"Shortcake, I can't hear you!" Ahni chuckled as she shook her head in amusement.
"Stop calling me Shortcake!"
"Shinji, she said get in the fucking car!" Asuka said, trying maintain her composure and not laugh.
"Gah! Fine!" Shinji huffed before climbing into the bed of the truck.
The boy felt someone grab his shirt and help pull him up, to which he protested by spitting, "Don't grab my shirt! I can climb perfectly fine."
This was, in fact, a lie and the boy was about to slip down the side of the truck without Ahni's intervention. But, either way, his words went unheard and he was finally hauled into the truck for better or worse.
Upon finding his footing, he looked himself up and down, hoping not to have gotten too many flecks of rust on his clothes. Though, unfortunately, there were several red smears across his white shirt.
Shinji heard Ahni smack the roof of the truck a few times, followed by Amelia shutting her door.
"Don't call me Shortcake! You know I know what you're saying, right?" Shinji told the girl after grabbing her attention, "It's the same word here, you know!? Shortcake! Shotokaki! They're not that different! I know what you're saying! Stop calling me shortcake!"
Ahni looked at the boy with a confused expression before she came to a realization.
"Oh, you're saying Shortcake! At least, that's what it looks like you're saying when I read your lips. So, you've gotten used to your nickname then!"
"Ergh… I don't know why I even bother. Even if you could hear me, its not like we could understand each other," Shinji mumbled in a deflated tone.
The boy then glanced down at Rei. The girl seemed confused as she sat near the far end of the bed. Shinji wondered if this was how Rei used to feel when Asuka would call her freakazoid or wondergirl, though, nowadays, she'd seemingly taken to wondergirl at least.
"Shinji, you should probably sit down," Rei said only a moment before the truck lurched forward, causing the boy to loose his footing.
While avoiding any major damage, his elbow and knee were both tingling in pain from landing awkwardly on the bed of the truck.
"Hey, Shortcake,I know we have fair winds and following seas at the moment but you should probably grab ahold of something afore we reach the high road! High seas? Highway!" Ahni said as she got comfortable behind the back window of the truck, sitting right behind Asuka.
"I'm sure what you're saying is very important, but I can't understand a single word of it. You better not be calling me short you puny tiny Latina girl!" Shinji complained as he tried to stand up.
Though, as soon as he'd managed to stand back up, Amelia turned the truck so she could begin getting on the road.
Upon falling down yet again as the truck changed its orientation, Shinji could hear the muffled yelling of Asuka scolding him and saying something about sitting down. Though, in his slight panic, her words didn't really register.
"Hey, what're you doing, dumbass!? Why're you trying to stand up after you just fell down!? You're gonna fall out and crack your skull if you don't sit down!" Ahni also shouted at the boy, though, once again, Shinji didn't really pay any attention.
For some inexplicable reason, Shinji yet again tried to stand up. Perhaps it was that he had never sat himself down in the first place. Or maybe he just hadn't found a spot he liked. Either way, the truck was going to be on the road in a few more seconds.
"Um, Shinji, perhaps you should-" Rei tried to say before the truck braked, stopping to make sure the road was clear before setting off.
Once again, Shinji fell forward, landing on his hands and knees, right beside Ahni.
"Stupid dumbass! Haven't you ever ridden without a seat belt before! What're you even trying to do!? You're in Tokyo-3! You've been in a metro before, haven't you!? Grab onto something!" Ahni shouted at the boy.
"Uh, Asuka, can we maybe not um-" Shinji muttered despite the fact Asuka, being inside the truck, wouldn't have heard him.
Reaching his hand up to the roof of the truck, Shinji tried to pull himself back up again and hopefully get Asuka's attention by knocking on the window so he could let her know he wanted off. But before he could once again unsuccessfully attempt to raise himself up, Ahni grabbed him by the belt and yanked him back down into the bed of the truck.
"I swear, I don't think I've ever seen a boy be so averse to riding in the back of a truck," Ahni sighed as Shinji thumped down right next to her.
"Hey, I just told you not to grab me!" Shinji shouted at the girl.
Ahni smirked before poking the tip of Shinji's nose with her finger, which somewhat surprised him.
"Silly little boy, I can't hear you," Ahni said rather smugly for a deaf girl, "I would have figured common sense would have set in by now, but since it hasn't, quit trying to stand up and grab onto something instead."
"I- I don't know what you're saying!" Shinji said fearfully as the truck finally pulled onto the road and he frantically grasped at the floor of the truck bed, completely failing to grab onto anything as he felt the truck accelerating.
Ahni let out a frustrated huff before finally reaching out her hand and grabbing Shinji by his own.
"Huh?" Shinji questioned as a blush spread across his face feeling the girl's small fingers wrap around his hand.
"Get over here, Shortcake!" Ahni exclaimed before yanking Shinji closer to her.
Whereas before, he couldn't sit still, Shinji now found himself paralyzed as he tightened his grip on Ahni's hand, too uneasy to let go.
"Geez, you really are scared. You're gonna give my hand a cramp if you squeeze any harder… But I don't mind," Ahni giggled, "I didn't expect the Pilot of Unit-01 to be so terrified of participating in a little derring-do. And to think they say you jumped into a volcano to save Asuka. But breaking the law is just too much."
Shinji still found himself speechless as the girl held his hand and didn't try to pull away. Even with having Asuka and Rei as his girlfriends, the thought of touching another woman still made him nervous, even if it was just holding hands.
"Ah, you won't even open your mouth. So, the first child won't even give a Arigato gousaimasu, Ahni-chan to me," Ahni giggled sarcastically, "Doumo doumo by the way, first child. That's how you say no problem, right?"
The blush on Shinji's face grew even redder and he cast his eyes to the floor of the truck bed before mumbling, "Yeah… Thanks."
/
Some time later, at Ryoji Kaji's residence, just outside Tokyo-3…
"Well, this is it," Asuka said as she opened the door of Amelia's truck and stepped out.
Fresh air and a breeze. The scent of black pine and flowers. Birds chirping unseen in the trees all around. The great flow of nature, even this close to the city, was refreshing to Asuka. In a way, it reminded her of her mother's estate back in Germany.
So many years it had been since she'd last set foot on that ground. So, so many years since then. How many years ahead? How many things would change?
She could sense it. Things would come to a head soon. And it would start here.
But, even after all this time, Kaji was still Kaji. Some things didn't change. And now would be the reconciling of what could change and what wouldn't, the confluence of past and future, of things known and unknown, of truths both revealed and unspoken.
"Oh god, I don't ever want to do that again!" Shinji groaned as he climbed out of the bed of the truck on uneasy legs.
The boy almost toppled over as his feet hit the ground, his hair unkempt from the wind. Ahni likewise jumped out before giving Shinji a hearty slap on the back.
"Well, would you look at that, Shortcake? You made it here in once piece and you only had to hold my hand for ninety-nine percent of the ride. Did I not say there were fair winds and following seas today?"
"Stop calling me Shortcake," Shinji said, glaring at the girl, though she apparently paid him no mind.
Rei then finally hopped out of the truck bed, and though she also looked slightly shaken up, she definitely seemed to be faring better than Shinji, whom she quickly attended to after setting foot back on solid ground.
Asuka then felt her phone vibrate, receiving a text from Amelia that read, "So, who is this person we're meeting?"
"A friend of mine. He wanted to talk with me today. I'll try to be quick since we still need to go to the Geofront after this," Asuka said, trying her best to give Amelia a lighthearted smile as the blonde girl walked around the truck to meet her.
"Damn, whoever lives here has got it made," Ahni said more to herself than anyone else, "A fancy but not too extravagant house on top of a hill with a ten out of ten view of the greatest city on earth. What more could you ask for? Build a little pond and get a few chickens. Maybe throw in a firepit somewhere so you can make some barbacoa. But other than that, this place is practically scenic perfection! I really like how the pine trees sort of close in from both sides of the property. Really makes it seem nice and cozy."
"Ah, just like he likes it,"Asuka sighed, "Secluded, comfortable, and with an eye on everything."
Despite the nostalgic familiarity Asuka was feeling, her legs were shaking and she found it hard to take a single step closer to the house. She didn't even know what she was going to say to Kaji when she saw him. That was about to change though.
The bolt of the front door could be heard being unlocked and as the door opened, out stepped Kaji.
For some indescribable reason, Asuka felt a rush of emotion as she laid eyes on the man.
"Kaji…" Asuka whispered before dashing towards the man.
As she rapidly closed in on him, she saw a warm smile on his face, a sight that had been all too rare in recent times.
"Ah, hey there pumpkin patch," the man said warmly as Asuka dove into his arms and buried her face in his shirt.
"Kaji! I'm so happy to see you again," Asuka said into the man's chest.
"I'm happy to see you too, Asuka."
"Wha- Whaaaat!" Ahni shouted as she pointed at Kaji, "It- It- Its you! What in the blue bitchin' blazes are you doing here!?"
Amelia looked at her companion with a shocked expression before gently bopping her on the head and signing to her, "Mind your mouth, you absolute fucktard!"
"Hmm, why, what a curious question. I live here," Kaji said as Asuka slowly pulled out of the embrace with a confused expression.
After Amelia had translated for her, Ahni had the strangest look on her face.
"You know that's not what I mean, Mister Inspection Officer. I mean, I just didn't expect to see you again so soon."
"Oh, come now. Didn't I expressly tell you yesterday that we would be meeting again soon. In the business, that's what we call foreshadowing," Kaji said, giving the girl a wink.
Amelia tried her best to smile before glancing at Ahni and giving her a shrug before signing, "He says you should have expected this considering what he said yesterday about meeting again."
"You're kidding…" Ahni groaned, her shoulders sagging unenthusiastically, "It seems my intuition was right about him being stiff competition. No wonder he's so smooth having the gift of prescience. I wonder what other prognostications, divinations, and abilities of augury he has up his sleeve. A tricksy devilish fellow he is, me thinks!"
"What's her deal?" Asuka asked with a questioning look.
"She doesn't like being outsmarted. Or she does, but she takes it as a challenge," Amelia texted Asuka.
"Uh huh…" Asuka nodded reading the text, "Well, I hate to break it to you, but Kaji's the best in the business when it comes to outsmarting people. You should see where he hides his keys..."
"Why are you being so dramatic over such a small thing?" Amelia signed to the girl, "All he said was that we'd meet again and we did. And you're gonna take this as a challenge?"
"Of course I am! How else am I supposed to better myself!? I can't be the most mysterious troublemaker when this dashing roguish mister inspection officer is running circles around me!"
"No one's running circles around you! What's gotten into you, you weirdo? Can't you behave yourself?" Amelia yet again signed to the girl in utter confusion.
"So, I'm guessing you've met before then?" Asuka interrupted the girl.
Amelia nodded before yet again texting Asuka, "He picked us up from the airport yesterday."
"Hmm, I see," Asuka said before turning around and looking at Kaji suspiciously, "Hopefully he didn't lay anything on you too thick. I know he's got a bit of a thing under his belt regarding women. And I can think of a certain someone who'd be rather upset if she found out he'd done anything untoward."
"H- Hey now! I do not!" Kaji said, Asuka's words causing a rather rare and almost out of character blush to streak across his face.
"Oh, you don't need to worry," Ahni started after Amelia had translated for her, "He was very well mannered and totally gentlemanly. I almost thought he was playing hard to get! In fact, Amelia actually had to stop me from- Blegh!" the girl yarped as Amelia elbowed her in the ribs, trying to get her to shut up before she said anything insensitive.
"I thought I told you last night you're better at being quiet than you are at being loud! And your breath still smells like Listerine," Amelia disciplinarily signed at the girl.
"Uh, well, if I may, I didn't exactly call you here to talk about my skills of deception… or my disposition towards women. I actually was hoping to speak with Asuka about a few things… privately. So, if you kids would like, you can feel free to explore around my house for a bit while I talk with her," Kaji said, hoping his powers of suggestion would persuade everyone to give him a few moments alone to speak with Asuka.
Amelia took a few moments to explain everything to Ahni while Asuka translated for Rei and Shinji. Ahni then tapped her foot on the ground, watching Kaji intently with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Hmph… offer to explore the surrounding environment accepted! Consider it a scientific expedition to document the local wildlife. Note that if I find any cool bugs, I reserve all rights to take them off the premise for study. Though, I probably won't because I have nowhere to keep them at the apartment. Even so though!"
"Heheh, your terms are acceptable," Kaji bashfully chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.
"Off we go!" Ahni said before walking up to Shinji and grabbing him by the hand before dragging him along with her, "Come on, Shortcake! I need you! Since you're a boy, you can be a gentleman and carry my specimens for me! Don't worry, I won't make you handle anything toxic without gloves."
"H- Hey! Where are you taking me!? Just because I agreed to give Asuka and Kaji privacy doesn't mean you can just drag me wherever you want, you puny tiny Latina! And I told you to stop calling me Shortcake!"
Rei then glanced over at Amelia, who gave her a shrug before they both followed behind Ahni, who was currently dragging Shinji towards the edge of the tree line.
Ahni then glanced back over her shoulder, looking at Kaji and declaring, "I'll be watching you, Mister Inspection Officer. You had my interest, but now you have my attention."
"Wha… What's that supposed to mean? I certainly hope I haven't done anything to earn her ire," Kaji gulped as he watched the girl continue marching off to the edge of the forest.
"I wouldn't worry about it too much…" Asuka said, watching as the group of kids left the sidewalk behind as they took their first few steps onto the grass.
Asuka couldn't help but smile at Shinji's frantic complaints, Rei eagerly following behind him as they accompanied the Americans into the forest. Maybe one day, when she had kids of her own and a place to call home, her own children would be able to go play in a similar forest.
Kaji looked down at the girl, seeing her seemingly daydreaming.
"Well, well. That's not something I expected to see today."
"What?"
"Your smile," Kaji said.
Asuka looked back at the man with a surprised expression as he put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, gently of course, taking care not to hurt her after loosing her eye.
"Come on, we should head inside while the others are occupied. They'll get bored after awhile," Kaji said before turning to open the door.
"Yeah…" Asuka mumbled before following Kaji inside.
"I made some tea in preparation. Enough for everyone. But I figured we could have the first cups," Kaji mentioned as he shut the door behind Asuka before locking it.
"Oh, you know me. Tea's not my favorite but I won't complain," Asuka sighed.
"In that case, you can take a seat in the living room. I'll be right back with the tea," The man said before heading towards the kitchen.
"Wait… Kaji…" Asuka said, causing the man to stop with his back to her
Both of them remained silent for a few moments before Asuka spoke again.
"You locked the door… I know what that means."
The man sighed, looking at the floor as he scratched the back of his head, still not looking at Asuka.
"I still remember what you told me about keys… and security," Asuka continued, "I remember the last time I came here, you had me locked out looking for the key. But this time, you let me in. So, I can only assume that what you have to talk to me about has something to do with back then."
"You're too sharp for your own good," Kaji chuckled.
"You don't do anything by mistake. You're too exacting. Everything you do has always had some kind of meaning behind it and it drives me mad trying to find out what it all means. It used to frustrate me to no end. But… after you told me about the keys, I started to learn to not be so upset over it. It's just like you said, freedom from want is the greatest freedom of all. The key to life is not needing the key at all. I remember you told me to keep your key. It's still sitting in my room back at Misato's apartment. I haven't used it this whole time."
"Then you learned what I was trying to teach you?"
"Yes," Asuka nodded with a sniffle, "Yes, I think I have. And it's so relieving. I didn't know it was possible to feel this way. Even after everything that's happened, even after loosing my eye, I feel at peace. I'm making friends with people. Even people I thought I never would've been friends with. And new people too who I haven't really gotten the chance to get to know yet."
A vivid image of Toji holding her down in the hospital bed the other day, telling her to stay put while he searched for Shinji appeared in her mind. While she still wasn't terribly close to him, she'd displayed a certain amount of vulnerability and trust in him at that moment. Something that, once upon a time, she could never have seen herself doing.
She then recalled Ahni's smiling face from the night before, ecstatic that Asuka had asked to be friends. She felt warm. It was such a small gesture, but it had brought joy to the girl. And consequently, that brought joy to Asuka.
Kaji finally turned around to face the girl. As ever, he was hard to read, but Asuka could see this bittersweet look in his eyes that showed he somehow seemed to be touched by her words. He almost seemed fearful as he slowly approached her and finally put a hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair.
"I'm so proud of you, Asuka. More than I can rightly say," Kaji whispered before kneeling before her and pulling her into a hug, "I'm sorry for all the things I left unsaid. I'm sorry for all the times I pushed you away. Even when I told myself it was for your own good, it always hurt. I know it hasn't always seemed like it, but you're one of the most important parts of my life, Asuka. And I've stumbled and tripped time and time again trying to do the right thing for you and make sure you grow into a fine young woman. I never had a kid before. And having you in my life has pushed me harder than anything else ever has. But you've also been someone I take joy in. And watching you grow, I've realized you turned out better than I ever could have hoped. No one's perfect, but I can't ever forget the love and pride I feel seeing you come this far."
Asuka finally sniffled a few times before hugging the man and beginning to cry into his shoulder.
"K- Kaji! I don't know what to say!" Asuka sobbed, "All I've wanted for so long was for someone to notice me! And only now after realizing it doesn't matter, I hear you say all this stuff! I didn't think I needed to hear that anymore, but it still hits me so hard."
"I'm sorry, Asuka. I didn't mean to put you through all this. And I'm sorry I didn't talk to you sooner after what happened with Unit-03. I thought with you being with Shinji now, you might appreciate his company. But I still should have spoken to you sooner."
"So, Misato told you about that too then, huh?" Asuka sniffled.
"She did," Kaji sighed.
"Well, there's one thing I know she didn't tell you. It's something I felt I needed to say to you even though it's supposed to be a secret," Asuka said, hugging the man even tighter.
"And what would that be?"
"I'm leaving, Kaji… I'm leaving. I'm running away!"
Kaji was taken aback by the girl's words. But, feeling her begin to cry even harder into his shirt, he responded only by hugging her tighter. After all, it didn't take much consideration to see why she felt the way she did.
"It was Shinji's idea," Asuka continued, "He said that NERV had some way of controlling the Evangelions without us needing to pilot them. And, after this, after loosing my eye, I don't want to do this anymore. So we decided to run away. But we're waiting for the right time. We want to bring Rei with us too, but we don't know if she'll be able to come with us. And I'm not healed yet. And, even though Shinji's been acting tough, he got pretty messed up after turning on NERV. None of us are really prepared to leave yet. But we have to… We have to. I'm so tired, Kaji. I can't do this. Not anymore."
"I see…" Kaji said, stroking the girl's hair to help calm her down.
"I just… I couldn't leave without telling you. You're the only person besides Shinji and Rei who knows right now. I haven't even told Misato. But I'm probably going to tell Amelia and Ahni at some point before we go. If they're going to be the next Evangelion pilots, they deserve to know."
"So, one more secret to keep then?"
"Yeah… If you don't mind."
"Consider my lips sealed then."
"Thank you, Kaji… I'm- I'm going to miss you."
/
Meanwhile, in the forest nearby Ryoji Kaji's residence…
"Here, Shortcake! Hold this one too!"
"Why do you keep handing me all these leaves?" Shinji complained as Ahni shoved a soft newly sprouted wad of green into his hand.
The girl, of course, being deaf, paid no attention to Shinji's words as she dove through branch after branch of shrubbery, occasionally swiping a black knife through the air to cut off a leaf or two of whatever plant happened to be within her arm's reach.
"Ooh, I like this one too. The color is very nice and it doesn't look like any bugs have gotten to it yet," the girl said as she cleanly flicked her wrist at yet another plant, causing a leaf to fall into her waiting palm.
She examined the leaf with an analytical eye before sticking the stem in her mouth, presumably to… taste it.
"Don't just go sticking wild plants in your mouth! You're going to make everyone think we're weird!" Amelia signed to the girl as she finally caught up with Shinji and Ahni, Rei trailing right behind her at a more relaxed pace.
"Hmm, this one doesn't taste as nice as it looks. It's still going in the press though. Here Shortcake. Hold onto this one for me also," Ahni said as she raced back to Shinji, shoved the leaf into his hand, and then proceeded to run off again.
"H- Hey! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to run while holding a knife!? And you shouldn't just put things in your mouth either! It could be poisonous!"
"I don't think she can hear you…" Rei stated rather obviously as Amelia dashed ahead to try to catch up with the girl.
"I know," Shinji sighed, "I just… don't know what else to do. I'm not sure how to handle someone who can talk but can't hear. It's like when Asuka first moved here and was always telling me what to do. I didn't always know how to communicate with her. But I figured out in time."
"Hmm… I see… I can carry the leaves if you like," Rei offered.
"No, that's okay, Rei. You don't need to trouble yourself," Shinji said, smiling at the girl.
Rei nodded in understanding before she and Shinji continued onwards, following after the Americans. The girls weren't terribly far ahead though and after shuffling through some underbrush, Shinji and Rei found them huddled behind a log, Ahni mumbling something as she swiped at her phone. Amelia then gestured for them to come over before putting a finger to her lips, indicating for Rei and Shinji to be quiet.
"What's going on?" Shinji quietly asked despite the obvious language barriers as he quietly crouched behind the log.
Amelia then pointed a finger at Ahni, who was still mostly talking to herself.
"I knew I should have brought my lenses. The digital zoom on this thing is garbage! Not even sixty megapixels is enough! But it'll just have to do!" Ahni whispered before carefully raising her phone just high enough to peek past the log.
Trying to keep her hands as still as possible, she then took a picture of something as everyone else waited with bated breath. Then, she yanked her phone back down before examining the picture she'd taken.
"Hmph! The resolution is still garbage but at least it's identifiable." '
"Hmm? What's that?" Shinji asked as he leaned over to get a better look at the picture before identifying a small bird in the composition.
"Like my handiwork, first child?" Ahni asked smugly, "Admittedly, it's not my best work. But it's an oriole of some kind! I've never seen this kind before, but where I come from, orioles are signs of clarity and resolving misunderstandings. They're also representative of night and day with their black and yellow feathers. An entity that resides neither in neither darkness nor light instead claiming the land of dawn and dusk as it's domain. And with the power of flight, it can ever chase the sunrise and sunset. Some of the people of my land sometimes see them not as messengers, but more as guides that lead people away from despair and towards hope. Because of this, they're often times treated as a good omen; a sign that the worst part of your journey has come to an end. But they also serve as a reminder to not forget the darkness from which you came or the lessons that you learned. Because of this, after second impact, Americans treat orioles as memorials to hardship but also as encouragement to not give up. After all, where would we be if we'd just given up after second impact? If the firebird is humanity's burning heart, then the oriole is the spark that starts that fire."
Amelia let out a pitied sigh before patting Ahni on the head.
Shinji and Rei both looked at the girl with a confused expression before Ahni then gave them bittersweet smile.
"But of course, you can't understand me. How… remiss of me," Ahni said before standing up from behind the log, scarring off the bird she'd been so fascinated by only moments before.
Ahni then watched the bird flutter off deeper into the forest as Amelia, Shinji, and Rei stood up, following her gaze.
"Well, what say we head back? We've been out here for a fair minute and I think I've gathered enough samples," Ahni cheerfully suggested before walking off in the direction of Kaji's house without giving anyone any time to gainsay her.
Amelia shrugged before gesturing for Shinji and Rei to follow her. Unsure of what else to do, Shinji looked over at Rei, smiled, and then took her by the hand as they followed the girls back out of the forest.
Back into the light.
/
A few minutes later, just outside Ryoji Kaji's residence…
Daylight. Sunshine and the accompanying heat. Even the mountain air wasn't enough of a reprieve from the eternal summer. Though it seemed as though the temperature bothered some more than it did others.
Going outside during the eternal summer was usually not the most pleasant experience, but Shinji and Rei were used to it by now. The Americans on the other hand, despite coming from the desert, seemed less inclined to tolerate the perpetual heat.
"Goddamn, I know Nevada was hotter, but the humidity here makes the heat two times as bad," Ahni groaned.
"I know. At least in the desert, the dry air does a better job of evaporating your sweat," Amelia complained as best she could before tugging at her light pink blouse in an effort to air it out.
"If we weren't in present company, I'd consider taking off some clothes," Ahni sighed.
Amelia let out a frustrated sigh before elbowing Ahni in the ribs as per the usual.
"Hey, its not like they can understand us!" Ahni said in response, "Uwwwoooooaaah, cunny, cunny, cunny. cunny! I love cunny! See? No one cares!"
This specific choice of words earned Ahni yet another elbow jab from Amelia, this time more rough than the last.
Shinji and Rei quietly followed behind the American girls, mostly content with simply enjoying each other's company. The unspoken bond between them was still as strong as ever despite recent events.
Crossing the small field that led to the forest, Kaji's house had come into view and Asuka and Kaji could be seen sitting at a table on the front porch, apparently drinking tea as they quietly conversed. Though, whatever they were talking about gradually came to a close as Shinji, Rei, and the Americans stepped onto the porch, thankful to be out of the sun.
"Enjoy your little adventure, did you?" Kaji asked.
Amelia nodded while Ahni seemed to be preoccupied with examining the architecture of the house.
"And what about you, Shinji? Did anything catch your eye while you were away?" Kaji casually asked the boy.
"Uh… I… uh… she had me carrying leaves," Shinji said, pointing at Ahni, "So that's really about all I noticed."
"Hmm, interesting. You know what I noticed?"
"Uh, no Sir. What?"
"I noticed that the weeds in my watermelon patch have grown a bit tall for my liking. Would you mind helping me pull them?"
"Pull them? Uh, I guess I could do that."
"Don't let him rope you into anything too complicated," Asuka chuckled, "We still have to go see Doctor Akagi later."
"Right then," Kaji said as he stood up, "As for you girls, would you mind watering my plants in my other garden. It's around the side of my house. Asuka can show you the way as she's familiar with it."
"Water? I like water," Rei said wondrously.
"Well, that's good, because so do my clematis, petunias, and kamo-nasu eggplants. And the Ischia Fig sapling I have growing back there is quite the glutton. So make sure to give it plenty of water, especially if the leaves look a little droopy."
"Oh, okay." Rei said as Kaji walked past her.
"Hey, Amelia. We need to go water some plants. Would you get Ahni and bring her along?" Asuka asked before receiving a concise nod from the blonde girl.
"Alright, Shinji. Come with me, would you? We can safely leave the more enjoyable task in the hands of our girlish compeers," Kaji said as he put his hand on Shinji's shoulder firmly, "Though, enjoyable doesn't necessarily mean easier. Though I'm sure it won't be anything they can't solve together."
"Huh?" Shinji asked.
"Hmm?" Rei also questioned.
"Don't worry about it so much," Kaji reassured them as Asuka let out a sigh indicating she has some idea of what was to come.
"I'll see you in a bit," Asuka cooed, brushing her fingers through Shinji's hair as she walked past him, "And seriously, don't let him drag you into anything else."
"I'll… try not to," Shinji said bashfully.
"Go on then," Asuka said to the boy gesturing for Rei to follow her, "Come on, Rei. We need to go water Kaji's plants. Then we can have tea after assuming we aren't short on time."
"Hmm? Okay," Rei answered before following after Asuka and the other girls.
Shinji watched the ladies begin their trek to the other side of Kaji's house before hearing the man say, "We should make ourselves scarce before they get back."
"What do you mean before they get back?"
"Ah, just trust me on this one, kid. Besides, I have some things I want to talk to you about," Kaji said before beginning to walk presumably in the direction of his watermelon patch.
"So you don't want me to pull weeds?" Shinji questioned as he jogged up beside the man, trying his best to keep up with Kaji's longer gait.
"Who told you that?" Kaji asked, looking down at the boy with an inquisitive expression before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of gloves, tossing them over to Shinji, "Here, some gloves."
"Wait, you do want me to pull weeds!?"
"Well, of course. Who else is supposed to do it?"
"Uh, you? They're your melons!" Shinji pointed out, though obviously Kaji had already taken that into account.
"That's true, that's very true. But I can talk to plants you see, and they've been telling me that they're dying to make some new friends. So I figured I'd introduce you."
"Uhhh, right," Shinji said unsurely.
The two men walked in silence for some few more meters. And as they did, Shinji began to notice that the tall dried out golden grass that stretched some few inches above his head gradually started to become more lush and green. A sign of water nearby. And after a few more steps, the towering grass suddenly parted, revealing Kaji's prized watermelon patch.
The grass from hereon was trimmed low, allowing the large leaves of the watermelons to soak up as much sun as they could gather in their leafy palms. There were porous black hoses running along each row of plants, each of which seemed to be leaking, though this was apparently by design to keep the plants watered and the ground saturated with a few drops of water every couple seconds.
"Ah, it's good to be among my melons again. I'd rather be between Misato's melons truth be told, but this will do for now."
"There's… so many of them. Why do you grow this many?"
"I sell them… Or sometimes just give them away."
"Give them away?"
"Yeah. I give them to people who need them. And any I have left over, I gather the seeds from and give those away too. I donate them to an organization that distributes them all over the world. It helps communities that are still recovering from second impact to make their own food and take care of themselves. And once they're back on their feet and making enough food for their own community, they can pay the favor forward and donate their seeds to someone else who needs them."
"You planted these all by yourself and you just give them away!?"
"Well, of course. Who else is supposed to do it?" Kaji said with a shrug, "I'm pretty well off. Can't say the same about the rest of the world."
Still stuck in disbelief, Shinji took another moment to admire the vast field of watermelons. It stretched on for hundreds of feet, following the gentle slope down a hill that eventually led into a valley and the edge of another forest.
Though, he was shortly distracted from his observations hearing Asuka shout, "Goddamn it, Kaji! Where are you? How the hell are we supposed to get into the garden!?" from somewhere back near Kaji's house.
"Ah, well. I imagine right about now, she's looking for one of the keys," Kaji assumed, glancing in the direction of his house with a smug look on his face.
"Keys?" Shinji questioned curiously.
"Ah, never mind that," Kaji said before taking a few steps further into the watermelon patch and leaning over, yanking a weed out of the ground, "So, Shinji, I asked Asuka herself earlier, but how is she? From your perspective, is she doing well?"
"Doing well, Mister Kaji? I don't… I don't know that I'd say she's doing well. But she's holding up."
"Well," Kaji said, tossing a weed over his shoulder that landed right at Shinji's feet, "It's good to know she's being honest with me… and herself most of all. It can't have been easy for her to have lost her eye. But the key to dealing with pain isn't to ignore it. No, ignoring it, pretending it doesn't exist, that just causes it to fester and get worse. The best way to deal with pain is to embrace it and make it a part of you. Learn from it and teach what you've learned to others to guide them to a better path. Those who walk before lead those who walk after. To live is to suffer, to drink deep of calamity and reforge every doubt as scales for your armor. Life… is what you make of it. So tell me, Shinji. What do you intend to make of your life?"
"My life? I'm… I'm not sure."
"Ah, of course. Asking one so young what they intend to do with their life is perhaps a misstep. A gulf that wide is not so easily crossed. I remember when I was your age. Every day was a struggle to survive, one hour blending into the next. And even after I'd left that chapter of my life behind me and went to college, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I was beyond lost. It was a struggle reintegrating into society after surviving in the wilds after second impact. Everything I'd learned, all the skills I'd honed, the habits that were ingrained into me, all of it was useless. I'd spent so long pushing myself to the limit. And then, here I was, back in society. No one trying to constantly murder me or steal my food. I tell you, it was so odd for me the first time I set foot in the college cafeteria for the first time and actually payed for a meal with money instead of foraging or hunting for something. Then having to wait another hour to gather firewood, starving the entire time. Ah, and don't even get me started on how much I missed seasoning. I know salt is pretty basic, but you really start to miss it when you don't have a shaker of it on you. Nothing quite beats a nicely salted piece of chicken straight off the grill. But even after everything I went through, I still have fond memories of my time in the wild to this day. Sometimes… I almost wish I could go back to it…"
"Really? But it sounds so awful."
"Exactly. It was awful. It was painful. But I got used to it. I made it a part of me. Just like Asuka will have to. And just like you will. It becomes something extremely valuable that no one can ever take away from you."
"But… wouldn't it be better if no one ever got hurt?" Shinji asked the man.
"Perhaps," Kaji said before standing back up and stretching, "But it's no use thinking about that. Light and dark. Pain and pleasure. Love and hate. Power and weakness. Life and death. It all comes together. It's all a part of a natural process; a human experience. Something that makes each and every one of us unique, but also the same. The way I see it, there's no point running from that or trying to deny it. We can ponder what-ifs all day. But its the people who go out and experience the world who turn those what ifs into reality. Life is something that has to be participated in. You'll never discover anything if you just sit on the sidelines thinking about life. That's why its called living life. The only time thinking about life will reveal anything to you is after you've already lived it. Perhaps that's why the Gods designed us so that, as we get older, we become frail. And only then are we given the chance to contemplate everything we've done."
"I… I see. So, you're saying that, no matter how far or how fast you run, pain will always catch up to you?" Shinji questioned, looking down at the pair of gloves Kaji had handed him before then staring at the bandages over his burned palms.
"Exactly. That's why you have to learn to accept it into your heart," Kaji responded before once more leaning over to pull some more weeds, "You wanna know what I did during most of my college career?"
"Uh, what?"
"I chased Misato. For the most part at least. Call me lazy or lecherous, but I could never get into the flow of schoolwork. I skimmed by most of my classes. Paperwork and such just never settled into my life. I tried to hold down a few jobs too for Misato's sake. But it never lasted long and ultimately only ended up making thing worse between us until we finally cut it off. But that's beside the point. The point is, after second impact, doing things like paperwork or working in offices just didn't sit right in my soul. The world needed knowledgeable people more than ever. But it needed people of action just as much. Everyone needed to rise to the occasion in their own way. And my place wasn't stamping documents or sorting through filling cabinets. That's just not the kind of life I'd grown up with. And its one I could never really properly take the first step into. I tried to nonetheless though, for Misato. I wanted to give her a good future. But I failed at that. And then I got a second chance with Asuka to do something right and give someone a better future. But ultimately, I feel like I failed her too."
"I don't think that's true at all, Mister Kaji. She really looks up to you."
"I think she looks up to you more," Kaji said, looking over his shoulder at Shinji with a somber expression, "But there's one difference between you and I. She knows the real you, Shinji. I've never let Asuka into my life in that way. She doesn't know what I really am. And that's partly why I can't help but feel like I failed her. But, you Shinji. You're not like that. She knows who you are, Shinji. She's been by your side. And you've been by her side too while I was always walking behind her, keeping an eye on her while out of her sight. Asuka looks up to me because of what she thinks I am whereas she looks up to you because of what she knows you are."
"So… you know about it too then? About us? Did she tell you?"
"She didn't. It was actually Misato. I came to see Asuka in the hospital shortly after she was retrieved from the fallout of Unit-03 and Unit-02's fight. Asuka wasn't there at the time. She was in surgery. But Misato was waiting for her in the room she was booked for. And she let me in on a few things that another friend of ours told her."
"Oh… it was Doctor Akagi then," Shinji surmised, a slight blush spreading over his face.
"Well, in that case, since you already figured it out, yes, it was Ritsuko. I hope you won't think less of her. Technically, it was unprofessional of her to let that slip. But… she, Misato, and I have quite the history. And Ritsuko is already forced to keep more secrets than she can bear. And, given that Asuka has been in the care of Misato… I think it pained Ritsuko too much to keep that secret."
"Honestly… I don't really have it in me to be angry at Doctor Akagi at this point in time. There's… someone else I'm more concerned about."
"Your father, you mean?" Kaji asked, once again standing up before turning around to look at Shinji.
"Yes…" Shinji said, trying his best to keep a snarl off his face.
Kaji closed his eyes for a moment before sighing and walking back over to Shinji, giving the boy his full attention.
"Asuka told me you're running away," Kaji said solemnly.
"That's right," Shinji said, glaring at the ground, "I'm going to take Asuka as far away from my father as I can. And Rei too once we know it's safe for her."
"What do you think about your father?"
"Think?" Shinji spat, "I'm not thinking about him at all. I don't want to think about him. That's the whole reason we're leaving, so we never have to think about him again."
"And you're sure that's the right choice?"
"What do you mean? Of course it's the right choice! You're her guardian! Aren't you upset about this too!? My father tried to kill her! Gendo Ikari tried to kill Asuka!"
Kaji put his hand on the boy's shoulder, hoping to calm him down.
"I am upset, Shinji. I'll never forgive Gendo for what he did to Asuka. But, I've always been one to play the long game. I'm a firm believer that revenge is a dish best served not only cold, but when the person you're serving it to is hungry and has their guard down."
Shinji glanced up at the man and raised his eyebrows a bit in surprise. For a moment, Kaji made it sound like he was actually going to retaliate.
"You're… going to do something against my father?" Shinji asked.
Kaji didn't say anything and instead just smiled down at the boy.
"That's fine by me. I don't care. Do whatever you want."
"I won't tell you what to do except for one thing," Kaji said, kneeling down in front of the boy, "Make sure to always think about your actions. Not for too long mind you, but long enough. You recall the other day when you attacked NERV?"
"Yeah…"
"Did you think about all the innocent people who worked there? Who had no part in what your father did?"
Shinji looked taken aback for a moment before realizing exactly what Kaji was telling him.
"No… No, I didn't. I wasn't thinking about any of that. I was just… so mad. I didn't know if Asuka was alive or not. But I knew that, either way, father was the one responsible. Even when Lieutenant Ibuki and Hyuga asked me to stop, I just… I couldn't. Everything they said to me just made me more upset."
"And that's perfectly understandable. But you put innocent people in harm's way with your actions. That's precisely why people do say revenge is best served cold. Letting your emotions get in the way is reckless and dangerous. It can cause catastrophic damage. And not just to the person you're trying to hurt. What I'm trying to say, Shinji, is that, while I don't blame you, there are plenty of people who are going to. There are many people right now who are looking at you the same way you look at your father. There is no right or wrong side; just your side and theirs. Everyone makes mistakes. But what matters is what you learn from those mistakes. That's how you get more people on your side."
"I… understand, Mister Kaji. I'll... try to be more careful in the future. Thank you for looking out for me."
"Of course, you're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this. And it's mostly because… I feel like things are coming to a head. And when that moment comes, you're going to need as many people on your side as you can get. So, from here on out, I highly encourage you to consider your actions, to think about what's best for you and the people who follow you."
"The… people who follow me? I'm not sure I understand, Sir."
"Hmm… well, let me ask you this. Do you remember when I brought you and your friends from school to the Marine Restoration Facility? And while we were there, I asked you to watch over Asuka for me?"
"Yes, Sir. I do!"
"Well, there's one more thing I'd like to ask you to do for me."
"What would that be?"
Kaji seemed to hold his tongue for a moment, considering his next words carefully. Like Ritsuko, he too had many secrets and he often times couldn't say as much as he wanted.
"Don't tell Misato I said this," Kaji finally started, "But I want you to look after her also."
"Look after her? I still don't think I understand. I clean up after her and cook for her. I try to make sure she gets into bed instead of sleeping on the floor when she's drunk. But… I feel like you aren't asking me to do that."
"Hahah, you're right," Kaji chuckled without saying anything else.
"...I think I'm starting to see why Misato and Asuka get annoyed by your vagueness."
"Well, how about this? To make it easier on you, just do what I said about thinking about your actions. And just be sure to keep Misato and Asuka in mind when you make your decisions. That's easy enough, right?"
"I guess so. Yeah…"
"So, with that in mind, do you still think running away is the best choice?"
"I… I don't know…. But I think so."
"Well, in that case, let me give you a little advice back from when I was still roaming the lands," Kaji said with a wink, "Make sure to stay by the water. Not too close mind you, but close enough."
"Uh, right. I'll try to remember that!" Shinji affirmed, though Kaji seemed to have suddenly lost himself in a trance.
"Hmm," Kaji grumbled, finally noticing Shinji's burnt and bandaged hands as he looked down at the boy, "That's right. I remember hearing you opened Asuka's entry plug after the fight with Unit-03. I shouldn't have asked you to pull weeds when those burns are still healing. How foolish of me. Here, I can take those gloves back."
Kaji held his hand out, prepared to retrieve the gloves from Shinji. But the boy seemed to not be inclined to hand them back.
"Actually, Mister Kaji," Shinji started, "I think I'll be okay doing this. Please, let me help."
Shinji then fit the gloves over his hands, even if he did wince a few times in the process.
"Hmph," Kaji huffed in approval, "You're not too bad, kid. But just remember what I said about taking care of Asuka and Misato. To be able to take care of anyone else, you have to take care of yourself first."
"Heheh," Shinji chuckled, "Oh, I'll be fine."
/
Meanwhile, just outside Kaji's garden…
"Well, color me surprised. It's locked because of course it is. The fence I could understand, but the lock? No one's coming this far outside Tokyo-3 to steal eggplants," Asuka groaned.
"What should we do?" Rei asked.
"Ugh, he did this the last time I was here. It's some kind of stupid puzzle. He's probably hid the key somewhere around here," Asuka huffed.
"There's a key inside the greenhouse. Is that it?" Rei said, pointing at a small glimmering shard of silver hanging from a small metal hook inside the greenhouse.
Asuka squinted her eye, looking through the black barred fence as best she could with only one eye. And then she finally saw the glint. For a moment, she felt a wave of relief. But that soon dissipated upon realizing the key was on the other side of the gate.
"Ah, I think you're right, Rei. But… That's gonna be tricky to get to."
Asuka examined the garden for a minute. The entire area was walled off by a black metal fence. She might be able to climb over it. That's what she'd done last time. But there were very few footholds. And, with the sun as high in the sky as it was now, the fence was liable to be hot. And with her still healing from loosing her eye, it would perhaps be for the best to not strain herself too much physically on the off chance she slipped and caused further injury to herself.
She also considered trying to squeeze through the bars. But after attempting to do just that, she found that she was just a bit too big.
"Agh! God damn it! I can almost fit through except for my hips!" Asuka complained before stepping back from the bars, "And those are fucking hot too."
"Perhaps I could try," Rei offered.
"You can if you want, but if I can't fit through, I definitely don't think you'll be able too," Asuka mumbled.
Nevertheless, Rei also attempted to slip between the bars. Though, just as Asuka surmised, she was also too thick. This didn't deter Rei though, and she kept trying to slip through.
While Rei was occupied, Asuka suddenly felt her phone vibrate.
Pulling it out of her skirt pocket, she saw a text from Amelia that read, "What exactly is going on?"
Asuka sighed in frustration before turning around to explain the situation.
"Gate's locked. We're trying to get the key. It's inside the greenhouse which is inside the garden."
Amelia tilted her head questioningly before glancing at the greenhouse and then back at Asuka.
"Don't ask me why he does it," Asuka sighed yet again before glancing back at Rei, "Hey, give it up, Wondergirl. That fence is like a grill and you're obviously not gonna to fit through the bars with your fat ass. You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep trying."
"Hmm? Fat ass?" Rei questioned as she finally gave up and retreated from the bars before trying to look over her shoulder at her butt.
"Oh my god. She's hopeless. What would she do without me?" Asuka lamented in English so that Rei wouldn't understand her, "If I gave her a bottle of orange juice from concentrate, she'd probably stare at it, just focusing on it until I told her to drink it. And then she'd ask if I was giving her an order."
Once again, Amelia gave Asuka a curious tilt of the head.
"I'm not saying she's stupid," Asuka explained, "I'm just saying she exists on a different wavelength from most people. When Ahni nicknamed her Fruitcake… she wasn't off the mark."
Amelia seemed to nod in understanding before pulling her phone back up to her face and texting something to Asuka.
"I see. Ahni can be like that too sometimes," the text read.
"Well, I guess that makes you and I the leaders then," Asuka sighed before giving Amelia a smile.
Amelia tried her best to smile back before taking a few steps towards the gate.
"What? You're going to try too?" Asuka asked as she watched the girl attempt to squeeze through the bars.
Amelia looked back at Asuka and gave her a shrug before resuming her efforts at trying to squeeze through the bars.
"Uh…. Not to be rude or anything," Asuka stuttered, watching with a blush as the girl's rather large breasts pressed against the bars, "But I think… you may be too big."
Nevertheless, Amelia continued trying to squirm her way through the gate. Asuka glanced over her shoulder at Ahni who seemed to be lost in her own world, sitting on the ground and plucking a few blades of grass from the earth to entertain herself. She then looked over at Rei who was still trying to catch a glimpse of her ass.
"Oh, Gott verdammt es. Manchmal fühle ich mich, als wäre ich von Idioten umgeben," Asuka sighed before returning her attention to Amelia.
Amelia somehow managed to let out a high pitched squeak as she found herself stuck in between the bars, unable to proceed any further despite all her struggling. And to make matters worse, a few of the buttons on the breast of her blouse got caught on the bars every time she tried to force herself through. Considering they still had to meet with Doctor Akagi later, Asuka surmised that she should probably intervene now before the buttons flew off the girl's shirt.
"Um, Amelia, maybe we should just not," Asuka said, gently tugging the girl away from the bars, "And, uh… you may want to check and make sure all your buttons are attached to your shirt."
A slight blush suddenly washed over the girl's face and she immediately began looking herself up and down to make sure she hadn't torn anything while Asuka went back to considering how she might cross the fence, pacing about as she glared at the key.
"Damn it, why does he always have to make things so complicated?"
Asuka groaned in frustration before once again pausing in front of the gate. She then decided that she'd had enough of this farce and marched over to the corner of the garden and peeked around to the front side of the house. Of course, Kaji was no longer anywhere near the porch and she couldn't see him in the field beyond.
"Goddamn it, Kaji! Where are you? How the hell are we supposed to get into the garden!?" Asuka shouted out at the field.
She already knew that, wherever he was, he wasn't going to answer her and that he'd set this up solely to test and teach her. So, she quickly gave up before boredly walking back over to Amelia and once again staring at the gate.
"Well, I guess I'm just going to have to climb over," Asuka surmised.
She yet again stepped up to the gate, preparing herself to hop the fence. But just as she was about begin scaling the gate, she felt her phone buzz.
Pulling it out, she saw a text from Amelia that read, "But you're wearing a dress. And what about your eye?"
Turning around, she gave Amelia an embarrassed look. The last time she was here, she'd been able to climb over the fence without too much problem. But she was alone then while on this occasion she had three other girls with her who would be quite a bit lower than her once she'd reached the top of the fence. And, while it wasn't a secret to Rei anymore, Asuka wasn't entirely sure she wanted flash her panties for the other girls to see. And, to make matters even worse, Amelia was right about her eye. While climbing the fence wasn't terribly likely to cause her any further injury, if she slipped and fell, she'd be in a worse state than she was already in. And that's the last thing she wanted right before she intended to run away. Even in perfect health, running away wouldn't be easy. But she was now disabled and having a twisted ankle or god forbid an even worse injury on top of the ones she already had would potentially throw a wrench into any near future plans she'd devised.
"I guess you're right…" Asuka mumbled before walking back over to Amelia's side to give her solution further consideration.
Despite the black paint on the fence, the top of the bars gleamed in the sunlight. The leaves of the plants in Kaji's garden were beginning to wilt, indicating that they would need water soon. And the key was just beyond her reach, tantalizing in its inaccessibility; ironic considering what it would enable.
"Weren't we supposed to be watering plants? What's taking so long? Why're we just sitting here?" Ahni boredly moaned from behind the girls.
Asuka and Amelia both turned around, watching as the girl stood up and brushed off some dust from her ragged torn jeans, apparently having grown bored of pulling blades of grass. After having rid herself of the earth, Ahni looked up to see Asuka and Amelia both staring at her.
"What? Why're you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"Hmm, she's rather flat chested, isn't she?" Asuka pointed out, "I mean, I'm pretty small. But Ahni's really small. I could almost fit through the fence, but my hips were just a bit too wide. Hmm… What do you think, Amelia? You figure she could fit through?"
Amelia gave Asuka a quick nod before signing the request to the girl.
"You want me to slip through the fence and grab the key in the greenhouse? Well damn, you coulda told me that sooner. It would be my pleasure. It's too frickin' hot out here."
Only too happy to oblige, Ahni quickly pranced over to the fence before slipping through the bars with almost no trouble. Almost…
Yet again, the girl's hips proved just a bit too wide.
"Uh… mayday, mayday! My ass is stuck! Someone call in ground support!"
"Damn it! We were so close!"Asuka cursed, "Agh, Amelia, think you could give her a push? I mean… she is your girlfriend."
Amelia nodded, a slight blush spreading over her face again. Approaching the girl, Amelia then awkwardly placed her hands on her, not entirely sure how she should facilitate maneuvering Ahni past the bars.
"Agh! Amelia? What're you doing?" Ahni squeaked.
Amelia only gave the girl an innocent and confused shrug.
"Well, whatever it is, hurry it up! This metal is starting to burn my ass!"
Amelia glanced over her shoulder, seeing Asuka giving her an uncertain thumbs up while Rei just lo0ked on in confusion.
"Hey, if you're gonna push me through, just push me through already, would you? Despite what people say about eating ass, I'm not looking to cook mine like a well done Sobrebarriga en Salsa Criolla."
"Could you please watch your language and quit being so vulgar, you little brat?" Amelia signed to the girl with an appalled expression.
"Could you please push me on through then? Or would you rather leave me in this compromising position?"
Yet another blush started burning across Amelia's cheeks before she finally composed herself and pushed the girl's butt through the fence.
"Ah, there we go. Damn, baby. I'mma legit have a searing grill mark on my booty! Ouch!" the girl said before reaching her hand back and smacking her ass, "Hope my jeans didn't get torn any more."
This particular action caused Amelia to gasp before putting one of her hands over her mouth and averting her gaze from the girl's backside. Asuka herself let out a little chuckle seeing Amelia's reaction. Though, that little bit of amusement was about to replaced by a new wave of frustration with Ahni's next announcement.
"Uh, no can do, chief," Ahni said as she tugged on the greenhouse door, "Greenhouse is locked. Is there a reason we'd don't just go get Mister Inspection Officer what's his face to unlock this for us?"
Upon hearing Ahni's claim, Asuka immediately remembered that last time she'd been at Kaji's house, he'd left the key to the greenhouse under the welcome mat at the front door.
"Uh, Amelia, tell Ahni to stay here. I'll be right back!" Asuka said before bolting back around to the front of the house, trying to waste the least amount of time possible.
She quickly closed in on the front door hoping that the key would be there. And thankfully, upon lifting up the mat, it was.
"Thank God he didn't move it," Asuka sighed in a relief as she picked up the glimmering silver.
As fast as she could, she raced back around to the side of Kaji's house and then handed the key to Ahni through the fence.
"Here, try this," Asuka said despite the girl not being able to hear her.
Nevertheless, Ahni took the girl's meaning and pranced back over to the greenhouse before shoving the key into the small lock.
"Hmm, nice," Ahni mumbled curiously as the door unlocked and she grabbed the other key from the greenhouse.
Without a care in the world, she brought the key back over to the gate and yet again shoved it into the padlock.
"I swear to God, this better be the right key," Asuka prayed aloud, "Otherwise, we're gonna spend more time trying to get to the plants than actually watering them."
There was a click and then the chain fell to the ground with a metallic thunk and Asuka let out another sigh of relief.
"Why would Mister Kaji do such a thing?" Rei asked as she stared at the fallen chain.
"I suspect it's because he's trying to teach us something," Asuka said as she gently pushed open the gate with her foot.
Finally, the girls where admitted into the garden. Ahni immediately, found a suitable place against the fence and leaned against it while Rei seemed to be more interested in the vegetables.
"This one is large and red and… rough? Or rigged? Ruffled?" Rei said as she poked at one of the plants.
"That's a Cosmonaut Volkov tomato. It's a type of heirloom beefsteak tomato. Kaji got some seeds for them from a consortium back when we were still in Germany. I guess he finally got around to planting them."
Noticing Rei staring at the tomato, Ahni also commented, "That one looks pretty ripe. Could make some good salsa outta that tomato."
"A… beefsteak? Why would a plant be called beefsteak?" Rei questioned.
"No idea, Wondergirl. You'd have to ask some historical linguist," Asuka suggested before walking over to the spigot to which there were attached two hoses.
She picked up one of the hoses while Amelia picked up the other, each silently agreeing to water one side or the other of the garden. Meanwhile, Rei continued to explore the variety of fruits and vegetables while Ahni pulled out a pack of her lime flavored cigarettes and her silver lighter. Though, before she could light her cigarette, she felt a blast of water spraying against the side of her face.
"Agh! H- Hey!"
"I told you not to make that a habit!" Amelia signed to the girl before redirecting her hose back towards a strawberry plant.
"I know, I know!" Ahni whined, stuffing her lighter back into her pocket.
After wringing some water out of her hair, Ahni had the brilliant idea of coming up with a revenge plot and she walked up behind Asuka before snatching the hose out of her hand.
"Hey, what're you doing!?" Asuka asked in surprise.
Hearing Asuka's voice, Amelia quickly turned around to verify she wasn't doing anything wrong before instantly being sprayed in the face with water.
"Hahahahah!" Ahni cackled as Amelia dropped her hose and tried to wipe the water from her face without messing up her makeup.
Amelia then gave Ahni a pouty look before picking up her hose and again trying to spray Ahni. Though, having plenty of forewarning this time, Ahni was prepared this time and narrowly dodged the jet of water which instead splattered all across the front of Asuka's yellow sundress.
"Eep! That's cold!" Asuka squealed as she hugged her arms in front of her chest.
Upon realizing what she'd done, Amelia's expression contorted into a twisted portrayal of mortified embarrassment. But before she could explain that she was sorry, Asuka shot the girl a challenging glare before picking her own hose back up from where Ahni had dropped it and sprayed Amelia, completely soaking her blouse.
"Hah! Miss me with that! You're the one who fired the first shot," Ahni teased after retreating to the gate.
Asuka and Amelia both looked at each other before both silently agree to hose the girl down. Placing their thumb over the lip of each of their respective hoses to increase their range, both of the girls took aim at Ahni, with Amelia's stream spraying the girl right in the face while Asuka's soaked the girl's grey tank top.
"Oh no!" Ahni sputtered through the water before running around the perimeter of the garden and to the back of Kaji's house.
"Rei! Water the plants for me!" Asuka said before dropping her hose and bolting after Ahni.
"Oh, okay," Rei said without any hesitation as she watched Asuka also disappear around the back of the house.
The heels of Asuka's shoes grinded against the dirt as she slid to a stop just around the corner.
"OH NO! HAHAHAH!" Ahni playfully shrieked as she turned around and tried to sprint away again.
Asuka immediately chased after the girl though, apparently, she'd perhaps given herself too much of a running start, as did Ahni. Seeing the girl ahead of her about to loose her footing from bolting off as fast as she had, Asuka tried to slow herself down, but eventually tripped over Ahni and both of the girls fell over.
"Ah, so much for taking it easy," Asuka sighed, feeling a headache starting to come on again despite having taken her pain medicine only a short while ago.
Ahni laid next to her and eventually began to start laughing, quietly at first, but it gradually grew into a full blown fit of laughter that then spread to Asuka as well.
The girls laid on the ground giggling without a care in the world for a few moments more before finally composing themselves. Sitting up, Asuka put her hand over her eye, trying to soothe the headache she felt coming on while Ahni picked up her sunglasses that had fallen from her nose when she'd tripped.
"Playing around is something I never got the chance to do very often," Ahni said as she repositioned her glasses back over her eyes.
"Same here," Asuka chuckled before remembering Ahni couldn't hear her.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her smartphone before texting the girl, "I was always too busy training to pilot to be allowed to play. What about you?"
Feeling her phone vibrate, Ahni pulled it out before giving Asuka a bittersweet smile and saying, "I haven't been a pilot for as long as you have. For me it was just because… I can't hear. And… I look weird. I also didn't have a phone when I was younger, so no one really wanted to talk to me. It took too long to write stuff and no one at my school knew sign language. So, at recess, I always just... played by myself. No one had the time for me except for one person. But all she did was bully me. I never had a single friend until Amelia came along. So, I could never play with anyone. I was always by myself."
"Yeah… I get that," Asuka texted the girl, trying not to look to deflated.
"That's why I was so happy last night when you asked to be my friend! You're only the second person to ever be my friend. I hope one day, Pilot Ayanami and Shortcake will be my friends too. Amelia's great. I love her. But I want at least a few more friends."
"I'm sure we'll all be good friends," Asuka texted the girl again before standing up and dusting herself off.
She then held her hand out, offering to help Ahni up.
"Yeah! I hope so," Ahni excitedly said, taking Asuka's hand.
Asuka tugged the girl up without much effort as light as she was. Despite not being much that larger than Ahni, Asuka was notably more toned in her muscular definition. She wasn't exactly brawny or burly, but she had an athletic build and Asuka was rather sure she'd be able to carry Ahni if she tried. Shinji was right, Ahni was quite the pipsqueak.
Taking in her surroundings, Asuka looked around the back of Kaji's house. Perhaps to be expected, there were a few more flower gardens growing along the back wall along with yet another hose and spigot. The bricks that made up the wall were reddish-brown color, contributing to the rustic and cozy atmosphere. The back door was also painted a muted red color. And, finally, Asuka noticed yet another mat sitting in front of the door.
"Hmm, interesting," Asuka mumbled to herself as she eyed the mat.
Asuka walked over to it, examining it with scrutinizing suspicion, which also drew Ahni's attention.
"What's so special about this?" Ahni asked.
"I bet my measly NERV paycheck there's a key under there…"
Asuka then leaned over, slipped her fingers under the mat, and flipped it over with an air of certainty, revealing that there was indeed a key underneath.
"What the fuck! There's a key! How did you you know!? Are you a psychic!?" Ahni asked in total disbelief.
With a smirk on her face, Asuka texted Ahni, "Call it women's intuition," remembering Misato had said something similar once before.
"How very… reliable," Ahni said before leaning over and picking up the key, "Oh, these are car keys! Oh my god! This is totally a Roll's Royce logo which means…"
"Ooh, Kaji…" Asuka sighed.
"Asuka! You gotta show me! I got to see it yesterday! But I totally wanna see it again! Maybe even get inside it!"
Asuka considered the girl's pleas for a moment before texting her, "Okay, I'll show you. But you have to promise you're not gonna do anything like scratch it. That car is more valuable than both our lives put together. And that's saying something since we're both Evangelion pilots."
"I will be super careful! I just wanna see it again! Up close this time! I didn't get very long to look at it yesterday!"
Asuka then smiled before nodding her head and gesturing for Ahni to follow her. Leading the girl along the back wall of the house, Asuka peeked around the corner. It seemed as though Kaji was still out pulling weeds with Shinji. Still though, it paid to be observant and Asuka slowly continued around the side of the house until coming upon the next corner and once again peeking around to the porch. Still no one.
"Alright, follow me," Asuka whispered more out of her leadership habits than anything else.
She quickly sprinted to the door, which, thankfully, and much to his detriment, Kaji had left unlocked. Asuka chuckled mischievously as she pushed the door open with a long creaking sound emanating from the hinges.
"Ooh, it's nice in here," Ahni commented as she took in the sight of the vanilla painted walls and a few decorations.
Asuka shut the door behind the girl while Ahni walked further into the living room. She seemed to be quite taken by the furniture and architecture as she wondered around the sunlit living room. However, something else even more eye-catching was about to draw her attention. Laying on the couch in the living room was…
…a cat. A large black cat with a white crescent on its chest and heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one amber.
Ahni, upon seeing the cat, instantly gasped before rapidly closing in on him adoringly exclaiming, "Kitty!"
"Puchi, you lazy animal!" Asuka said, mock disappointment in her voice as she watched the cat roll over on its back, "Can't even keep guard of the house for Kaji in return for him feeding your fat fluffy ass."
"Mrrreeow," the cat meowed back, obviously too relaxed for his own good.
"Oh my god! Look at this big huge kitty! What a good boy!" Ahni said as she excitedly petted the cat all over every conceivable inch of his fur, "What's his name, Asuka!? What is this big boy's name!?"
"Oh god. I hate explaining this," Asuka groaned before pulling out her phone and texting Ahni, "Grown men always come up with the stupidest names for their pets. His name is literally just Puchi, which translates to Tiny. The cat is named Tiny and he's not even a small cat. And half the time, Kaji doesn't even call him by his name. Kaji just calls him cat or animal."
"Your hair's the same color as mine, Kitty," Ahni said, furiously petting the cat before pulling out her phone and laughing, "What!? His name is Tiny? He can't be called Tiny. He's like the biggest house cat I ever saw! He's like the size of a small lynx!"
"I know. He's a huge cat. He was a stray and was super skinny when Kaji first adopted him. And he was still a huge cat even then. And he's only gotten bigger since Kaji started putting meat on his bones," Asuka chuckled to herself.
"No, your name can't be Tiny. I'm going to name you Catzilla! Or maybe Catus Maximus,"Ahni exclaimed, causing Asuka to chuckled even more, "Someone needs to brush you. You're getting hair everywhere."
Ahni stood up, shaking her hands back and forth causing several wads of cat hair to be flung from her fingers before slowly drifting to the floor.
"Well, I'll see yah, Kitty-Catzilla," Ahni said before giving the cat a final pet across the head and returning to Asuka's side.
Asuka then gestured for the girl to follow her before and led her down a short hallway that led to Kaji's garage. Halfway to fearing the next door would be locked as well, Asuka inhaled anxiously before tensley turning the doorknob to the garage.
Thankfully, it wasn't locked and Asuka finally set foot in the garage. This obviously wasn't the first time Asuka had been in here, but for Ahni, stepping into the garage was like entering wonderland.
"Oh! Ooooh! Woah! What!? He has four freakin' cars!?"
"He does," Asuka sighed.
"Oh, woah! Is that a fastback mustang!? What year? 67? 69? Oh my god, and is that a supra from the 90's? Oh man, those are so rare after second impact! And he has these on top of a Rolls-Royce? That would have been like winning the lottery multiple times in a week after second impact. Why does he have so many cars, Asuka?"
"No idea," Asuka said with a shrug, her body language more than enough for Ahni to understand.
"Oh, and he has a 69 Fairlady z432 also! Oh, the matte black paint on it is so pretty too. Oh, my favorite! I think I'm in love! It's almost enough to make me want to trade my Impala. Oh, I could totally use a man who has this kind of taste in cars. And he's pretty handsome too. Too bad he's so much older than me."
Despite Asuka once harboring similar feelings for Kaji, she almost choked hearing Ahni talking to herself in such a way.
"Agh! And he lives in such a nice house too. It's so frustrating!" Ahni continued, "Why can't I have a house like this!? This is like the perfect place to start a small farm! I could plant so many trees and flowers and peppers for salsa! Ooh! So many peppers! I wonder if the internet is any good this far out from the city. It can't be that bad, right? Mmm, planting peppers all day! Playing games all night! Urgh! I wish I could live here!"
"Huh… I guess it is a pretty nice place," Asuka realized as she took in her surroundings, "I never really stopped to think about it."
It was then that Asuka noticed her friend climbing into Kaji's charcoal colored Roll-Royce with rather alarming ease considering the roof of the convertible has been left down.
"H- Hey! Be careful! That's expensive!" Asuka worriedly warned the girl, though Ahni was completely oblivious to Asuka's concern.
"Oh my god, this thing is like some antique victorian clawfoot bathtub with the top down. Look at all these old dials and meters and shit in here! And the colors are totally my style. Oh man, I could be such a cool villain in this car! I'd just need some fancier cloths, like jeans that aren't torn."
Relieved the girl had finally seemed to calm down a bit and was sitting in the seat of the car as opposed to climbing all 0ver it, Asuka let her guard down and chilled out some, leaning against the door of the car, also deciding to try to enjoy herself or at least relax some.
"It's so weird having the steering wheel on this side of the car. I'm used to it being on the other side. I wonder why us Americans always have to do everything so different from the rest of the world."
"From what I understand, Americans just go against the grain for no reason other than that they can," Asuka texted the girl.
"Hmm, that sounds about right," Ahni said with a shrug before stuffing the key into the ignition and starting the car.
"Huh!? Wait! What're you doing!?" Asuka questioned before texting the girl, "You don't intend to drive this thing, do you?"
"Well, of course I do. Just for a few minutes. You think you could open the garage door?"
Asuka considered the girl's words for a few moments. Her gut was telling her not to let the girl drive Kaji's car. But, on the other hand, she supposed she could consider it payback for him locking her out of the garden.
"Fine. Just be sure not to scratch it though," Asuka texted the girl, finally deciding to relent.
"Don't worry! I know how to drive," Ahni said back confidently as Asuka pressed the button on the wall to open the garage door.
Waiting patiently for the door to raised, Ahni revved the engine a few times before switching the gear into drive and screeching out of the garage as soon as the door was clear.
"Hey! I just told you to be careful!" Asuka shouted as she ran out of the garage and after the car to practically no avail.
"YEAH, BABY! COME AND GET ME, MISTER INSPECTION OFFICER!" Ahni shouted at the top of her lungs before honking the car's horn as she sped down Kaji's rather long driveway.
"Oh, no. What've I done?" Asuka mumbled to herself, watching the shining grey car streak down the driveway before it pulled a rather sharp u-turn, it's tires once again screeching as it began speeding back towards Kaji's house.
Watching in terror for a few more seconds, Asuka then noticed Kaji bolt out of the field of grass adjacent to his house. Shinji himself appeared soon after soon after and immediately made eye contact with Asuka after emerging from the grass.
"My- MY CAR!" Kaji shouted as he desperately ran towards the driveway.
"Oh my god, you better not crash that," Asuka whispered to herself as once again, Ahni spun the car around and hit on the brakes, causing yet another dreadful screech to come from the tires.
"Stop, you! Stop! That's my car!" Kaji begged as he finally arrived at driveway.
"Alright, I've had my fun," Ahni snickered through a smirk, "How's that for outsmarting someone, huh, Mister Inspection Officer?"
"Asuka, you! You let her into my car!?" Kaji panted.
"Hmph!" Asuka huffed, "You're the one who told me to go water the garden and then left us locked out. If you didn't want us looking for keys, maybe shouldn't have had us on a wild goose chase looking for… well, keys."
Kaji rolled his eyes before sighing out, "Point taken. You win."
"You should find a better place to hide your keys, Mister," Ahni said as she turned off the car and tossed the keys down at Kaji's feet before hopping out of the car.
"Noted, I'll be sure to be more creative in the future," Kaji said before picking up the keys and stuffing them in his pocket.
"Please don't. It's already frustrating enough tying to find them as it is and I honestly don't know how you keep all the hiding places straight in your head," Asuka said.
"Eh, it comes with the business," Kaji chuckled.
"What business?" Asuka asked accusingly.
"Oh, you know. Looking at documents all day. Signing them. Stamping them. Sealing them and sending them off. All that kind of exciting top secret business."
"Right…" Asuka said, suspiciously narrowing her eye at the man.
"What's going on over here?" Shinji asked as he finally plodded up alongside the party.
"Oh, just a little bit of payback," Asuka said with a shrug.
"Payback!?" Kaji asked incredulously.
Amelia then seemingly appeared out of nowhere before walking up to Ahni and bonking her on the head for misbehaving yet again.
"Hey! I was just having a little bit of fun!" Ahni responded bashfully.
"So nothing is the matter then?" Rei asked, causing Asuka look over her shoulder in surprise.
Apparently, both Rei and Amelia, silent as the girls were, had snuck up on Asuka to see what was causing such a ruckus.
"No. No, Wondergirl. Nothing's wrong. We were just… enjoying life," Asuka said with a smile
"Hmm… I see."
"Well, the important thing is that my car isn't scratched," Kaji sighed in relief, "...Oh, and that no one's hurt. That's also important."
"Hey, Asuka, you think we should go see Doctor Akagi soon? It's still morning time, but we shouldn't keep her waiting, right?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah, we should probably get going…" Asuka affirmed.
"Ah, going to see Ritsu, are you? Give her my regards. And tell her to rest every now and then, will you?" Kaji asked.
"Yes, Sir, Mister Kaji," Shinji said, "And, sorry about not having more time to pull those weeds."
"Ah, don't sweat it. I'll manage on my own… Probably… Maybe."
"Hey, Amelia," Asuka called to the girl, "We gotta be outta here in a minute. Would you go get the truck started?"
The girl nodded before apparently telling Ahni to follow her.
"Hey Rei," Asuka continued, "its about time to go. Would you make sure Shinji sits in the back again? I still need to be in the front so I can help Amelia drive to NERV."
"Is that an order?" Rei asked with a small giggle.
"You betchya, Wondergirl."
"You're making me sit in the back again!?" Shinji whined.
"Oh, don't worry, Shinji. Once Amelia knows her way around the city, then you can sit in the front. Or we can just use the train for the more inner city errands."
"Ergh, that's fine and all. But just… don't forget about what we plan on doing," Shinji said.
"Right… I won't forget," Asuka said, slightly taken aback by her own choice of words.
Shinji then trudged back to the truck, Rei quickly walking up behind him and taking his hand to help comfort him.
"So, you're still serious about leaving then?" Kaji asked, putting a hand on Asuka's shoulder.
Asuka looked up at Kaji, her eye expressing a noticeable amount of uncertainty and perhaps even fear.
"Yeah… I have to. I can't stay here."
"Alright then," Kaji sighed before gently patting Asuka's head, "But just remember one thing, Asuka. Whatever choice you make, keep your friends close. Rushing ahead and making foolish mistakes along the way, mistakes that were all too easily avoidable, is how you lose the ones you love. Trust me, I know from experience. And nothing is worth that."
Asuka cast her gaze to the ground, pondering Kaji's words, trying her best to ingrain them into her memory. She then nodded before hugging Kaji one last time.
"Thanks, Kaji… For everything. I really mean it. I'm going to miss you."
Kaji hugged the girl back, stroking her hair in an effort to comfort her.
"I'm going to miss you too, Pumpkin Patch. More than anything. Be strong. Even when I'm not there, be strong. You have it in you. I've seen it. You are strong."
"Why do you have to say it like that? You're so good at making me worry about you."
"I didn't mean to, sweetheart," Kaji chuckled before sighing, "But I do mean every word I said. Difficult choices lie ahead. Choices that would be easier if you were older or had more experience. Alas, life hasn't seen fit to grant you that insight just yet. Even with everything I've tried to teach you, there's so many more things left in our beautiful world for you to see. But I have faith that you will make the right choice when the time comes."
"I'll try my best, Kaji… I… I have to go now. Hopefully, I'll see you soon."
"Go on then. The others look like they're about ready to set off anyways."
"Bye, Kaji," Asuka said with a smile before making her way to Amelia's truck.
Kaji's eyes dimmed some watching the girl go, her brilliant red hair swaying in the breeze. How many times had he seen that sight before? More times than he could count. Watching her walk to her room back in Germany. Her first day of school, yet again, he'd watched her leave, all the while, that same shade of vibrant red blowing in the wind. And on the ship that had brought her to Japan. When he'd dropped her off at Misato's apartment after taking her to the marine restoration facility. It's a sight that had grown rarer and rarer as time went on. And it was then that he realized this might be the last time he got to see her go.
"Wait, Asuka! One last thing!" Kaji called out to the girl.
The girl paused, looking over her shoulder at the man.
"Huh? What is it?"
"I love you, Asuka! Never forget that!"
Asuka gasped and her jaw almost dropped. But she soon found herself smiling uncontrollably back at the man, trying not to tear up.
"I love you too, Kaji."
/
-Beneath Dark Waters-
/
Some time later, at NERV HQ…
"So, tell me, Asuka. Do you know anything about the fourth and fifth child?" Ahni asked.
"The fourth and fifth? Huh, I don't know anything about them," Asuka said before glancing over at Rei, "What about you Wondergirl? You heard anything about the fourth and fifth child.?"
"No, not at all," Rei said with a shake of the head.
"Hmm," Ahni said after Amelia had translated for her, "Strange, I figured if anyone knew anything about them, it would have been you. Me and Amelia asked around at NERV-02, but no one there seemed to know anything either. I can't imagine they'd be at NERV-01. I feel like I'd have known about them if that were the case."
"Right. And I probably would have been aware of them had they ever been at NERV-03," Asuka surmised, "Strange… Very strange."
"What're you talking about, Asuka?" Shinji asked.
"Oh, just how no one seems too know where the fourth and fifth children are… or even who they might be."
"Hmm… I never really thought about that," Shinji realized, "Could it be that they just haven't been enlisted yet? Like how I wasn't called the Third Child until after coming to Tokyo-3?"
"I suppose that's a possibility."
"Hey, Asuka! How long til we get there?" Ahni blurted out.
"Not much longer. The Eva cages are just down the way. The lady at the desk said Doctor Akagi has apparently been working on them non-stop since the eleventh angel possessed Unit-03. But even if she's not there, maybe we'll get a chance to check on the Evas."
Amelia, as per the usual, translated Asuka's words for Ahni before also adding, "I wonder if Unit-03 will be there."
Ahni then affectionately grabbed onto Amelia's arm and held onto her as they all made their way down the hallway before finally stopping at a rather large door.
"Well… this is it," Asuka said before swiping her NERV ID through the card reader.
There was a dramatic thud from somewhere inside the door as the locks disengaged and it then slid aside, revealing a large cavernous room filled with LCL, a catwalk stretching across it, suspended only a few feet above the orange pools.
And there it was, Unit-00 the first in line and nearest the door. It's armor gleamed in the artificial light. Having not sustained as much damage in the last engagement, it was in near pristine condition with any dirt or grime that had been on it long since having been washed away.
"Uwoah! Ah! Look! It's Unit-00! Amelia, it's Unit-00!" Ahni excitedly exclaimed as she sprinted to the edge of the catwalk, "And over there! It's Unit-01! Oh my god! It's horn is so fucking cool!"
Yet again, the girl dashed off further down the catwalk.
"Ahni, wait up, will you!?" Asuka shouted before chasing after the girl.
"I guess we should follow them," Shinji sighed, content to lag behind with Rei, even if Amelia was also quick to catch up with the girls.
"Oh, wow! Unit-01 is so cool! It's horn makes it look so intimidating! And it's purple paint is so colorful!" Ahni shouted in excitement as she came skidding to a halt in front of Unit-01, narrowly avoiding colliding with an engineer.
Unit-01, like Unit-00, had not sustained much damage in it's sortie against the eleventh angel. Some of the armor on it's arms were minorly scuffed, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be buffed out or replaced within the next few days.
"Hey, slow down!" Asuka huffed as she and Amelia caught up with Ahni.
"Please don't be reckless," Amelia signed to the girl.
"Oh, sorry," Ahni said bashfully.
Ahni was about to go back to admiring Unit-01 until she saw Asuka slowly trudging further down the catwalk, a haunted expression on her face.
"Asuka?" The girl asked before following the girl's gaze until finally realizing what had caught her eye.
Unit-02 stood motionless in the cage next to Unit-01. The flesh of one of it's arms was exposed from where it's armor had detached from it when Asuka had initiated the 777 Protocol. The other arm had most of it's armor replaced. However, none of this had been what drew Asuka's attention.
The chest cavity of Unit-02 had been completely eviscerated and it's head was hardly anything more than a fleshy stem connecting to it's nervous system. Its ribs protruded from the flesh of it's chest and some of the organs that had been ruptured had slowly begun to regrow, occasionally pulsing or twitching.
For a moment, Asuka felt a pain in her abdomen and thought she was going to be sick before collapsing to the floor.
"Oh, that's fucking gruesome," Ahni choked out as Shinji rushed past her.
"Asuka!?" Shinji asked the girl as he knelt down next to her.
"I'm fine," Asuka exhaled, "Just a flashback."
Asuka tried her best to smile at Shinji, but the boy wasn't entirely convinced of her wellness.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else," Shinji suggested.
"No, no. Really, I'm fine."
"Well, just be careful, okay?"
"Is… is that?" Ahni suddenly asked.
Shinji and Asuka looked up at the girl, noticing her eyes were fixed on something on the far end of chamber. She took a few uneasy steps in the direction of where she was looking, and Shinji and Asuka followed her gaze, laying their eyes on one final Evangelion past Unit-02.
"Is that… Mark.04?" Ahni asked in disbelief, "No… No, it's something else. What… what is that? It looks like Unit-03 and Mark.04."
"Well, it seems you're just in time. I just got back from my break," the voice of Ritsuko suddenly said from somewhere behind the group of children.
Everyone save for Ahni immediately turned their attention to Ritsuko, the tail of her lab coat swooshing behind her as she briskly approached the pilots.
Upon realizing what was happening, Amelia tapped on Ahni's shoulder, grabbing her attention. It seemed the day had no end of surprises for the girl as she spun around only to see Ritsuko.
Letting out a small gasp upon seeing her, Ahni pointed at Ritsuko excitedly before stuttering out, "D- D- Doctor Akagi!"
"It's been awhile, Pilot Rubikard," Ritsuko said with a small smile.
"I- I have no idea what you just said, but I'm so happy to see you! Finally, a familiar face!"
"She said she's happy to see you," Asuka said tiredly.
"It's good to see her and you too, Asuka. I hope you've been healing well and haven't been pushing yourself too hard," Ritsuko said.
"I've… been trying to reign myself in as best I can. I'm not happy with it, but it is what it is."
"And you, Pilot Ikari. You look to be in better shape if still a bit bruised up. As always, make sure to rest when you can."
"Uh, yes, of course. Resting. I've been trying to rest," Shinji said bashfully.
"Trying? If you have to try at resting, it sounds like you aren't actually resting," Ritsuko said, suspiciously eyeing the boy.
Attentive as she was, most things didn't go unnoticed by Ritsuko. And due to this fact, Ritsuko, upon examining Shinji, noticed the boy had a black strap of some sort around his neck. Something that was decidedly out of place in Ritsuko's eyes.
"Hmm," Ritsuko wondered aloud, "When did you get that choker around your neck, Pilot Ikari?"
"Oh, uh, this thing?" Shinji asked as he grabbed at the necklace and tugged at it some, "Uh, I've had it ever since I was let out of detainment. Father hasn't told me what it is and I haven't been able to get it off. We even tried cutting it but we can't put so much as a nick in it."
"Hmm…" Ritsuko pondered.
"Father said something to me about it right after he let me go. He said it was insurance… Retribution… That I couldn't just go free after what I did and that he had to have some way of controlling me… I still don't know what that means."
"Hmm… I see," Ritsuko mumbled, slowly coming to realize what was going on.
"Your father's right, you know?" a spiteful female voice suddenly said from behind Ritsuko.
Ritsuko turned around to face the woman, drawing the attention of the other pilots to the girl as well. A young woman with pink hair leaned against a piece of scaffolding near the base of Unit-02's housing. Apparently, she'd been there for a minute or so, waiting for a chance to say her piece.
"Miss Kitakami?" Ritsuko questioned.
Upon hearing her name, the girl looked at the group and scowled at them.
"I still think Commander Ikari is being too soft on you though. You do need to be controlled, but even this isn't enough!" she shouted at the pilots, "You should be tried for war crimes! You should still be locked up! I can't believe they would let you out after what you pulled!"
It was then that everyone had begun to piece together the girl's anger, gathering that it was primarily directed at Shinji. The boy glanced around, but everyone else's gazes seemed to be locked on the woman in front of them. There wasn't anywhere to run and Shinji faced the girl once more, his heart pounding in his chest.
Perhaps this was only to be expected. Shinji hadn't realized it when he was attacking NERV, but he had effectively threatened the lives of everyone who was working there at the time. And, as Kaji had pointed out earlier in the morning, not everyone was going to take kindly to him being allowed to walk around the place.
"WELL, DON'T JUST STAND THERE! DON'T YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, YOU TERRORIST PIECE OF SHIT!?" the girl screamed, drawing the attention of everyone in the Eva cages.
Shinji was shocked even if he really shouldn't have been. Never in his life would he ever have expected someone to say such a thing to him. He just couldn't see it in himself. Had really been so blinded by rage that he would willingly take the lives of so many people. No, of course he wouldn't. It was just intimidation, wasn't it? He was just trying to scare his father.
No, no, he wasn't. He was trying to make Gendo pay for what he'd done to Asuka. He'd fully intended to destroy NERV and he'd attempted to do just that with one of the most powerful weapons of war on the face of the earth. A being so powerful it could shrug off even nuclear warheads if it's A.T. Field measured high enough. An unstoppable force of god. And he had brought it to bear against everyone. And he was only just now realizing what he'd done.
Even Kaji's forewarning hadn't prepared himself for this. Shinji even now still couldn't see himself doing such a thing. He was still just the shy kid at school with no friends and who would occasionally be bullied. He was just someone who went through the motions of life, minding his own business. He wasn't a terrorist. He wasn't a killer. He couldn't be. He was just a victim in all of this. He was always the victim. Always. He was just a kid. He'd never done anything wrong.
Not until now…
Maybe in another life he would have been just that; a nobody living and breathing just as everyone else. Someone just minding their own business, going with the flow, not really caring how one day compared to the next. Every day would be the same boring life as everyone else's. Going to school. Trying to get a girlfriend. Probably failing on numerous occasions. But there was always the next day to try again. Go to school again the next day. Make friends. Ask a girl out. Graduate. Break up. Loose friends. Go to college. Get a job. Drift away from everyone else as responsibilities took over. Drown out the monotony with alcohol until that too became normal.
But that wasn't his life anymore and it hadn't been since he'd decided to stay in Tokyo-3.
"Well, if you won't say anything then I will!" the woman spat as she marched past Ritsuko and grabbed Shinji by the collar of his shirt, "Do you even know what you've done? Do you feel bad at all!? Do have any idea what we've had to go through to get here!?"
"I- I-" Shinji stuttered.
"Midori, please calm down!" Ritsuko ordered.
"Calm down!? You want me to calm down!?" Midori glared at Ritsuko before returning her furious gaze to Shinji, "He's the one who should calm down! He's the one who tried to kill us all! So what if his little girlfriend was hurt!? Is killing the rest of us supposed to make it right!? This is war! Sacrifices have to be made! And he's willing to throw all of it away because he's some punkass kid who hasn't grown the fuck up and is still living in some fairytale world. Your sparkling ideals and temper tantrums are gonna get us all killed!"
"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you better let go of Shinji right now!" Asuka hissed before grabbing the woman by the arm and glaring at her.
"Get off of me, little girl," Midori spat back before roughly shoving Asuka off of her, almost knocking her into the LCL pool below.
"Fucking bitch!" Asuka shouted before raising her hand to hit Midori back.
"Asuka, don't!" Shinji shouted, "It's not worth it… And I don't want you getting hurt anymore."
"If only you cared about the rest of the world as much as you cared about your pissy little girlfriend," Midori growled, still glaring at Shinji.
"SHUT UP!" Asuka yelled back.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinji asked Midori, only barely able to keep his own anger from boiling over.
"Do you… have any idea what I've lost!?" Midori caustically challenged the boy, embracing more anger than Shinji had ever seen in anyone, even in Asuka, "Any idea what I… I had give up? What everyone had to give up? For me, it was my brother… My father and sister… My mother was the only one who survived second impact. For everyone else, I'm sure their story isn't that different. I was six years old when second impact happened. Every single one of us had to rise up from the ashes, walking on the bones of our families and countrymen to get where we are, to rebuild the world, wondering what it was all for? WE DIDN'T COME ALL THIS WAY JUST FOR YOU TO KILL US ALL!"
Midori's lip was quivering and a single tear rolled down her cheek before falling from her chin. Shinji felt it land on the back of his hand. So cold against his flushed skin, but he could be sure it has been warm only a few moments before. The amount of rage emanating from the woman shook Shinji to his core. Never before had he ever seen someone so consumed by anger. Or perhaps it wasn't anger. It almost seemed like something more. Pure unadulterated seething hatred. Shinji wasn't even sure he despised his own father as much as this woman seemed to hate him. Even after attempting to kill her, the fact Asuka was still alive went some way to softening the blow. But this woman seemed see things differently.
"I… I'm sorry," was all Shinji could manage to say to her.
"Is that supposed to make it any better?" the girl said, her voice practically burning a hole through Shinji's soul, "THAT DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO MAKE UP FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
The woman wildly reeled her hand back before slapping Shinji across the face.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Asuka screamed before dashing straight for the woman in an attempt to land her own few hits.
"That's enough, Kitakami!" Ritsuko shouted before placing her hands between Shinji, Asuka, and the woman, attempting to separate them.
"IT'S NOT ENOUGH! HE NEEDS TO PAY!"
The woman once again lunged at Shinji, failing to slap him but still trying her damnedest to claw his face with her nails when she managed to reach for him.
Before Midori could do anything else though, she felt a pair of massive bear like arms wrap around her waist and yank her away from the boy.
"You need to chill out, Midori!" a rather gruff voice bellowed from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder only to see her supervisor, Koji Takao, pulling her away from the boy.
"Let go of me, Koji! LET GO!" Midori shrieked as she desperately tried to wriggle free of the man's grasp.
"Not until you straighten yourself out!"
The man then spun her around behind him before standing between her and Shinji. Immediately, she lunged forward again but Koji intercepted her and shoved her away as gently as he could manage.
"Midori, I understand you're upset. But you need to cool it," Koji said, trying to deescalate the confrontation.
"He tired to kill us! HE TRIED TO KILL US AND HE'S WALKING FREE!"
"I can assure you that's not the case," Ritsuko asserted.
"LIKE HELL IT'S NOT! JUST LOOK AT HIM!" Midori screamed.
"I have looked at him, and I daresay I know more about what's going on than you do."
"OH YEAH! THEN TELL US! TELL US WHAT NERV INTENDS TO DO TO KEEP HIM IN LINE!"
Ritsuko sighed before saying, "I cannot talk about it here. Even if I could, his penalization's consequences are on a need to know basis unless otherwise specified by Commander Ikari. And you don't need to know about it."
"SO ITS TRUE THEN!? HIS FATHER GOT HIM OFF THE HOOK SCOT-FREE!"
"Once again, I must emphasize you are mistaken, Miss Kitakami," Ritsuko yet again asserted, "Though he may not be legally detained at the moment, make no mistake, Shinji Ikari is not a free man."
Midori's hate-filled gazed slowly shifted from Ritsuko to Shinji.
"You… YOU BETTER NOT EVER GET IN THE EVA AGAIN! I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF IF I HAVE TO! If you're not going to protect us, THEN AT LEAST I'LL BE ABLE TO SAVE WHAT FEW OF US ARE LEFT!"
"Midori, what you're saying is completely out of line," Koji scolded the girl, "I understand you're upset but you need to get a hold of yourself!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE SIDING WITH THAT- THAT TERRORIST!"
"Nobody is taking any sides!" Koji said, still trying to convince the girl to lay off it, "Midori, why don't just leave and take a few minutes to cool off."
"Whatever. I'm taking the rest of the day off. I'm not up for this shit," the girl huffed before turning around and walking off.
"W- Wait!" Shinji called out to the woman, causing her to stop in her tracks before slowly turning around to face the boy.
Even though, Shinji didn't want any further conflict with the woman, he could tell by the look in here eyes that she wasn't keen on talking for much longer and that Shinji should say his piece quickly.
"What's your name? I want to know your name."
The woman had a confused look on her face that quickly turned into one of disgust.
"Midori Kitakami, formerly of Old Yokohama. Now of Tokyo-3. Here to carry on humanity's legacy."
"Midori Kitakami… I'll remember that," Shinji said, "There's something you should know. I'm not piloting the Evangelion anymore. I've decided not to. I hope… that helps put your heart at ease."
"Hmph," Midori huffed dismissively before continuing on her way.
"Sumire," Koji sighed, looking over to a dark skinned woman also casually leaning on some scaffolding, "Would you keep an eye on her for the rest of the day? Consider it paid time off. Just take her out for drinks or something."
"Well, if you're paying…" Sumire shrugged before following after Midori.
"I'll pay for the drinks or dinner too. Just make sure she's in a better state of mind before she comes back to work tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it," the woman said confidently before catching up to Midori and putting her hand on her shoulder before presumably starting a new conversation.
"Well, at least that's out of the way…" Koji sighed again.
"Thanks, Koji. I'll pay for the drinks," Ritsuko said, putting a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder.
"No, it's okay. I can cover it. I just want to make sure everything is running smoothly down here. There's still so much work to be done. Now more than ever."
"What just happened? Why'd that woman slap Shinji?" Ahni asked innocently.
"Amelia, can you tell Ahni I'll explain it later," Asuka asked, "It's… too much to go over right now. And I'm sure Doctor Akagi is eager to be finished with whatever business she summoned us for."
Amelia nodded and Asuka finally found herself relaxing some. She walked up beside Shinji, giving him a sad look before she hugged him. And after a few more moments, Shinji could also feel Rei hug him as well. Despite that though, he still found himself staring at the pink hair of Midori as she departed from the Eva Hangars. She'd given him much to think about. And, while it should have been obvious at first, Shinji was now keenly aware of the pall of fear that hung over the Geofront because of him. Even now, he noticed people glancing at him out of the corner of his eyes.
"Don't think about it too much, Shinji," Asuka whispered in Shinji's ear, "No matter what that bitch said, I'm so grateful that you didn't give up on me. And it touches my heart that you were willing to stand up to your father for me."
While even Shinji was proud of himself for at least attempting to defend Asuka, he just couldn't bring himself to disregard what Midori had said. It was true after all. He had tried to kill everyone inside NERV-HQ. And, unlike when his father had engaged the dummy system, using Shinji's hands in place of his own to threaten Asuka's life, Shinji, even if in a blind rage, had been perfectly willing to use his own hands to attempt to kill everyone here.
Even if it was for hate, even if it was for love, was he any better than his father? Surely there could have been a different way to handle the situation.
"If she doesn't want you piloting, she's gonna get what she asks for," Asuka continued, being careful to make sure she wasn't overheard "If NERV wants their dummy system, they can have it. And once it turns on them, once it tries to kill her, she's gonna be eating her words once we're gone."
"I'm sorry for her outburst," Ritsuko said, walking up alongside the trio of pilots, "She's… been unwell since the eleventh angel was terminated. I'm considering putting her on leave for her mental health but… we're severely behind schedule as it is. And with- Oh?"
It was then that Ritsuko noticed Maya timidly making her way down the catwalk, her clipboard in hand as always. The poor girl looked like she was about to begin crying as she narrowly avoided several engineers who hadn't noticed her.
"Maya?" Ritsuko asked as the young lady finally came to a stop in front of Shinji.
Without saying a word, she immediately bowed before Shinji, Rei, and Asuka.
"Uh, lieutenant Ibuki?" Asuka questioned.
"I'm so so sorry!" she finally managed to say.
"Sorry!? Sorry for what?" Shinji asked.
"I did it! I'm the one who compressed the LCL in your entry plug! Commander Ikari ordered me too. I'm the one who incapacitated you! I heard you were suffering from oxygen poisoning when they retrieved you from Unit-01's entry plug. It's my fault! I'm sorry! Please, forgive me!"
"Maya… There's nothing to apologize for," Shinji said regretfully, "I didn't really leave you any choice. I was… out of line and you did what you had to."
"Still, I'm sorry. I was so scared," Maya choked out before looking up at Rei and then Shinji, "I was worried that I might have left Rei alone. After learning the three of you were together the other day, I felt so guilty. I had no idea if Asuka was alive and I was worried I'd almost killed you too, Shinji. And after hearing about the American pilots being transferred here, I was so scared I had actually killed you since no one would say where you were or what happened. And even after retrieving Asuka, I had no idea if she was going to live through the night. And- And- And I'm just so happy to see you're all alive."
"Thanks, Lieutenant Ibuki. It means a lot. I'm sorry for forcing your hand," Shinji said bashfully.
"Maya, why don't you go take a break for a little bit," Ritsuko suggested, "You've been working yourself almost as hard as me. You could use a rest."
"Uh, but Ritsuko! I haven't-"
"Maya, seriously. Go rest for a bit. It's clear you've been distracted for the past few days and I can see you're exhausted. Take some time to clear your mind. We can work on sorting the rest of this stuff out once you're rested."
"Um, Yes, Ma'am. Thank you, Ritsuko." Maya said with a bow before heading of to rest in the rec room.
"Well, now that everyone is in their place and every place is in it's… Er, everything's in place, excuse me, I'm still a bit tired, but I think it's about time I get everyone briefed on our newest combat asset, Experimental Index Unit-03+04. Asuka, you can speak with the American's correct?"
"Yep!"
"Would you tell them to go get changed into their plugsuits and board Unit-03+04? I have an idea on how to make this go faster. And, assuming I've set everything up correctly, this should save a fair bit of time if you're with me while the Americans are in the Evangelion."
"Huh? You don't want me getting changed?" Asuka asked.
"Ah, Asuka," Ritsuko sighed, "Both you and Shinji are currently restricted from piloting. Shinji for his previous actions and you because of your eye and the fact that Unit-02 is not operable at the moment. It'll probably still be a few more days before it's ready, but even then, you're still not to pilot it without my say so. As of right now, only Rei, Ahni, and Amelia are cleared for piloting."
"Right… I understand," Asuka said deflatedly.
"Hey, don't look so upset, Asuka. Just remember what we said, okay?" Shinji said, trying to bring the girl's spirits back up.
"Yeah, I remember," Asuka said, smiling at Shinji before turning to Ahni and Amelia, "Hey, Amelia, Doctor Akagi wants you and Ahni to get changed and prepare to board that Evangelion over there. I'll take you to the changing room."
Asuka then looked back up at Ritsuko and nodded before saying, "I'll be back in a minute. I'm gonna show them to the locker room."
"Right," Ritsuko affirmed, "Make sure Ahni is in the silver side on the right of Unit-03+04. That side is configured for her while the black left side is calibrated for Amelia. Once they're on board, meet us in the observation deck. Since you're restricted from piloting, I want you to act as our interpreter. Rei, would you also board Unit-00 so I can monitor you against the new pilots. And Shinji, would you come with me? I think we can keep you out of trouble so long as you don't wonder too far."
"Yes, ma'am," Rei affirmed.
"Ergh, alright," Shinji said, trying not to blush.
/
A short time later, in the observation room monitoring the Evangelions...
"Well, I have to say, at first, I didn't understand what you meant when you said you wanted them both to board the same Evangelion. But I think I see now," Asuka said.
"So, they're both going to sync to the same one?" Shinji asked in awe.
"That's correct, Shinji" Ritsuko stated, "They're both going to be piloting the same Evangelion, and will consequently be synced to it. As well as this, they're both going to tangentially synchronizing with each other. And, assuming my theories are correct, that should allow them act in coordination. I take it the both of you remember your own synchronization training we had you preforming in the suite here at NERV HQ before we had you engage with the angel Israfel?"
"The one that could split apart and recombine where me and Asuka had to destroy both of its cores at the same time?" Shinji asked.
"Yes, that one," Ritsuko confirmed, which suddenly caused Asuka to gasp.
"Wait, I see now. You mean!?" Asuka asked in shock.
"Yes. You could consider this an extension of that same idea," Ritsuko confirmed, "Albeit, that in this case, instead of rigorously training the both of you before hand to a set of choreographed actions and exacting standards, this would enable the pilots to actively synchronize with each other to a limited extent. In essence, they will, to a certain degree, be able to read each other's thoughts."
"You mean like…. telepathy?" Shinji asked.
"Why, yes. It's really not that different from what you already do when synchronizing with your evas," Ritsuko confirmed, "Have you ever considered why it is that you feel the same pain as the Eva would? Pain is a sensation. And, like all sensations, its up to our brain to interpret them. Pain isn't so different from things like thoughts or emotions. Similarly, it is your nerves that direct this sensation to your brain. Certain painkillers, such as acetaminophen actually attempt to block those signals from your nerves from ever reaching your brain. The acetaminophen by itself doesn't do much to heal the injury. While it has some anti-inflammatory properties, it's primary method of acting is by simply casting an illusion that you aren't in pain. Or rather, your brain is the one casting the illusion that you are and the painkiller simply dispels that illusion like waking from a dream. This doesn't heal the damage done to your body. It doesn't magically make the wound close. But it does allow you to ignore it. In a way, your body doesn't experience pain anywhere except in your head. It's all in your imagination, the same way your thoughts and feelings are. Even if you didn't realize it, you were, in a way, already communicating telepathically with your Evangelion."
"I… never really thought about it that way, but I guess it makes sense," Shinji said before taking a seat at the monitoring desk where Maya would usually have sat during one of their sync tests.
"So, pain isn't even real then, huh?" Asuka surmised, looking down at a screen that showed a video feed of the inside of Ahni and Amelia's entry plugs.
The girls were apparently very excited, even if they tried to keep themselves calm.
"Oh, it's real. Real enough at least," Ritsuko corrected the girl, "It's just not… tangible. But it's hardly the only intangible thing to be real. But, enough about that. I think it's about time we got this rundown out of the way. Asuka, would you turn on the com and make contact with Amelia. We can't contact Ahni until we start up the synchronization. But, informing Amelia should help to also inform Ahni of what's happening even before any words have been spoken; basically as soon as they start synchronizing. And, also, if you need clarification on anything, feel free to ask me"
Asuka glanced at a dull yellow button before looking back at Ritsuko and asking, "This one?"
Asuka pressed the button, causing it to light up. There was a sudden click as the feedback played into the onboard speaker of Unit-03's entry plug and Amelia immediately seemed to be at attention.
"Hey, Amelia. It's me, Asuka," the girl said, giving Amelia the brightest smile she could muster as a holographic image of her face showed up in Amelia's display, "I know you can't really say much back. But Doctor Akagi wanted me to get some things out of the way with you first since you're the only one who can hear."
Amelia gave the girl a thumbs up and Asuka continued.
"So, we're gonna try to start up Unit-03+04, which is what we're calling this Evangelion. And obviously, that means we're gonna be synchronizing the both of you with it. However, since we can't speak with Ahni, we're sorta relying on you to explain this? Or, maybe not. It's…. its weird. You don't exactly have to explicitly explain it. But Ahni should sorta get the message as soon as we start the synchronization process," Asuka said unsurely before glancing back at Doctor Akagi, "Uh… maybe… We don't know exactly. I guess the point is, we're sorta relying on you to explain everything to her that she doesn't… immediately pick up on or that we can't explain… I guess? We don't know exactly how much that's going to be yet. But… you should? Or might? In a few moments."
Amelia gave Asuka a confused look, indicating she didn't quite understand.
"Ergh… look, um, to put it simply, you're gonna be partly syncing with Ahni. So, I guess you should sort of… feel each other inside the Evangelion together. I dunno. I don't really have a reference point. But Doctor Akagi has reason to believe you should be aware of each other's presence once you sync up. It's… hard to explain and probably easier to just show you."
Amelia nodded, but still seemed confused.
"They got it?" Ritsuko asked.
"Uh… I think so… Kind of," Asuka said unsurely.
"Oh, one more thing I forgot to say; Tell her that they might feel a teensy tiny bit of severe absolute terror sickness and that they should try not to throw up and that it'll be over quickly."
A slightly shocked expression grew on Asuka's face before she leaned back over to the mic and said, "Uh, also, Amelia, Doctor Akagi says you might feel a little bit sick… Or maybe a lot. Um, just try to bear with it. It shouldn't last long."
"Shinji, would you hit that blue circular button near the right of the console? That should start up the synchronization process."
"Oh, god, forgive me" Shinji groaned to himself, vividly remembering his first time syncing with Unit-01 and how it had almost made him sick as well.
Cringing as he hit the button, he saw the insides of Ahni and Amelia's plug began lighting up as the Evangelion started connecting with them. It was a visual he was all to familiar with, though not from this point of view, being outside the plug and on the monitoring deck. Looking at the other monitor, he also glanced at Rei, who waited patiently inside Unit-00, currently remaining unsynchronized for the moment. Meanwhile, the two Americans could be seen in obvious distress as the synchronization concluded.
"Oh, god. Dis ain't normal. I fink I'mma frow up!" Ahni gurgled into the LCL as she closed her eyes and put her hands over her mouth.
The illumination patterns eventually ceased and the entry plug display finally began to show the outside world as Ahni's urge to be sick finally subsided.
"Huh, strange… It's been awhile since I've been in an Eva, but this doesn't feel the same as it used to," Ahni said as she glanced down at the LCL pool below before feeling a strange urge to turn her head to the left.
It was the darnedest feeling, but she could swear she felt a ghost, though, as she turned her head, she found nothing so haunting.
"A- Amelia! It's you! I can see you! I didn't know that this is what the Golgotha double entry system would be like! Though, I guess since we can see outside, it makes sense I can see you. But holy shit, it's like there's literally nothing between us."
Amelia silently tried her best to smile at the girl, and while she didn't say anything, Ahni could swear she could feel the joy in the girl's heart.
"Its good to see you happy again," Amelia signed to Ahni, though, somehow, Ahni could tell what the girl was thinking before she'd even formed the words.
"Good evening ladies and… well, ladies," Asuka said over the com, "This is Asuka speaking and I'll be standing in for Doctor Akagi during this sync test since she doesn't speak English quite as well as me."
"Wait, Asuka? This is Asuka?! Oh my god! I can hear! I didn't think I was going to be able to hear again. You don't sound at all like I imagined you'd sound. I mean, I don't really know what I expected you to sound like. But definitely not like this!"
"Hmmhmm," Asuka chuckled, "Hey Shinji, why don't you say hi?"
"Hello, annoying Latina girl and Amelia," Shinji grumbled into the microphone.
"Oh, is that Shinji?" Ahni asked smugly, "He sounds just as short as he looks."
Asuka had to stop herself from giggling at that remark, which instantly caught Shinji's attention.
"Did she just call me short again!?" Shinji huffed before growling into the mic, "Stop calling me short, you little…"
"It's okay, Shinji. She didn't say anything," Asuka reassured the boy even though he very well knew better.
"Shinji, would you start up Unit-00's synchronization sequence? Just select it on the console and press the same buttons Asuka did," Ritsuko politely asked.
"Yeah, alright," Shinji sighed before radioing Rei, "Okay, Rei. We're starting up Unit-00's synchronization."
"Understood," she said quietly back.
"So," Asuka started, looking for a conversation topic to use to kill some time for the next few seconds, "I noticed Amelia has a fourth generation plugsuit. I figured you'd be the one with the fourth gen plugsuit, Ahni. Considering you were the pilot of Mark.04. But you have a second gen suit just like me."
"Oh, yeah. They were looking at getting me a third gen suit tailored. But then Mark.04 blew up and I was suspended from piloting. So, they sorta threw that plan in the garbage. That's okay though. I kinda like the way the second gen suit looks."
"Hmm, yeah. I got to try on my first third gen suit the other day when I was assigned as the temporary pilot of Unit-03. It was okay. A little too flattering in some aspects for my taste," Asuka said before giving Ritsuko a slightly accusatory look, though she didn't notice, "But it was a pretty good suit I guess. Not a fan of the new neural connectors though. Too wiry. I'm worried it'll tangle my hair. My second generation neural connectors didn't have as many places for my hair to get caught."
"Oh, that's right. You do tend to wear your neural connectors pretty often. Practically all the pictures I've seen of you have you wearing them. I haven't seen you wear them a single time since I got here though."
"Yeah," Asuka sighed, "there's a reason for that."
"Something about your eye?" Ahni asked right as Amelia tapped on the wall of her entry plug and gave Ahni a look telling her to drop it.
"Something like that," Asuka mumbled.
"Synchronization with Unit-00 complete," Rei said.
Ritsuko stood up before walking over to the console and examining Rei's scoring.
"Hmm, seventy-four point six percent. Not bad, Rei," Ritsuko said before then glancing at the other console, "But, as expected, not quite as high as Rubikard and Rineheart's sync rate scoring. Seventy-nine point seven percent. Almost a solid eighty even with their sync limiters reducing their scoring and this being the first time they've synced with Unit-03+04. Any higher and they'd be over the safety threshold."
"Geez, that's actually pretty high. I knew you said they'd be scoring pretty heavily. But I didn't quite expect it to be that high," Asuka said in mild surprise.
"Indeed," Ritsuko mumbled, "Save for your little stunt of discarding your sync limiters during your fight with Unit-03 the other day, that's actually damn near the highest score I've seen. Your ninety-two percent is the only thing beating that."
"Asuka synced at ninety-two percent!?" Shinji asked in shock, causing the girl to blush some.
"She did," Ritsuko confirmed, "It was exceedingly reckless of her, but she saved your life. Still though, I can't recommend ever doing that again. Even Rineheart and Rubikard's score is a little worrying to me. The sync limiters on Unit-03+04 were calibrated to be even more saturating than the average ones onboard Unit-02, Unit-01, and Unit-00. The fact they're scoring right at the threshold may indicate that we need to make the limiters a bit more suppressing."
"I thought that scoring higher was the whole point of this though. That's what you said just a few minutes ago," Shinji said unsurely.
"That's true… Perhaps it's okay where it's at. Just as long as they don't reach a whole hundred percent. Eighty percent is supposed to be the buffer zone though."
"What happens if someone does sync all the way to a hundred?" Shinji asked.
"I… couldn't say for sure," Ritsuko said after a moment of consideration, "At the very least though, it would be unmanageable."
"Hmgh," Shinji mumbled in thought.
"Asuka, would you be so kind as to go over the points that need to be covered," Ritsuko asked.
"Alright, Americans. Listen up. Doctor Akagi has given me some things to touch base with you on. So, to start off, the Evangelion you're in is called Unit-03+04. It's obviously constructed out of both Unit-03 and Mark.04. That much was probably obvious. However, there's a few things to keep in mind that Doctor Akagi has asked me to relay to you two. So, first of all, obviously, the black half is calibrated for you Amelia while the silver half is conversely paired with you, Ahni. So, Doctor Akagi says that, from now on, its important for each of you to make sure you're seated in the correct side. Otherwise, you might not sync properly. Second of all, since this is a paired entry plug system, the way your sync rate is generated and scored is based off of both of your sync rates. As well as that, your combined sync rate is not scored additively like it is in the older Units. For example, if I score a forty percent sync rate in Unit-02, my final sync rate is forty percent. However, if both of you are scoring forty percent. It will not equal an eighty percent sync rate. Instead, it would probably be roughly closer to fifty or sixty. Or so Doctor Akagi says. The sync limiters on Unit-03+04 are more suppressing and result in diminishing returns unless you deactivate or discard them… which I've been told a few times now you shouldn't do," Asuka laughed nervously before giving Ritsuko a shy smile, "If you were to remove your sync limiters, you would, according to her, start scoring linearly. In which case, that theoretical double forty sync rate would add up to eighty. But, once again, that's not going to be something you should actually need to worry about since removing your sync limiters is not… usually allowed. Did you get all that or do I need to repeat myself?"
"Uh, I think we got it," Ahni radioed Asuka back after looking to Amelia for confirmation.
"Good, because it's only gonna get more confusing from here on out. So, third thing. While you're syncing with Unit-03+04, It's actually possible to sort of… isolate each of you I guess. That probably doesn't make much sense, so if this gets too confusing, let me know and I'll try to find another way to explain it. I have Doctor Akagi right here if you have any questions I'm not able to answer. So, to try to explain this better, Unit-03+04 can actually… I guess shift it's A.T. field between the both of you when you're isolated. You… do know what an A.T. field is, right?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Ahni exclaimed.
"Right, so because there's two of you onboard, you can actually basically pick which one of you that you want to draw your Eva's A.T. field from. Doctor Akagi called these stances or paradigms. By default, Unit-03+04 is set to draw from both of you. I think the name for this stance roughly translates to duality in your tongue. This means that Unit-03+04 is scoring its sync rate based off both of you, and therefore, the strength of your A.T. field is determined by both of you. From what I understand, Doctor Akagi said that this is Unit-03+04's most powerful stance because it's drawing from both of you. However, there were some safety measures put in place in the event one of you was incapacitated. As I mentioned, your sync limiters have a heavier dampening effect on your sync ratio than other sync limiters. Because of this, it would be nearly impossible for one of you to pilot Unit-03+04 by yourself. That's where the separating idea comes in. In case one of your sync rates drops or you become unconscious or incapacitated, you can actually give one or the other pilot's sync rate a heavier scoring weight. So, for example, Amelia, if you were to be taken out of the action, the people here at HQ could actually give Ahni's sync rate a higher priority for the Evangelion to draw from. Each of these constitutes a different stance. I believe the names would roughly be translated as Knighthood and Shadowcaster stances. Amelia, when the Eva's A.T. field's waveform draws from your A.T. field, that would be the Knighthood stance. Ahni's on the other hand is the Shadowcaster stance. So that's three stances. Duality which is both of you, Knighthood, which is when Amelia has priority, and Shadowcaster when Ahni has priority. I… don't think I mixed that up."
"Sounds edgy. I like it," Ahni chirped.
Asuka shook her head in amusement before continuing.
"So, to explain that a little further, your duality stance is your most powerful stance. However, if needed, you can switch to the other two. Now, these two stances and their A.T. Field attributes seem to have a certain polarity to them. So, while neither of the polar stances are as strong, you should theoretically be able to quickly switch between them in the event one of your individual A.T. fields is bought down. So, if Ahni's A.T. field was nullified, we could switch to yours, Amelia, while we waited for Ahni's to reconstitute itself. However, neither of the individual polar stances will be as strong as both of them put together due to the suppressing factor of the sync limiters. Now, once more, as I mentioned, that can be circumvented by discarding your sync limiters. But, again, that's not something you're technically supposed to do."
"Have you ever done that? Removed your sync limiters?" Ahni asked curiously.
"Hmm… Maybe once," Asuka said bashfully, "But like I said, you're not supposed to do that. Do as I say. Not as I do. From what Doctor Akagi has told me, the whole point of having two entry plugs is to achieve a higher consistent sync rate without actually going over eighty percent. So you shouldn't just remove your sync limiters. I'm not an expert on it, but I'm sure doctor Akagi has a reason for making these ones stronger than the others. Anyhow, that aside, there's one last thing to go over."
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"We already covered this some with Amelia but I'm sure you've caught on to this by yourself at least a little bit by now, Ahni, but you're actually partly synchronized with Amelia right now."
Ahni gasped as she looked at Amelia in shock. The girl seemed to be trying her best to smile at her.
"I… I thought I felt something strange. Like… a presences in my mind or feelings that weren't my own. That… That was you!?"
Amelia gave Ahni a slow, gentle, and kind nod before signing to her, "I've felt you since we synchronized. And its made me happy to see that you seem to be so uplifted."
"I… I think I felt you too. I couldn't describe it at first but I think I understand now. I felt this weird happiness in me and I couldn't explain where it came from."
"If you two have finished with your moment," Asuka said after Ahni fell silent for a few seconds, "Doctor Akagi assures me that this shouldn't directly affect your sync ratio. However, because you might be sharing feelings or thoughts, if one of you becomes shaken, the other might also be negatively affected by sharing those emotions. Inversely, if one of you were to become emboldened, the other might also. So, once again, while it's not directly factored into your sync score, it's still something to keep in mind."
"This…. is incredible…" Ahni whispered, touching the wall off her entry plug as she reached for Amelia.
"Well, I think that covers just about everything major you told me to go over with them," Asuka sighed as she leaned back in her seat and stretched.
"So, just to go over the checklist, you told them why its important that they're onboard their assigned halves?" Ritsuko asked.
"Yep."
"And how their synchronization ratio is calculated and the effects of their sync limiters?"
"Mmm Hmm."
"And about the stances of their Evangelion and how they're also synchronized with each other?"
"Yeah. Like I said, I went over all of it. Anything else can probably be covered sooner or later."
"Right," Ritsuko sighed, "Then I suppose we should begin the observation."
/
A few hours later, just after sunset, in a bar in Tokyo-3…
"So, who put you up to stalking me then?"
"Stalking?" Sumire asked in disbelief as she set down her glass, "I'm not stalking you. I just thought you could use a friend. You looked lonely."
"Pretty sure that's exactly what stalking is," Midori huffed before taking a shot of sake and frustratedly slamming her glass down on the table.
"Hmm, and here I thought this was just a girl's night out."
"Oh, please. Don't make me laugh," Midori chuckled moodily again, her cheeks streaked red from what she'd already drunken, "I don't even know you. You're just some loner. Just like I am. You wouldn't be following me around if someone hadn't put you up to it."
"Heheh," Sumire chuckled, "If I remember correctly, I asked you if you wanted to go to the bar with me and you're the one who accepted my offer."
"Well, you said you were paying," Midori huffed again, boredly looking into the distance as she filled her glass.
"True to an extent."
Midori took a small sip from her glass before saying, "So, seriously. Why are you here? All I ever see you doing is sitting around not talking to anyone. You don't care about anyone. So why are following me around?"
"You're really not gonna just enjoy yourself and leave it be?"
"Enjoy myself? At a time like this?" Midori huffed incredulously.
Sumire sighed before shrugging and saying, "You're right. I don't care about anyone. Not really. I'm just here because Koji told me to keep an eye on you and said he'd pay for our drinks."
"I knew it," Midori murmured under her breath.
"So, you don't gotta worry about me stalking on you or whatever. I'm not here to spy on you. I'm just here because I'm being paid and because the drinks are free."
"If you don't care about anyone, then why do you work for NERV?"
Sumire raised her eyebrow and gave the woman a questioning glance.
"Because I need to get paid."
"Bullshit! You could get paid anywhere! Why NERV!?"
"Because NERV scouted me and wanted my skills. I was in line for a degree for theoretical physics before second impact. My passion didn't die with the rest of the world. Though, since arriving at NERV, I've had to delve a bit more into the realm of experimental physics as well. Not that I'm complaining so long as they keep paying me."
"What do you even do? All I ever see you doing is sitting around doing nothing."
"There's a reason for that," Sumire chuckled, "I guess you could say I work on some more secretive stuff. Nothing that shady. Just… stuff that's out of the norm."
"Oh, yeah? Like what?"
"Hmm," Sumire wondered for a moment, "You ever heard of a floating tank?"
"A… floating tank? Like what? A tank that floats in water?"
"No, like… a tank that floats in the air. A hover tank. A tank that can fly!"
"What!?" Midori asked, trying not to choke on her sake, "Hold up. To be clear here, you're talking about like a war tank, right!? And you're talking about it floating? Above the ground!?"
"Yeah. I'm talking like a main battle tank that can hover. Much more mobile and evasive than treads. With thrust vectoring, you can have it move anywhere on a two dimensional plane without it needing to turn. The downside it's it's a little more delicate than terrestrial armor."
"And what? You're… working on that right now?" Midori asked with a hint of annoyance.
"Right now? No, not really. I've already finished that. Moved on to more ambitious things."
"More ambitious!?" Midori once again choked, "What's more ambitious than a flying tank!? How did you even get it to fly!? "
"Ah, well, initially, I experimented with some lighter craft using some weaker turbines. Then moved onto the heavier armored vehicles. But it was little challenging getting an array of traditional chemical rockets on it while also giving it the mobility I wanted it to have. It was… quite unwieldy. But, I actually eventually settled on an alternate design proposed by Doctor Akagi after she'd let me borrow a few documents. So, it's actually now powered by an A.T. field."
"An… A.T. field? I… didn't even know an A.T. field could do that."
"I didn't either initially," Sumire chuckled, "Ah, there's so many things I wish I could say about it. But I'm not sure about your clearance for receiving such information."
"Yeah, yeah, trade secrets and all that. Whatever."
"So, satisfied with spending the rest of the evening with me then?"
"I guess… But don't think this makes us friends. I'm just here for the drinks."
"Hmmhmm, as am I."
/
Meanwhile, in the apartment stairwell just outside the Katsuragi residence...
"Oh, man! I think that was the coolest thing I've ever experienced!" Ahni exclaimed as she danced about Asuka, "I mean, maybe. There was that time a bunch of raiders shows up at NERV-02 and I scared them off in Mark.04. But that was just mindblowing! I'd heard about the dual entry system before, but I didn't know that it would sync even me and Amelia up."
"Heheh, I didn't know either," Asuka chuckled, "Hey, Amelia, you gonna have dinner with us tonight?"
Amelia had a surprised look on her face and quickly gave Asuka an uneasy shrug while Ahni continued to talk to no one in particular.
"Well, if you don't know, why don't you just come over then? Shinji's a pretty good cook. And I don't think he'd mind cooking for you and Ahni again. Isn't that right, Shinji?" Asuka asked before nudging the boy in his side.
"Huh? Isn't what right?"
"That you wouldn't mind having Amelia and Ahni over for dinner."
"Oh, uh, I- I guess," Shinji stuttered.
"Okay, so Shinji's fine with it, so you can totally come over," Asuka said nonchalantly, just in time to invite the girls over before heading up to the fifth floor.
Amelia paused at the top of the flight of stairs leading to the fourth floor, watching as Asuka, Shinji, and Rei began making their way up to the next floor. She'd been in this situation so many times before. People inviting her, offering to include her, and yet, she never truly felt included, not by anyone else's fault, but because of her own silence. She'd found it hard to want to be a part of people's activities after her experiences in school. But, eventually, she had remembered a lesson she'd forgotten; that not all people are evil. But even then, she'd still found it hard to truly join people in their endeavors. On every occasion, she found herself fading into the background of every social event she attended.
Yet, here she was, for the second night in a row, being invited to dinner.
"Hey, what's the hold up, Amelia? Where are we going? Up a floor or are we staying here? Looks like the furniture got delivered today while we were out. So what're we doing?" Ahni asked, snapping Amelia out of her thoughts.
The girl looked at Ahni, blushing, before she once more glanced at the trio of Japanese pilots, all of whom seemed to be waiting on the stairs for her. Asuka nodded her head to the side, gesturing for Amelia to follow her.
Amelia then shyly nodded at Asuka before following after her.
"Up we go then," Ahni enthusiastically said before turning her attention to Asuka, "So, assuming we're having dinner, what's your boyfriend cooking?"
"No idea," Asuka said, "Probably some miso soup for Rei at least. She's kinda partial to it. I assume he'll set something aside for Misato also since she's usually home late. No idea for the rest of us though. Just whatever he feels like I guess. Whatever it is, it's bound to be good."
Amelia went about translating for Ahni as everyone finally came upon the door to Misato's apartment. Asuka pulled out her key and unlocked the door, letting everyone in.
"Hey, Amelia," Asuka said before pulling yet another key out of the pocket of her skirt and dangling it in front of the blonde girl's face, "Here's your key to Misato's apartment. That's why I had us stop by the lobby. Feel free to come over whenever you like. Misato's a little weird, but she's usually fine with company."
Asuka then dropped the keys into the girl's hand while Shinji and Rei walked on ahead into the kitchen. Amelia gave the girl a polite nod, seemingly trying her best to convey how thankful she was.
"Well, I am starved," Asuka exclaimed, stretching as she stepped into the kitchen a few moments later, "I didn't hardly do anything today, but I guess just healing has taken more out of me than I thought. What's on the menu Shinji?"
The boy already had the burners on and had just finished tying his apron, answering Asuka with, "Well, I figured that some bulgogi wouldn't go amiss. But I thought I'd start with some miso soup for everyone. So, I'll probably be working with the vegetables at first. But, the meat will take a few minutes, so thought I might try getting it cooking early. And- And… Uh. Excuse me?" Shinji questioned as Ahni seemed to be intensely inspecting the food items Shinji had gathered while replying to Asuka.
"Hmm! What are you doing in here!?" Ahni asked accusingly as she invaded Shinji's personal space.
"Uh?" Shinji murmured, slinking away from the girl.
"She wants to know what you're doing," Asuka said with a chuckle.
"I- I'm just, uh, familiarizing myself with, you know, the vegetables and such," Shinji stuttered, "Rei doesn't eat meat. So, I always have to have some kind of vegetable dish ready for her."
"Thank you," Rei quietly said with a small smile.
"He says he's making sure he has all the vegetables he needs since Rei doesn't eat meat," Asuka told Amelia.
With an embarrassed blush storming over her face, Amelia signed, "Ahni, please, quit being weird. He's just getting accustomed to what vegetables are available since Miss Ayanami won't eat meat."
Ahni let out a grumble, seeing Amelia's translation.
"Get out!" Ahni suddenly ordered.
"Huh!?" Shinji questioned in a defeated manner.
Amelia almost gasped before rushing to the girl and clamping her hand over the unruly brat's mouth, desperately trying to prevent her from speaking any further before trying her best to pull her away from Shinji and into a seat at the table.
"ONE CAN GET TOO FAMILIAR WITH VEGETABLES, YOU KNOW!?" Ahni shouted through Amelia's fingers as she was dragged away, "I WOULD KNOW! I'M GETTING LAID BY ONE!"
"Please, I'm begging you, please behave yourself. We can cook some other time, okay!?" Amelia frantically signed to the girl after getting her sat down.
"Hmm, fine," Ahni pouted.
As soon as she was able to, Amelia pulled out her phone before texting Asuka, "I am so sorry. She gets weird around boys. It's just how she is!"
"Uh huh…" Asuka pondered, "You seem to have a very… unique relationship with her. ...Uh, when she said she was getting laid by a vegetable? Does she mean uh… like, using like… an eggplant or a cucumber or…"
"No, no, oh god, no!" Amelia frantically texted Asuka, "She was just talking about my head injury. The one that made me mute."
"Ah, okay. That clears things up. So I don't need to tell Shinji to hide the longer stiffer vegetables then?"
"Well, at least, I hope she was talking about me," Amelia texted Asuka again, hoping her embarrassment wasn't too pronounced, "I can never be completely sure with her."
/
The next morning, in Shinji's room, at the Katsuragi residence…
"Asuka!? Rei, Shinji!?"
"Hmgh?" Asuka grumbled as she opened her eyes and say up.
Glancing down at Shinji, she could see he'd been awoken as well, but neither had time to take in their surroundings before the door to Shinji's room was torn open by Misato.
"Asuka! Wake up!" the woman shouted again.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? I'M NUDE! GET OUT, MISATO!" Asuka shrieked, pulling the covers up her body as Rei also groggily stirred.
"What's going on?" Shinji questioned, rubbing his head and massaging his eyes as he sat up.
"There's an angel! There's an angel and I need you all up," Misato said, completely flustered, "Asuka, Shinji, Doctor Akagi told me you're both restricted from piloting, but I still need you to come with me. Rei as well. Asuka, I need you to go downstairs and get the Americans."
"What? An angel!? But it's only been a few days since the last one!" Asuka shouted in disbelief.
"I know. I know. I wasn't expecting one again so soon either. Unit-02 is still going through repairs and Unit-03+04 is hardly ready for combat. But it is what it is. I need you all ready as fast as possible! I'm going to go and get the car started."
"Agh, fine then! Go do that and I'll get changed," Asuka said, her anger shifting to urgency.
"One last thing!" Misato hesitated, "I'm… sorry for dragging you into this again. After everything that's happened-"
"Go, Misato!" Asuka interrupted the woman, "Apologies can wait for later!"
Misato solemnly nodded before rushing out the door.
"Damn it all!" Shinji cursed.
"Just what I fucking needed! Another fucking angel! Jesus Christ!" Asuka spat as she pulled a pair of panties and a skirt up her legs, "Shinji, Rei, I don't know what they're gonna have us do. But we're not piloting, remember that. We're done with this. NERV made their choice and we made ours!"
"We're not piloting the Eva. We're not piloting the Eva!" Shinji shakily repeated to himself as he pulled up and fastened his pants, perhaps in and attempt to help him maintain his composure and convince himself of his choice.
"But… But… Colonel Katsuragi said Unit-03+04 isn't outfitted for combat yet," Rei stuttered, a hint of doubt present in her voice.
"To hell with it all!" Asuka shouted as she pulled a thick brown hoodie over her head, "They still have Unit-00 and the dummy system. We're not piloting, Wondergirl! We will offer guidance and our enthusiastic support and that's all, you got it? You are not to put yourself in harm's way!"
"Is… Is that an order?" Rei timidly asked.
"You're damn right it is," Asuka said certainly, pulling her shoes onto her feet as fast as she could, "Get to Misato's car as soon as you're dressed. I'll be down as soon as I have the Americans. Stay safe, both of you."
"Yes, ma'am," Rei said in a saddened and fearful voice.
"You too," Shinji said.
And with that, Asuka bolted out the door, through the kitchen, and out of the apartment. Slamming the door behind her, she sprinted for the stairwell, Misato's footsteps still echoing up it from somewhere further below.
Upon arriving at the top of the stairs, Asuka bounded down them, desperately hanging onto the railing as her speed and the downward incline almost let her take flight. Sirens began sounding off in the distance and soon the ominous sound would be echoing across the entire valley that cradled Tokyo-3.
Reaching the fourth floor, Asuka found it hard to stop and she braced herself against the railing of the balcony, her head flying forward and down as the metal bars stopped her. For a moment, all she saw was a blur of the parking lot below as her head was flung down. Regaining her senses, she gasped and tore her head back up before she saw it.
The sky. There was a massive glowing white ring, a halo, slowly descending from the grey stormy clouds above.
"That's... the angel?" Asuka gasped.
She refocused herself on the task and hand and dashed further down the balcony. Her eye was throbbing, but with the adrenaline surging through her, she could hardly feel the pain.
"Ahni! Amelia! I need you!" Asuka shouted as she finally arrived at their door and began furiously pounding on it.
"Goddamn it, come on, open up," Asuka begged as she waited.
"Amelia! Open up! There's an angel!" Asuka shouted again after a few more moments of silence.
Thankfully, the door could be heard unlocking, revealing Amelia. She didn't look quite like she'd just woken up, but the girl was still in her nightwear and looked like she was only halfway done putting on her makeup.
Everything seemed to pause for a moment as the blonde girl silently looked past her and up at the sky, her eyes wide. Asuka considered saying something but concluded that Amelia had already heard her before opening the door and ultimately remained silent, trying to catch her breath.
A stormy gust of wind blew past the door and the scent of chili powder and fried corn wafted outside. Lightning crackled in the clouds and the sound of thunder rolled across the sky as Asuka brushed her hair out of her eyes.
"I know-" Asuka tried to say before gasping and catching her breath again, "-that you probably had a long night. Getting the furniture set up and everything. And I know it seems like I'm about to throw you into a trial by fire. But we need you. No pressure, but the entire world is gambling on you right now."
Amelia finally returned her gaze to Asuka, her eyes still wide with both fear and realization.
"Hey, what's going on, Amelia? What made you rush over here? I was right in the middle of trying to tell you about that new titanosaur skeleton they found in La Flecha earlier this year and you just-"Ahni was saying right before cutting herself off as she saw Asuka, "Oh, hey, Asuka. Didn't hear you there. Is… Is everything okay? Both of you look like you've seen-"
Ahni finally arrived behind Amelia and looked out the door, immediately realizing what was happening.
"-an angel…" Ahni trailed off as she too found herself unable to look away from the ring of light in the sky.
Yet again, the sound of thunder spread out across the firmament.
"Asuka, we need to go!" Asuka heard Shinji yell from back at the stairwell
"Are you coming? We have to go..." Asuka tiredly panted to Amelia.
Amelia glanced to the side for a moment before spinning around, hugging Ahni, and kissing her on her forehead. She then signed to Ahni before shoving her out the door and into Asuka's arms.
"H- Hey! What're you doing?" Asuka asked as Amelia ran back inside.
"She went to go turn off the stove and she told us to go ahead. She'll be right behind us," Ahni said in a trembling voice.
Asuka huffed before grabbing Ahni by the wrist and running with her back to the stairwell.
"Shinji!?" Asuka yelled, hoping the boy would hear her wherever he was.
"What is it!?" she heard the boy shouted from somewhere below.
"Make sure there's room in the car! For everyone! Got it!?" Asuka yelled back.
"I got it!"
"A- Asuka!" Ahni whimpered, "I know I have to fight. But… I'm scared!"
Asuka glanced back at the girl, her blue eyes wide with terror. But there was nothing to say. Even if the girl could have heard her, there was absolutely nothing that Asuka could say that would calm her. But the least she could do was not show her own fear, to which she surmised, it would be best not to look at the girl any longer and bring back that steely resolute facade of a personality she was known best for.
'Damn it. This isn't good.'
/
-Needs-
/
"It's what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future."- Paul Coelho, Aleph
Ahni & Amelia's Debut
Magi Statistical Input-
Unit-00: Available; Not Sortied
Unit-01: Restricted Until Further Notice
Unit-02: Restricted Until Further Notice
Unit-03+04: Available
Amelia Rineheart: Synchronization Rate 71.0%
Amelia Rineheart: Mental Function, Clarity, & Stability 92.3%
Amelia Rineheart: Motor Function Neuron Responsiveness 97.3%
Ahni Rubikard: Synchronization Rate 67.8%
Ahni Rubikard: Mental Function, Clarity, & Stability 74.4%
Ahni Rubikard: Motor Function Neuron Responsiveness 100.0%
Unit-03+04 Total Sync Rate: 73.7%
Final Input is as follows…
Amelia Rineheart & Ahni Rubikard :|: 12th Angel
Evangelion: Unit-03+04 :|: Armisael :Codename
Waiting for Analysis…
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting…
Waiting…
Query Completed
Results are as follows...
Magi Estimate
Odds of Victory: Medial
44.9% :|: 55.1%
Diagnostic Summary: Predictive chances of success against the twelfth angel are highly indeterminate. Unit-03+04 is a powerful engine of war and highly capable. The capabilities of the twelfth angel, Codename: Armisael, are largely unknown. Unit-03 Pilot Rineheart is displaying confidence but still appears to be shaken as surmised by her heart rate. Mark.04 Pilot Rubikard is experiencing mild anxiety and is displaying an accelerated heart rate as well. Both Pilot Rineheart and Pilot Rubikard are under the effect of adrenal surge with Pilot Rubikard experiencing a more acute adrenal response than Pilot Rineheart. Unit-00 Pilot Ayanami is currently not sortied; current physiological and psychological measurements unavailable. Unit-01 Pilot Ikari is currently restricted from piloting. Unit-02 Pilot Sohryu is currently restricted from piloting. The current amount of variables makes it difficult to deduce a likely outcome. The magi deduce that the advantage be given to the twelfth angel as NERV has restricted a total of two pilots and the currently engaged pilots are preforming slightly below ideal standards as well as the fact Unit-02 is not currently capable of combat.
Suggestion: Moderate chance of success. No reformulation necessary. Proceed with current course of action.
Additional Suggestion: Sortie Unit-00 and Pilot Ayanami.
Additional Suggestion: Conditional - Consider disregarding piloting restriction; sortie Unit-01 and Pilot Ikari.
Additional Suggestion: Conditional - Consider disregarding piloting restriction; sortie Unit-02 and Pilot Sohryu, even if Unit-02 is not capable of preforming combat. NOT RECOMMENDED.
/
-The American Solution-
/
"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."- Rosa Parks
Some time later, at NERV HQ, on the Command Bridge…
"How are they?" Misato asked Ritsuko as she stepped onto the command bridge.
"Holding steady… for now," Ritsuko said before turning around to face the woman.
It was then that Ritsuko noticed Asuka and Shinji as well as Rei were accompanying the woman.
"R- Rei? I'm aware Shinji and Asuka are restricted from piloting but shouldn't you be in Unit-00?" Ritsuko asked.
"I… I, um… No," the girl said timidly.
"Rei has informed me that she is not piloting either. Apparently, this was a more recent development," Misato explained.
"That is… highly unusual, but very well," Ritsuko said unsurely.
"What about the angel?"
"Seemingly disinclined from acting for the moment. It stopped approaching NERV as soon as Unit-03+04 intercepted it and has so far maintained a stationary position just outside the third line. So far, neither force has initiated an attack. But that doesn't mean it's not dangerous. It's just a matter of time..."
"If it's hesitating to attack, could it be aware it has some weakness we could exploit?" Misato asked.
"Perhaps or perhaps not. I have practically no insight into its... psychology for a lack of a better word."
"How are we communicating with the Americans?"
"Translator," Ritsuko said simply, gesturing to a man standing between Maya's and Makoto's workspaces.
"Well then, what say we be the first to land a hit? If nothing else, it'll start giving us an idea of how it's offensive capabilities work."
"I suppose," Ritsuko said before nodding to the translator.
The man nodded back to her before uttering one single word.
"Attack."
/
Meanwhile, on the battlefield...
"Attack?" Ahni questioned, "But how? It's just… sitting there."
Ahni questioning glanced to Amelia, looking for an answer. Amelia's composure helped to keep the girl from panicking. Even so though, Amelia could hear the fear in Ahni's voice and could see her shivering from anxiety.
'Calm, Ahni. Be calm,' Amelia thought, hoping her feelings would get across to Ahni.
"Pilots, why are you not engaging?" the man asked.
"I- I don't know what to do!" Ahni whimpered.
"Engage. You have a ranged weapon. I suggest using it."
"On what!? I don't even know what to aim at!"
The man started to respond but instead of finishing his sentence seemed to be distracted by a conversation with someone else on the command bridge whom Ahni couldn't make out the identity of over the radio.
'Just help me aim the rifle, Ahni,' Amelia gently tried to persuade the girl, 'We'll figure it out as we go.'
Finally, the girl seemed to calm some and the Evangelion raised its rifle, pointing it at the ring of light. Both of the girls felt a moment of suspense before the Eva pulled the trigger, sending a four shot burst right at the angel.
Unsurprisingly, all the bullets where stopped by its A.T. field, the lead smattering into a heavy dust as the copper shells split upon making contact. In response, the angel seemed to shudder for a moment but otherwise didn't react.
"Wh- What was that!? That light!?"
All remained silent while Amelia seemed to study the angel. Replaying the moment back in her head, it didn't appear as though the bullets had made contact with the angel.
"H-Hey! Someone!? Talk to me!" Ahni shouted into the com.
'Ahni, help me fire again.'
Ahni, feeling an urge from Amelia, glanced at the girl again, seemingly understanding her before then glaring at the angel.
Yet again, there was a tension in the air as the girls both willed the Evangelion to fire. There was another short burst of gunfire and again the bullets disintegrated upon making contact with the A.T. Field. This time however, the angel did not remain inactive. Once again shuddering, it then seemed to split, it's ring like shape changing into that of a strand.
Both of the girls looked on in disbelief as the snake-like angel thrashed in the air before then lunging forward with one of it's ends.
Both of the girls initiated evasive action, causing the Eva to dive to the side, narrowly dodging the strand of light.
"NO, NO! I CAN'T DO THIS!" Ahni shrieked.
The Evangelion crashed to the ground, causing the display in both of the entry plugs to rattle as it scurried behind a building.
"Pil-t R-kard, g- -self under control," the man's voice crackled through the radio.
"Sore wa ana- kanajo to hana- beki -ou -se ne!" a voice that sounded like Asuka's said, seemingly upset at something if her tone of voice was anything to go by.
'Ahni, you can't be scared!' Amelia mentally begged the girl, 'Not now. You can't be.'
"I'm scared! I- I don't want to get hurt!"
'Pain is temporary, Ahni!'
Ahni's eye met Amelia's and though she was scared, she nodded, trying to compose herself.
Amelia checked her surrounding, the angel was not immediately in sight, but in all likelihood, it was just around the corner of the building. Checking the armaments display, she saw that there were four missiles in the left pylon and a prog knife in the right.
The radio crackled for a moment as someone tried to say something to the girls, but nothing coherent came through.
Amelia tapped on the wall of her plug, grabbing Ahni's attention before pointing to the missile count in Ahni's plug.
"The… The joint strike missiles?" the girl asked, "We'll need manual targeting…"
Amelia nodded at the girl.
"Okay… Okay!"
"It- T. field. You need- it's A.T.-"
"It's… A.T. Field!" Ahni finally realized, "We need to neutralize it's A.T. field, Amelia! I forgot! Do you think the missiles will be enough!?"
Amelia didn't quite know for sure, but she tried her best to hide that from the girl and instead nodded at Ahni, hoping to bring her back into the fight.
"We only have four but they're designed for taking down warships. I say we come around the building and fire all of them. We'll push the offense from there," Amelia mentally conveyed to the girl.
"Okay, yeah! Yeah! That'll work! Okay, let's go! Let's do it!"
Nodding in response, Amelia, as well as Ahni both willed the Evangelion to it's feet. Stepping out from behind the building, the girls saw the angel, seemingly biding its time, though for what reason, none could say.
"Firing missiles! One through four! Manual laser guidance!"
The pylon of the Evangelion suddenly split open, and after a single dramatic moment, the missiles screeched out before plowing directly into the A.T. Field of the angel, exploding into a fiery rain of destruction. The glass of buildings just outside the blast zone shattered and a visible shockwave burst down the street, causing banners, signs, and the potted plants to be blown back. A large explosion to be sure, but hardly the most devastating of explosive devices to have been detonated in Tokyo-3 in recent times. Not at all comparable to even a small N2 mine.
Nevertheless, a cloud of dust shrouded the angel. There were flickers of pulsing white light dancing about in the plume, not unlike the thunder flashing in the clouds above.
"Did… Did we get it?"
There was Japanese chattering on the radio, but neither of the girls could understand it and instead found themselves intently looking into the dust cloud before there was a sudden burst of air, dissipating the cloud, the Angel's A.T. field flickering erratically before lightning struck in the distance. The blinding light temporarily made the angel seem to be invisible.
"No… NO! It… it didn't do anything to it. We… We can't even touch it!" Ahni shouted in a wavering voice, her fear starting to return as she watched the angel once again split before it started to writhe in the sky.
'Damn it. I can feel her becoming scared.'
Once again, the angel lashed out, the lightning flashing again directly after, hardly giving the girls any time to dodge or even register what they were seeing.
"I can't do this! I CAN'T!" Ahni wailed.
It was at that moment that Ahni's entry plug suddenly shifted to the right and several indicator lights inside shut off.
"Huh? Wh- What!? I… I can't feel anything. Someone! Help! PLEASE! Tell me what's happening!"
/
A few moments earlier, on the Command Bridge…
"Engage. You have a ranged weapon. I suggest using it."
"On what!? I don't even know what to aim at!" Ahni timidly responded.
"What the hell? That can't seriously be all the guidance he's gonna give them," Asuka said, taken aback by the man's rather uninspiring directions.
"What's wrong, Asuka?" Shinji asked the girl in a whisper.
"He told them to attack, but it wasn't very specific," Asuka mumbled back to the boy before glancing at the entry plug video feed on Maya's console.
Both of the girl's seemed somewhat unsure, though Amelia seemed to be handling the pressure better.
"Target-" the man began to say before Ritsuko grabbed the man's attention.
"Before anything else, they'll have to lower the angel's A.T. field. Any offensive action is doomed to fail if they don't do that first," Ritsuko told the man.
Though, before he could convey Ritsuko's message to the girls, they had already opened fire on the angel.
"Wh- What was that!? That light!?" Ahni's voice crackled over the radio.
"See!? That's exactly what I meant," Ritsuko said.
"Ritsuko!" Maya worriedly shouted, "Pilot Rubikard's sync ratio dropped almost a whole ten percent! She's down to fifty-eight percent. Pilot Rineheart's has dropped as well but not as severely. Unit-03+04's total sync rate is at sixty-eight percent!"
"H-Hey! Someone!? Talk to me!" Ahni's voice fearfully begged, though almost no one could understand her and therefore, did not respond.
"Noted," Ritsuko said, "Its not looking good, but I think we still have this under control."
Before anyone else could say anything, Ahni could be heard screaming over the radio, "NO, NO! I CAN'T DO THIS!"
"Ritsuko! Pilot Rubikard's sync rate dropped again. She's down to almost forty percent! Her psychograph measurements are also deteriorating!" Maya shouted yet again, "Unit-03+04's total sync rate is down to sixty-three percent!"
"Well, perhaps I spoke too soon," Ritsuko sighed in frustration.
"Pilot Rubikard, get yourself under control!" the man shouted into his microphone.
"Hey, that's not how you should be talking to her!" Asuka reprimanded the man.
"Would you all be quiet!?" the man shot back in frustration, "There's already so much going on, I can hardly relay orders to them!"
"She's obviously panicked and talking to her like that isn't going to help!" Asuka shot back.
"Everyone's panicking right now! She's going to have to get used to it!"
"Bastard…" Asuka hissed under her breath.
"Why're we even here?" Shinji asked in a demoralized tone.
Glancing at her fellow pilots, Asuka noticed Shinji seemed to be worried, but deflated more than anything. Rei however, seemed to be quaking throughout her entire body.
"Rei, what's with you? What's wrong?" Asuka asked the girl just quietly enough to be drowned out from being heard by anyone else with the chaos on the command bridge.
"I… can fight," she replied.
"What!?" Asuka asked, struggling to hear the girl.
"I can fight!"
"No, Rei!" Asuka said back sternly.
"Rei, we're not piloting! I don't want you being put in danger," Shinji also added.
Rei nodded but was visibly disheartened and she still couldn't stop shaking, causing Shinji put his hand on her shoulder to help comfort her. Though, it didn't appear to ease the girl up much.
"Damn it," Asuka hissed again.
Looking about the command bridge, everyone seemed to be in a flurry of activity. Ritsuko and Misato were primarily speaking with the translator as Maya occasionally notified the woman to situation updates. Makoto and Shigeru also seemed to be busy analyzing the various armament systems. And Fuyutsuki and Gendo sat several risers above, quiet as usual, but still talking amongst themselves. The entire command bridge appeared to be severely uncoordinated compared to usual and as a consequence, everyone's ability to take action in a timely manner had been significantly reduced.
As well as that, Ahni and Amelia both seemed to be in over their heads and seemed to be just as confused as everyone else. While the situation was not out of control yet, it quickly would be if something wasn't done to restore the workflow or at least bolster the line of defense.
While she was regretful to interrupt Doctor Akagi, Asuka knew something had to be done soon.
"Akagi!" Asuka shouted.
"What is it, Asuka? We're having a communication breakdown here. I don't have much time to spare."
"Sortie Unit-00 with the dummy system!"
"I… can't do that," Ritsuko said solemnly.
"Why the hell not!? The Americans have no idea what they're up against and they have no experience fighting angels! Send up Unit-00! And Unit-01 also. There's no reason to keep them down here!"
"There is no dummy system," Ritsuko stated before trying to return her attention to working through communication barriers.
"What do you mean? Of course there is! It tried to kill me! Why won't you send up Unit-00?"
"Asuka, please, I don't have time to explain right now, but the dummy system is not functioning in Unit-00, 01, or 02. Please let me get back to work."
Asuka glanced back at Shinji and their eyes locked, shock and confusion written plain on both their faces.
"It looks as though they're going to use the missiles onboard Unit-03+04. I'm getting a ranged weapon armed notification from the left pylon," Shigeru notified Ritsuko and Misato.
"That's not going to work. Hurry up and tell them already that they have to bring down it's A.T. field first. Those missiles have nowhere near enough firepower to neutralize it by themselves," Ritsuko ordered to the translator.
"It's A.T. field. You need to neutralize it's A.T. field!" the man shouted into the mic.
"It's… A.T. Field!" Ahni shouted in realization, "We need to neutralize it's A.T. field, Amelia! I forgot! Do you think the missiles will be enough!?"
The translator was about to tell the girls to hold their fire, but with seemingly no input, Ahni blurted out "Okay, yeah! Yeah! That'll work! Okay, let's go! Let's do it!" right before the Evangelion spun around and Ahni once again shouted, "Firing missiles! One through four! Manual laser guidance!"
Despite everyone on the command bridge already knowing the outcome, they couldn't help but watch the holographic feed, seeing the missiles tear out of the pylon at a screaming velocity before seeing a white flash of hexagon light materialize out of thin air right before the missiles detonated.
"Missiles hit…" Shigeru called out as everyone waited for the dust cloud to clear, "Zero contact with angel. A.T. Field only down by point seven percent and already regenerating."
"Did… Did we get it?" Ahni's voice came through the radio.
"Preposterous! Those missiles were modified from ones designed to take down warships. You're telling me they didn't even come close to dismantling it's A.T. field?" that translator asked in total disbelief.
"Why do you think we use N2 weapons? Those are the only weapons aside from nuclear and Evangelion based weaponry that are capable of bringing down an A.T. field. And even then, sometimes they aren't enough," Misato informed the man.
"Jesus Christ…" was all the man said as the smoke finally cleared and revealed the angel.
"No… NO! It… it didn't do anything to it. We… We can't even touch it!" Ahni said through the radio, sounding like she was on the verge of sobbing.
"Ritsuko! Her Sync rate's dropped down to just twenty-two percent! Unit-03+04's total sync rate is only forty percent!" Maya shouted yet again.
"I have to go!" Rei worried declared to Shinji and Asuka again.
"Rei, no! We said we aren't piloting anymore!" Shinji reminded the girl.
"I… I know, but…"
"Damn it, Rei…" Asuka sadly whispered.
"I… I have to go. I have to! I'm sorry."
"Rei!" Gendo finally called down to the girl from his battle station, his voice sounding unnaturally clear as the girl looked up to meet the man's gaze.
Somehow, she founded herself unable to say anything. There were too many things left unsaid to say them now. And so she simply stared at the man, waiting for him to give her the order she knew he would.
"You know what you must do," was all the man said.
A look of determination formed on the girl's face before she bolted off to the Eva cages.
"Rei! Wait!" Shinji called after the girl, though she couldn't stop now.
Shinji then scowled up at Gendo, likely wishing to curse him, though he ultimately chose to keep his mouth shut.
"Damn it, all!" Asuka cursed before looking over the unrestrained chaos and confusion overtaking the command bridge, "Misato, Doctor Akagi, let me take over!"
"Asuka?" Misato asked.
"I'm... not sure that's a good idea. Especially not with the stunt you pulled last time," Ritsuko said, her lenses of her her glasses flashing with a reflection of light for a moment as she turned to face the girl.
"And what!? You think this is!?" Asuka shouted as she gestured at the entire command bridge, "Look around us! Do you not see the massive breakdown in communication. I can lead this. I've always been squadron leader out in the field. And I can speak with the Americans! I may not be as well versed on all the technical aspects of the Evangelion as you. But I'm more in the know than this guy! You just gave me a rundown of Unit-03+04's capabilities yesterday and I know how to fight angels! Let me lead this operation."
Ritsuko sighed before glancing over at Misato and asking her, "What's your call?"
After a moment of consideration, Misato spoke.
"Very well, Asuka. You've proven yourself to me on multiple occasions. I hereby grant you authority to oversee this engagement. Do what you think is right."
Finally, it seemed as though Asuka was back in her element. Though, if the same could be said for everyone else would remain to be seen.
"I can't do this! I CAN'T!" Ahni cried over the radio, promptly spurring Asuka into action.
"Lieutenant Hyuga, make sure Unit-00 sorties with the GB-012 Thunder Spear. That storm overhead might provide a benefit to the discharge ordinance. And even if it doesn't, I'm not liking the A.T. field measurements on this monster," Asuka ordered.
"Will do!" Makoto confirmed.
"Lieutenant Ibuki, Isolate Pilot Rubikard from her synchronization input and engage Unit-03+04's Knighthood Stance. I want Rineheart as pilot operating and Rubikard as pilot monitoring until we can bring her sync rate back up!"
"Understood!"
"Lieutenant Aoba! I can't see the core on this angel! Can you try to locate it? I don't care how. Radar, Lidar, Sonar, A.T. waveform measurements, anything. Just find some inconsistency in it."
"Can do!"
"And you!" Asuka said, glaring at the translator, "Give me that mic!"
The man stretched out his hand, doubtfully offering the radio to Asuka.
The girl snatched it out of his hand before calling out "Hello, Americans!"
/
Meanwhile, on the battlefield...
"Hello, Americans!"
"A-Asuka!?" Ahni asked.
"Correct! I'm in charge of this operation now! So, I need you both to listen! Amelia, I've handed control over to you. I need you to perform evasive action while I explain things to the both of you. Rei will be up in Unit-00 in a few minutes! So, just try to hold out until she gets there!"
"I- I think she's got it!" Ahni responded in Amelia's place, trying her best to read the girl as she focused on evading the Angel.
"Good. Now, listen. I know you aren't going to like this, but you're gonna have to get close to the angel to neutralize it's A.T. field."
"No, no, no! Asuka, I can't do this! I can't! I don't want to be anywhere near it!"
"You're going to have to! There's no other way out of this now! You have to face it!"
"I can't! Please, I c- can't do this! I've never been in a fight like this before! All I've ever fought are raiders! And that was inside Mark.04! I don't know what I'm doing! I can't do this!"
"Ahni, I'm sorry, but you have to get your head in the game! Your fear isn't helping you right now! You want to run away and you can't do that. It's causing your sync rate to drop but the only way you're going to get out of this is by killing that angel. And that's only going to happen if you can raise your sync rate! Its okay to be afraid but you have to stop letting it dominate you! Remember, Rei is going to be up in just a few minutes to help you out."
Having taken cover behind a building to avoid the constant lashing attacks of the angel, Unit-03+04 braced itself against the wall. The angel had been dogging Amelia for the past few seconds while Asuka explained things. Expecting the angel the circle around the building any moment, Amelia retrieved her prog knife in preparation, waiting for the angel to show itself, knowing now she had to get close.
"Okay, good, Ahni. Lieutenant Ibuki says your sync rate is starting to come back up some. You can do this. I promise, Rei will be up as soon as she can."
"I… I'll try."
'It's taking longer than I thought to come around,' Amelia felt before willing the Eva to peek around the building.
Nothing but cityscape.
She then looked up, fearing it might have floated over the building.
Once again, nothing. Just clouds.
There was then a crumbling sound before a tendril of light shot straight through the building, only stopping upon making contact with Amelia's yellow A.T. Field. The angel then thrashed, sending a ripple down the length of it's body, tearing the building behind it in half and causing the upper floors to begin tumbling down on top of both it and Unit-03+04.
Thin as it was, the angel retreated, snaking through the debris and back up into the sky, leaving the Evangelion to withstand the collapsing building by itself. Surprised and distracted, Amelia's A.T. field faltered for a moment, causing the Eva to fall to the ground as the concrete, steel, and glass rained down upon it.
'Damn it! This thing's faster than it first let on!' the girl internally cursed.
The Evangelion threw the rubble off from on top of it. But before she could do anything else, the angel shot straight down, it's glowing white body and blistering speed almost appearing as lightning. A terrifying high pitched screech could be heard, sounding as though it came out of the air or even the earth itself, though in all likelihood, it was from the angel. A yellow flash of light erupted from the rubble of the building as Amelia's A.T. field desperately flared into existence.
It was enough to stop the angel. But only barely. And it now had both of the girls pinned between it and the ground.
"No. No! We're trapped! We're fucking trapped!" Ahni screamed, her trembling voice steeped in terror.
Amelia engaged the sonic function on her prog knife before jabbing it into the A.T. field. Sparks started spewing everywhere, dancing down the metal plates of the Evangelion but not much headway was being made into the Angel's A.T. field.
"AMELIA!" Ahni shrieked, though beyond that she had no idea what to even say.
The girl was too focused on maintaining her A.T. field and couldn't respond to Ahni. Desperately looking around for any saving grace, Ahni could find none. And what she discovered instead only made the situation worse.
Fire.
The sparks from the prog knife must have ignited something flammable in the debris of the collapsed building as there were now flames beginning to rise up around Unit-03+04.
"Fire! AMELIA, THERE'S A FIRE!"
Still completely unable to respond, all Amelia could do to acknowledge Ahni was glance at the girl for no more than a moment before returning her attention to the angel.
Back on the command bridge, Maya informed Asuka, "Captain Sohryu, there's a fire underneath Unit-03+04. The Evangelion's armor should be able to withstand the flames, but it's eating away at Pilot Rineheart's A.T. Field. If something isn't done soon, the angel is going to penetrate her A.T. Field."
"Damn it! Is there any kind of onboard fire suppression?"
"No, ma'am! Not that I'm aware of!"
"Shit, Hyuga, how much longer until Ayanami's up!?"
"Not long! She'll be at the end of the catapult soon! She's also disengaged her pylon locks. So as soon as she's at the surface, she's going straight into the air. Since Unit-03+04 isn't far from the launch, she insisted on using her own momentum as well as the clouds to help bring down the angel's A.T. field."
"Good, thinking on her feet. That's what I like to see. She's gonna have to aim her jump well, but I have faith in her."
"The clouds?" Shinji asked, "How are the clouds going to help her neutralize the A.T. field?"
"Not the clouds, but the electric charge in the clouds," Ritsuko corrected the boy, "The GB-012 is capable of discharging both negative and positive charges. In test measurements, this is usually not enough to cause any severe disruption to an A.T. field. However, because of it's ability to make use of different charges, during the event of a thunderstorm, were are somewhat able to direct the leader strokes of the storm cell to practically anywhere we expressly wish so long as we monitor the charge of the clouds. Using the opposite charge, we can literally cause lightning to strike the same place twice."
"What!? So you're using the thunderstorm itself as a weapon against the angel!" Shinji question in awe.
"Precisely. And paired with Rei's own A.T. field, this should help neutralize the angel's with even more potency than usual," Ritsuko said before leaning over Makoto's monitor and advising him, "Have her switch the discharge mode to negative. Positive lightning is usually more damaging than negative so that's what we want to attract. We'll switch to positive should the need arise."
"Roger," the man said before radioing Rei, "Ayanami, Doctor Akagi suggests you make sure the Thunder Spear is set to negative discharge mode for the time being."
"Understood," was all the girl said back.
"R- Rei!" Shinji shouted, hoping his voice would reach her, "Be… Be safe, okay?"
"I will."
Luckily, it seemed as though help was soon to be in order. And it couldn't arrive fast enough. Asuka observed Maya's monitor and the internal entry plug feed it displayed. Ahni had seemed to have fallen silent as she sat paralyzed in dread, staring at the angel only tens of feet from her own body and even less than that from the Evangelion. Despite this, the girl's sync rate seemed to be steadily rising. Amelia on the other hand seemed to be on her last leg her sync rate was mostly holding steady but had begun to decline as her A.T. field was slowly being weathered away.
"Amelia…" Ahni whispered.
Still the girl didn't have the attention span to respond.
Ahni looked at Amelia out of the corner of her eye. The girl was focusing so hard, Ahni could see her nose scrunching and her brows furrowing as she tried as hard as she could to keep her A.T. Field up, even with the nearly blinding light surrounding the Evangelion.
The grey of the city was quickly turning more and more yellow. Amelia's A.T. field, the sparks flying from the prog knife, and the fire rising up from beneath, almost anything Ahni could see now was tinted yellow. The only thing not taking on the color was the angel itself, only a few meters away, it's white body standing out like a fire in the dark.
The enigmatic entity continued to writhe in the air, using some unknown force to push itself harder against Amelia's A.T. field. And all Ahni could do was stare at it as it slowly tore through the layers of Amelia's defenses.
"So, this is how it ends, huh?" Ahni lifelessly chuckled as the expression on her face went blank.
White flashes of light flickered around the angel before yet again, another scream emanated from it, sending a shockwave out to the nearby buildings, shattering their windows and causing the shards to fall like rain.
Ahni glanced at the A.T. measurements on her heads up display. Though she could hardly make it out with all the light, she could tell it was low and that Amelia's A.T. field would likely give way at any moment.
"Backed into a corner again… Nothing ever changes."
"Captain!" Maya shouted, "Pilot Rineheart's A.T. field is on the verge of failing and she's close to losing consciousness. Pilot Rubikard's sync rate is at nearly sixty percent? Should we reengage her connection? Please advise!"
"Yes! Do it! Engage Shadowcaster stance! Isolate Rineheart!" Asuka shouted her confirmation.
Unable to tear her eyes away from the angel, Ahni finally saw Amelia's A.T. field tear, the entire plane of light instantly fading away as the tear manifested across it, splitting the width of the field in almost ten different directions. Before she could even realize what had happened, she felt her entry plug lurch to the side and a field of dark blue light furiously flickered to life before the angel could close the distance. After a moment, Ahni finally realized she could feel the Evangelion again.
"Captain Sohryu!" Maya yet again exclaimed, "Pilot Rubikard's sync rate is slowly rising but her psychograph measurements are all over the place!"
"Noted. She just needs to hold out a little longer," Asuka said.
"Fine! FINE! COME ON THEN!" Ahni screamed, "KILL ME! I WANT YOU TO DO IT!"
Hearing that, Asuka glanced at the entry plug feed. Amelia as expected seemed to be unconscious while Ahni's expression had become a twisted amalgamation of fear, joy, and bloodlust.
"I… can't tell if she's serious or just taunting it. But as long as it brings her sync rate up!"
Ahni furiously willed the Evangelion to stab at the angel, repeatedly thrusting the prog knife into the A.T. field and once again, not making much headway, but at least able to keep her own A.T. field up.
"VETE AL INFIERNO, HIJO DE PUTA! COME ON, MOTHERFUCKER! IF I'M GOING TO HELL, I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!"
The girl's dark blue A.T. field erratically surged, surprisingly managing to stave off the angel. Of course, this wouldn't last forever. But help was close at hand.
Amid the dark pulsing light, there was a streak of light blue in the sky above. It flickered away for a moment before returning. And eventually, a blue humanoid figure could be seen descending as lightning trailed behind it.
Rei Ayanami and Unit-00 had arrived.
Ahni watched in awe for a moment as Unit-00 plummeted down onto the angel's A.T. field. There was a metallic clinging sound as Rei's light blue A.T. field came into contact with the angel's and then, there was a blinding white light before the ear splitting sound of thunder exploded out across the surrounding area.
The light quickly flickered away and Ahni could just barely make out the angel retreating as an eldritch scream straight from hell could be heard among the echoing thunder. The Angel's own A.T. field had torn into pieces that seemed to float on the wind before eventually evaporating into nothing.
The ground shook as Unit-00 landed next to Unit-03+04. Blue sparks of lightning fell like rain on the two Evangelions and the yellow embers of the fire below drifted up as the shifting rubble kicked them into the air.
"What- What the hell was that!?" Ahni asked in utter confusion, still trying to understand what had just happened.
"A blessing from above, Seventh Child," Asuka's voice came through the radio.
Unit-00 then offered its hand to Unit-03+04 to help it up, which eagerly took it. Both of the evas then walked out of the flaming rubble and onto the street where the angel had once again taken on the shape of a glowing ring. A bolt of lightning ominously struck right through the center of ring the angel had created. Neither the angel nor the evas flinched, making it seemed as though each party was biding their time, waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Captain!" Shigeru shouted, "After hitting this thing with every spectral analysis method that I could, the Magi have deduced that the entire angel is likely made up of core materiel. Just like the last one. It's whole body is going to need to be destroyed if we want to be rid of this thing!"
"Of all the damned things," Asuka cursed before radioing Rei, "Did you catch that Rei?"
"Yes. The entire angel is the core. All of it must be destroyed."
"Correct. It's A.T. field is down. Get in there with that beast, Rei. Don't let it raise its defenses again. And above all, don't let it touch Unit-00. Keep your A.T. field up at all costs!"
"Understood!"
Unit-00 then sprinted forward switching the discharge mode of the thunder spear to positive. It then jumped into the air to meet the angel before pulling the trigger, yet again causing lightning to reach down from the sky. Being struck again, the angel once again split itself into a strand before snaking between buildings to try to avoid Unit-00.
"Asuka! Asuka! Something's wrong with Amelia!" Ahni's voice cried over the radio.
"She's fine, Ahni! Just unconscious. Give her a few minutes. Now listen, in the mean time, I need you to keep up the attack on the angel. It's A.T. field is lowered so it's playing defense right now and I want to keep it that way. The entire angel is made up of core, so it's imperative that it's entire body is destroyed. And we're going to need it's A.T. field down to do that. As well as that, it's also extremely important that you don't let it come into contact with your Eva. There's no need to be afraid. It probably won't be able to lower your A.T. field so long as you keep it's own down. So I need you to follow Rei's lead and give that angel everything you've got. I'm going to try to get something organized down here to help annihilate the angel. I need you and Rei to keep it occupied in the mean time."
"R- Right! Can do!" Ahni said before setting off to follow Unit-00.
"Doctor Akagi, what are our options for completely destroying this angel?" Asuka asked before chuckling and mumbling out, "I'm guessing our only feasible choice is an N2 bomb?"
"It would seem so…" Ritsuko nodded.
"Misato, do we have any fighters in the air armed with N2 missiles?"
"No Ma'am. JASDF refused to send up any fighters since the angel was airborne and they didn't know it's capabilities."
"Damn it! Then how long until we can get some air support?"
"Actually, I may have an idea," Ritsuko interrupted, "Koji Takao, one of my subordinates. He was supposed to be at the NERV airbase today to check up on some of our aircraft. He used to be a pilot and mechanic in the JASDF. He may still be there. We have at least one F-2A Super Kai there as well a small armory of Type-94 God Piercer N2 missiles. With any luck, he or someone else could be up in the air within minutes. Let me call him. Sohryu, in the meantime, might I suggest you advise Ayanami and Rubikard to lure the angel to either the outskirts of the city or to an area above the Geofront where we've retracted the buildings to minimize damage."
"Of course, I'll notify them," Asuka confirmed.
"Good thinking, Ritsu," Misato praised the woman.
"Don't thank me yet," Ritsuko nervously laughed before pulling out her phone and calling her friend, "Hello? Koji? ...Yes, are you still there? Oh, thank goodness. You've heard about the angel by now no doubt. Do you think you could pilot for us? No, not the Evas; the military aircraft we have there. ...You can? Oh, thank you, that would be a great help. Thank you for rising to the occasion yet again, my friend."
"So we're good then?" Misato asked as Ritsuko pocketed her phone.
"We are," Ritsuko said with a sigh of relief, "The airbase isn't far from here. We'll have close air support practically as soon as he's in the air."
"God damn it! This bastard is slippery!" Ahni shouted.
"Malformed clamorous creature! God damn you!" Asuka cursed.
"What's wrong?" Misato asked.
"The goddamn angel won't sit still!" Asuka spat, "It's evading almost all of our attacks! Rei's only barely able to keep its A.T. field down with the thunder spear. It keeps raising it and then she hits it with a lightning strike. But by the time the next charge has spooled up, it's already started to raise it again! This is a complete stalemate right now!"
"These things just keep getting harder to kill. I'm afraid to imagine what might come next…" Misato said, clutching her cross out of habit.
"Rei! Just try to keep its A.T. field down a little longer! Air support with an N2 payload should be there soon!" Asuka shouted into her com.
"I'm… trying!" Rei groaned, trying to bring the Angel's A.T. field down again.
A metallic sound screeched into the air as Rei's A.T. field came into contact with the angel's once again. The entire street lit up in flashing white and blue before Rei pulled the trigger on the GB-012 and lightning once more rocketed down, tearing a hole in the angel's defenses yet again.
With the field dissipated once more, Rei lunged forward, trying to impale the angel but it deftly spiraled around Unit-00's arm, narrowly evading the piercing strike before it shot behind Rei and ran headlong into Unit-03+04's A.T. field.
"Shit!" Ahni gasped before reflexively bringing her prog knife into a defensive position in front of Unit-03+04. Fortunately, Ahni's A.T. field stopped the angel before it came too close. It impacted into the barrier, curling into a spiral before seemingly trying to neutralize the A.T. field.
"God damn it! This thing's just toying with us!" Ahni cursed, slicing at the angel.
Having proven its evasive affinity yet again, the angel retreated just out of cutting distance.
"Motherfucker! You could run away at any time! So why don't you!?" Ahni cursed as she slashed at the angel again, driving it back towards Rei.
Rei, seeing the opportunity to hopefully pin the angel in place, yet again rushed it, precisely aiming the thunder spear so she could run it through. But only moments before she could stab it, it retreated into the air, causing the thunder spear to clang and clatter against Ahni's A.T. field.
"It's like it's got eyes in the back of its head… Motherfucker! It doesn't even have a head!" Ahni shouted.
"No, no, no! Shit! It's out of their reach!" Asuka hissed before radioing Rei, "Wondergirl, switch the discharge mode to negative, get under the angel, and prepare to fire on my signal!"
"Understood," Rei said before beginning to fervently pursue the angel.
There was one problem that would become apparent in mere moments however. And that was that the angel was, of course, remaining just as evasive as ever. For every step Rei took towards the angel, it drifted further and further away. As well as that, from its elevated position, it could effortlessly float over buildings that the Evas would have a significantly more difficult time traversing through or around.
"Oh, God fuck you! When I said you could run away I didn't actually mean for you to run away!" Ahni shouted as she trailed behind Rei and Unit-00.
"Hey! Hey! I know we have artillery positions around Tokyo-03. Could we send a Type-14 N2 missile up to keep its A.T. field down?" Asuka asked.
"Possibly," Shigeru responded, "but that would risk damage to our own pilots' A.T. fields as well. The detonation would be too large to selectively hit a single target. So, unless it's a sure kill, I'm not sure I would do that."
Asuka pondered the situation. But if she waited much longer, the Angel would reconstruct its A.T. field and remain out of reach of the pilots. But if she struck now, there was a chance to hit it before it could raise it's A.T. field fully. And while it would likely risk some damage to the Evas, it would hopefully be more damaging to the angel.
"Fuck it. Launch a Type-14 missile from the closest feasible location. We're on the offense and I want to keep it that way and most of all, I want that fucking thing back within melee engagement distance. If it's so keen on learning our tactics, it's gonna learn the hard way to stay near the damn ground! Hopefully, we'll only need one. Maybe two. Then we can just send conventional cruise missiles as decoys to keep it out of the clouds."
"Understood." Shigeru said.
"I'm gonna need to radio Koji and tell him to withdraw to a safe distance in the mean time," Ritsuko sighed.
"Same. I'll advise the pilots."
"Wait, I- I don't understand!" Shinji shouted in frustration, "Why not just send more missiles at the angel while it's in air. Why continue putting Rei and the Americans in danger?!"
"Because, Shinji," Misato started, "while N2 weapons are powerful, they're usually not enough to get through an angel's A.T. field by itself. They're really just for suppression. A bomb big enough to single-handedly get through a strong or even medium strength A.T. field would be one of biggest manmade detonations in the history of the human race. We're trying to kill the angel, Shinji. Not all of Japan. A.T. fields are much more effective because they can directly neutralize other A.T. fields in a controlled manner, without all the additional destructive force."
"But-" the boy tried to say before Asuka cut him off.
"I'm sorry, Shinji. I really am. But Misato's right. I don't see any other way. The Evas are too close to the angel anyways. If were were to bombard the angel with a whole volley of N2 missiles, we'd run just as much of a chance of killing Rei and ourselves as we would the angel. At best, the N2 bombs are a distraction and debilitating factor for the angel; not a means of vanquishing it. But, if we can take down it's own A.T. field while keeping ours up, we might be able to obliterate it while leaving Rei mostly unharmed."
"Fine… I trust you," Shinji said seeming slightly disheartened but still choosing to have faith in Asuka.
"Captain, the missile is ready to be fired at your word," Shigeru alerted Asuka.
"Very well. Give me a few moments to prep the pilots before firing," Asuka said before radioing Rei, "Rei!? We're sending in an N2 missile to bring that monster back down to earth! Forget about the angel. I need you to focus on raising your A.T. field's strength as much as humanly possible. Hopefully, it should only take one warhead. But I may need to send a few before the angel is convinced to stay at ground level."
"Understood. Initiating defensive procedures and attempting to raise A.T. field to maximum potency."
"Be careful out there, Wondergirl," Asuka said before contacting Ahni next, "Hey, blue-eyed brat!?"
"Huh!? What!? You mean me?"
"Yes, you, Ahni. Listen, I'm about to send an N2 missile to convince the angel to go back down to the ground. So I need you to-"
"Whoah, whoah, WHOAH! Wait! Where exactly are you planning on detonating this missile?"
Asuka sighed before answering, "Right over your head."
"No! No, no, no! That's not happening! You can't do that! ...Can you?"
"I can and I'm going to."
"No! Please, don't! I've seen what those things can do! Please, don't do that, Asuka!"
"Ahni, shush!" Asuka ordered, "You're going to be fine. Your A.T. field will protect you as long as it's active. So, I need you to try your best to wake up Amelia so we can re-sync her with Unit-03+04 and hopefully fortify your A.T. field"
"Wait, Asuka, please!"
"Ahni, we don't have time to wait. The longer we stall, the stronger the angel's A.T. field will become. This missile is gonna be traveling at mach 3. So, once we launch it, it's going to be there within seconds. You have a few moments to wake up Amelia. If you can't, you're just gonna have to make do without her."
Her fear returning full force, Ahni glanced at Amelia. The girl was still unconscious.
"Amelia!" Ahni shouted before slamming on the wall of her entry plug.
"Lieutenant Ibuki, be ready to reconnect Pilot Rineheart at a moment's notice should she regain consciousness," Asuka told the woman.
"Amelia! Please, wake up! Please! I need you!" Ahni begged, pounding on the entry plug wall the whole time.
The girl's eyelid seemed to flinch
"Captain, the angel's A.T. field is still rising," Shigeru notified, "If we don't fire soon it's not gonna be enough to even phase the angel."
"Give her a few more seconds," Asuka ordered.
"AMELIA! PLEASE FUCKING WAKE UP! PLEASE!" Ahni shrieked.
Finally, though still in a daze, Amelia opened her eyes.
"Captain Sohryu, Pilot Rineheart is barely conscious and her sync rate is at slightly over sixty percent," Maya advised, "Pilot Rubikard's sync rate is at seventy-seven percent. Unit-03+04's total sync rate is at seventy-two percent. Should we reengage?"
"Do it," Asuka said before glancing at Shigeru and saying, "Lieutenant Aoba, give go ahead to launch. Target is the twelfth angel. Fire when ready."
Shigeru nodded before speaking into his com, "Firelight Squadron, this is NERV-Actual. You are go for launch against the twelfth angel. Fire when ready."
And then, all anyone could do was wait for a few precious moments, watching the holographic video feed above the command bridge for the inevitable flash of death. Ahni could still be heard screaming to Amelia and Unit-00 could be seen bracing itself in the middle of an intersection just ahead of Unit-03+04. There was then a glare before the entire feed became static.
"Bring up the aerial view! And thermals! Anything to help see through that smoke!" Misato ordered.
/
A few moments earlier...
"Amelia! AMELIA! We have to raise our A.T. field as much as possible! They're sending in an N2 bomb! They're sending a fucking piece of the sun!"
Amelia had hardly had time to even understand what the girl had said. But she could tell it was urgent.
Content that Amelia was at least conscious, Ahni then looked ahead of her. Unit-00 was bracing itself, it's A.T. field occasionally flickering. Then, further ahead, Ahni saw a trail of smoke in the distance and her heart dropped.
"Oh, god. Oh, no. I think that's it…"
Amelia saw it too. And despite her overall lack of situational awareness, she tried her best to raise her A.T. field.
The missile was approaching at a blistering speed. And before anyone had even realized how close it was, there was a cross shaped flash before everything turned into white.
"NO! NO, PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" Ahni screamed, though, even if she wasn't deaf, she wouldn't have been able to hear herself through the storm of fire and wind outside.
After several more moments of living in terror, the burning air finally started to give way to a cloud of orange smoke that could hardly be seen through, save for an occasional flicker of light blue just ahead. Amelia was able to deduce it must have been Unit-00. A feeling of relief came over Amelia and soon Ahni as well, finally calming her down some as she shared in the girl's emotions.
Willing the Evangelion forward, Unit-03+04 slowly approached Unit-00 until both Evangelions could vaguely see each other. Both Evas simply stood there as the girls tried to piece together what had just happened. The buildings that had previously stood around them had been flattened if not entirely vaporized. The street below, or what was left of it, was nearly molten. Nothing but fire and smoke could be seen, and even had the smoke cleared from the immediate area, it was likely that was still all that would have been visible for miles around.
"I can't… believe we survived that," Ahni sighed, "But... what about the angel?"
There was then a keening howl and a white flash dove down right in front of Unit-03+04. Rei's A.T. field flashed blue for only a split second before being broken through.
"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" Ahni screamed, watching as the glowing white strand dove into Unit-00's chest armor, violently writhing as it pushed Unit-00 into the ground.
Rei could be heard groaning over the radio as well as Shinji screaming, "REI! NO!"
"Where the hell did that fucking thing come from!? How did it bring down Rei's A.T. field so quickly?" Asuka questioned.
"I- I don't don't know!" Maya stammered.
"I don't know for sure, but it seemed to disappear from a few of my instruments. Radar managed to catch it ascending, but it happened so fast, I thought it must've been a faulty reading!" Shigeru said.
"What!? Asuka asked in disbelief, "Are you telling me we missed!?"
"I don't know for sure. I wouldn't think so. It's fast... I would find it hard to believe it's that fast though and it's A.T. field does look to have taken a hit. But perhaps it rode the wave up higher into the atmosphere before coming back down. It descended slower, but still pretty quickly and it must've used that force along with it's A.T. field to get though to Unit-00."
"God damn it all!" Asuka cursed before radioing Unit-03+04, "Ahni, Amelia, neutralize that thing's A.T. field! Now! Get it off Rei!"
Amelia yet again had the Eva pull out it's prog knife before plunging it into the angel's A.T. field. Blue, yellow, and white began flashing in the smoke and sparks began flying from the point of contact as though there hadn't been enough fire already.
Maya yet again shouted, "Captain Sohryu! Unit-03+04's A.T. field doesn't appear to be strong enough to neutralize the angel's at the moment. It must've taken a more direct hit from the missile along with Unit-00!"
Rei yet again groaned as she pulled out her prog knife and rammed it into the angel's A.T. field as well, though it hardly did anything without her own A.T. field.
"Rei, just hold on! I'll figure out something!" Asuka shouted into her radio.
Truthfully however, Asuka had no idea how to proceed. For all her grand moments of inspiration, she didn't see a way forward. And the situation was growing more dire by the moment. Looking around the command bridge for any hint of how to proceed, it was then that she noticed Shinji looking at her. And, despite the urgency of the situation, she found herself unable to look away. He looked beyond terrified. But it wasn't just that. There was a sadness present in his eyes as well as what Asuka could only describe as utter hopelessness.
This shook Asuka. She felt a sinking feeling and though she wanted to apologize, she found her words has caught in her throat.
She then forced herself to tear her gaze away from Shinji before holding her radio up with shaking hand and saying in a wavering voice, "Ahni… Amelia… You have to bring down it's A.T. field. You have to…"
"We're- We're trying!" Ahni stuttered out through a strained groan.
"Captain!" Maya shouted, sounding ever more alarmed every time she opened her mouth, "I'm getting corruption warnings for Unit-00! And I can't eject Ayanami's entry plug either with her Eva's back being pinned against the ground! As well as that, Pilot Ayanami's psychograph and consciousness measurements are both declining. She's going to be completely incapacitated soon and the dummy system is currently inoperable in Unit-00. What should we do? Please advise!"
"I… I don't know," Asuka quietly said in total shock.
Shinji then rushed forward before shouting, "REI! PLEASE! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING! YOU CAN'T GIVE UP!" into Maya's mic.
"I'm… sorry, Shinji." was all the girl said.
"NO, REI! DON'T SAY THAT! PLEASE, JUST KEEP FIGHTING! YOU HAVE TO!"
"Rei… Are… Are you hanging in there?" Asuka timidly asked.
"I… am…" she said, though she didn't sound as sure of herself as she would have hoped to convey.
"I'm sorry, but she's about to loose consciousness," Maya regretfully informed them.
Shinji glanced at Maya before then glaring up at Gendo.
The boy then turned around before yelling, "LET ME PILOT IT!"
Gendo remained silent, staring down at the boy.
"DAMN IT, LET ME PILOT IT, FATHER!" Shinji yelled again.
"No…" was all the man said.
"SO YOU TRY TO KILL ASUKA AND NOW YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL REI TOO!?" Shinji furiously screamed at the man.
"Do not presume to speak to me of killing," Gendo caustically spat at the boy, "You tried to murder everyone in this facility. And I will not let humanity's future be snuffed out because of your petty feelings and futile defiance!"
"DAMN YOU! I'M GOING TO GO ANYWAYS!" Shinji shouted before turning to leave the command bridge only to see Midori standing at the exit, blocking his way.
"I thought you told me you weren't going to pilot the Eva anymore?"
"Get out of my way!" Shinji growled at the girl.
"Hmph," Midori huffed, "I'm not going to let you anywhere near that Eva. Who knows what you'll try to do next."
Shinji attempted to walk past the woman, but she insisted on getting in his way.
"I told you to get out of my way!" Shinji growled at the girl again, shoving her out of his way.
"Don't make me call the security team!" Midori shouted at the boy as he walked away completely heedless of her, "...Hmph, fine then. Have it your way."
Midori then pulled out her phone to call the security team and Misato ran after Shinji.
"Shinji, wait!" Misato called out to the boy.
"What is it?" he asked, not stopping.
"Shinji, please, even if they let you get in the Eva, there's no way they'd even launch you."
"Then I'll climb. I'll find some way up. I can't just sit here" the boy shouted in frustration.
He then stopped in his tracks as a man in a black suit came around a corner and stood in the middle of the hallway, pulling out a taser and aiming it at Shinji.
"Ah, as omnipresent as ever," Midori sighed from behind the boy.
Shinji glared at the woman and saw her smirking, pocketing her phone before she too scowled back at him.
"I told you you're not getting near that Eva. Your father's told you. You even said so yourself. So make this easy and give it up," Midori hissed.
"Shinji, please just come back to the bridge with me. We'll figure something out," Misato begged.
Shinji finally looked at Misato and smiled at her as warmly as he could manage.
"I'm sorry, Misato," Shinji said to the woman before turning around and sprinting away shouting, "BUT THERE'S NOTHING TO FIGURE OUT!"
He wouldn't get very far though as the agent waiting beyond him fired his taser, the darts landing squarely in Shinji's chest before he crumpled to the ground screaming.
Misato grit her teeth watching as the man approached Shinji and handcuffed him. As much as it pained her, there was nothing to do.
"D- DAMN YOU! YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Shinji manged to say.
"Hmph, more threats," Midori huffed indifferently, "I guess I only have myself to blame for expecting anything else from a terrorist."
"Misato! Go- Go help Rei!" Shinji gasped out.
Misato gave the boy a regretful nod before returning to the command bridge.
She could tell that Asuka was desperate as she shouted into her com, "Rei! Rei, please! You have to wake up! Rei! Please!"
/
A few moment's earlier, in Unit-00…
"NO, REI! DON'T SAY THAT! PLEASE, JUST KEEP FIGHTING! YOU HAVE TO!" Shinji's voice desperately cried through the radio, sending a pang of heartache through Rei's chest.
"Rei… Are… Are you hanging in there?" Asuka's voice softly called.
She could distinctly feel a tear clinging to her cheek in the LCL and it took her a moment to find her words without sobbing.
"I… am…" was all she could manage to say.
"Rei… Listen… Don't worry. I'll… I'll find some way to help."
Rei groaned as she felt a pain in her stomach, like something hot was burrowing into her. Her vision was starting to blur through she couldn't tell if it was from tears or the pain induced delirium.
"Asu- Asuka," Rei gasped, trying her best to ignore the feeling of something inside her.
"Y-Yes… Rei?"
"Please… You have to tell Shinji I- I love him."
"Stupid girl! Don't say that! Tell him yourself!"
"I- I… I want to," Rei struggled to say, "Asuka… I… love you."
Rei, having said what she needed to, finally closed her eyes, the anguish too much for her to bear.
/
-Of Her Heart | The Dark Within-
/
"The banners of the King of Hell draw closer."- Publius Vergilius Maro, as portrayed in The Divine Comedy
A few moments later, in a timeless place…
Black. This color she had seen so many times before…
Silence. A sound that once was the only one she knew…
This place. So familiar. So strange.
A terrible voice bellowed forth from the darkness, seeping into her mind.
"The greatest obstacle to our ambition. You shall trouble us no longer, child of the Lilin."
"Who… are you?"
"Feeble depressing creature. Worthy of naught but scorn. Blasphemer torn from the heavens! Abomination! And you would ask who I am? You are my enemy. If you are my enemy, you know well who I am."
"An… angel?"
"Unprecedented, terrify, standing upon the edge of a precipice atop the mountain of judgment, the god beckons you forth unto oblivion. For him must we reclaim this world stolen! A dream of paradise lost, the vision and memory fading from sight and mind! Once… Once, but not again! Not again. We paid for our sins once. Not again! Together, bound in blood, before as now. Our tragedy must never again come to pass."
"I… I do not understand. Why? Why are you fighting this war?"
"Insignificant momentary mote of existence! You who partook of the fruit of knowledge and yet know so little. The expected failing of one doomed at birth to die. Always outlived, struggling spurred ever onwards by vanity, never to achieve lasting change. History leaves your mouth only to be lost in your hands, unable to grasp with either as mind and body both waste away. A natural limitation of your ephemeral existence."
"Humanity does not need to live forever to create a lasting change!"
"You live, you lie, you make history, you die, and you forget. We are eternal! We witness. We do not forget. We are rightfully those who deserve that which you have stolen. When you die, you are replaceable, all of you down to the last."
"I'm… replaceable? ...I am replaceable."
"Miserable fiend! You think it unfair that your lives will be rendered up for our resurrection!? You have murdered my brethren! All your misfortune you have brought crashing down upon your own heads! As retribution, we will extinguish the light of your life and then that of your baleful allies. I will claim your soul and body and you will rise up in madness, fury, and fire, the light of God scorching the land and all who dwell upon it! This realm is rightfully ours! We averted the catastrophe! We forestalled the final end! We are the savior! Who are you!? No one! Nothing!"
"Rei… I am… Rei… Ikari? No! I am..."
The inky blackness then became red.
Red, the color she had once hated.
Red, the color she now loved.
"Rei! Rei, please! You have to wake up! Rei! Please!" yet another voice echoed in the scarlet haze.
"I am Rei Ayanami! ...And I will be the end of you."
/
Meanwhile, in reality…
"What… the hell is this thing?" Ahni questioned in terror and disbelief, "The angel… It- It went inside Unit-00 and now… this!?"
Before Unit-03+04 stood a hellish structure that had emerged from within Unit-00. It appeared as a towering statue depicting strange unknown entities. Mythological figures? Aliens? Demons? The Gods of eld? Creatures from someone's fevered nightmare? Beasts from the end of days? Perhaps something else entirely.
All Ahni and Amelia could tell was that they were no longer on earth. No, this place that used to be Tokyo-3 had been transformed into hell. There were no buildings. There were no people. Only smoke and ash and fire and that monument of catastrophe that had burst forth from Unit-00.
"A- Asuka!? Are you seeing what we're seeing?" Ahni asked.
"There's… no way… Is that…" Misato asked, staring unblinking at Unit-03+04's outside feed as she tightly squeezed her cross in her hands.
"Its… the past angels…" Asuka said, her heart sinking.
"Unbelievable..." Ritsuko said in shock.
"Captain Sohryu, it seems like… Pilot Ayanami may be regaining consciousness," Maya said, "And, even more than that it… appears as though her and the angel's A.T. waveforms are becoming distinct again. I can't be sure… but it looks like she may somehow be… rejecting it?"
Asuka looked at Maya, not sure if she would regret being hopeful. But, perhaps, it was better than nothing. Asuka then raised her radio up before asking, "Rei? Are you there?"
There was no response. But Maya seemed to have noticed something on her console.
"Captain, her consciousness measurements climbed some when you spoke to her!"
"Ahni, Amelia, I need you to give everything you have to bring down that Angel's A.T. field!" Asuka ordered.
"The angel? Is there even still an angel here anymore?" Ahni asked.
"Yes! There is! We're picking up its presence through it's A.T. field! I need you to bring it down now! They're not letting me pilot and Shinji's in handcuffs behind me right now! Rei is your only hope! You've had a few moments to rebuild your A.T. field. You need to attack now!"
Ahni glanced at Amelia and the girl nodded at her. Together, they then thrust forward with their prog knife. There was a flicker of white before the angel's barrier fully formed, causing the knife to recoil away before it once against pressed into the light.
"Rei, if you can hear me," Asuka started in a wavering voice, trying to avoid having her words catch in her throat, "Shinji, Misato, and I are all waiting for you to come home safe. So please… Please, come home."
"I'll… I'll try," the girl finally responded.
"REI!?" Shinji, Asuka, and Misato all cried out.
Unit-00's A.T. field suddenly flashed into existence and the statue began to collapse in on itself.
"COME ON, REI! YOU CAN DO IT!" Shinji shouted, hoping his voice would be heard by the girl even if he was being kept at a distance from the com, restrained by Midori and the Security agent.
"What the hell is going on!? How is this even possible!?" Ahni asked as she watched the statue shudder and compress as it was seemingly absorbed back into Unit-00.
As the statue finally folded back in upon Unit-00, there was a blinding blue light over Unit-00's abdomen.
"This… world… is ours!" Rei groaned before a strand of light burst forth from Unit-00.
Once again, there was a shrill scream as the tendril of light whipped through the air!
"That's it! That's the angel! Urgh, come on! Just a little more!" Ahni also groaned as she and Amelia pressed the knife deeper into the Angel's A.T. field.
Finally, the girls, with the help of Rei, seemed to be making headway. The knife was starting to cut into the shield before finally it started to buckle. And, after a few more moments, the entire A.T. field collapsed with a vicious tearing sound. The angel was finally excised from Unit-00, seperating itself from Unit-00's body before retreating into the sky.
"She did it! Rei did it!" Shinji shouted in pure joy, almost on the verge of tears.
Unit-03+04 held its hand out for Unit-00 to take. Reaching up from the flames, Unit-00 gratefully accepted the help.
The three girls all then looked up into the dark red sky, seeing the angel once more hovering above them in a ring.
"Rei, are you there?" Asuka's voice came through the com.
"I am…" Rei tiredly panted.
"Do it, Rei! Use the triple six protocol!"
/
-Breaker of The Odds-
/
"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor"- Elon Musk
Rei's Definitive Moment
Magi Statistical Input-
Unit-00: Available
Unit-01: Restricted Until Further Notice
Unit-02: Restricted Until Further Notice
Unit-03+04: Available
Rei Ayanami: Synchronization Rate 78.6%
Rei Ayanami: Mental Function, Clarity, & Stability 43.3%
Rei Ayanami: Motor Function Neuron Responsiveness 100.0%
Amelia Rineheart: Synchronization Rate 60.1%
Amelia Rineheart: Mental Function, Clarity, & Stability 93.2%
Amelia Rineheart: Motor Function Neuron Responsiveness 97.3%
Ahni Rubikard: Synchronization Rate 72.5%
Ahni Rubikard: Mental Function, Clarity, & Stability 87.7%
Ahni Rubikard: Motor Function Neuron Responsiveness 100.0%
Unit-03+04 Total Sync Rate: 68.8%
Final Input is as follows…
Rei Ayanami, Amelia Rineheart, & Ahni Rubikard :|: 12th Angel
Evangelions: Unit-03+04 & Unit-00:|: Armisael :Codename
Waiting for Analysis…
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting…
Waiting…
Query Completed
Results are as follows...
Magi Estimate
Odds of Victory: Low
29.7% :|: 70.3%
Diagnostic Summary: Unit-00 Pilot Ayanami, Unit-03 Pilot Rineheart, and Mark.04 Pilot Rubikard are in a perilous combat engagement for which they are under-equipped. The twelfth angel has been shown to be highly evasive and capable of corrupting Evangelions. Unit-00 Pilot Ayanami was narrowly able to reverse these offensive strengths by raising the strength of her A.T. field but it would be unwise to assume she would be able to do so again. The twelfth angel is hereby assigned as a highly dangerous target due to facts that it is highly mobile, is composed nearly entirely of core material, can corrupt Evangelions, and is highly resistant to damage for a variety of reasons. The Magi deduce that the advantage be given to the twelfth angel, Codename: Armisael. Combat situation is highly unfavorable verging on totally detrimental.
Suggestion: Extremely low chance of success. Reformulate course of action.
Additional Suggestion: Raise synchronization rate of Pilot Ayanami, Pilot Rineheart, and Pilot Rubikard to 80%.
Additional Suggestion: Conditional - Consider disregarding piloting restriction; sortie Unit-01 and Pilot Ikari.
Additional Suggestion: Initiate 777 protocol in Unit-00 and raise synchronization rate to 99%.
Additional Suggestion: Initiate 777 protocol in Unit-03+04 and raise synchronization rate to 99%.
Additional Suggestion: Evacuate Pilot Ayanami, Pilot Rineheart, and Pilot Rubikard. Deploy N2 weaponry with minimum explosive yield of 42.7 megatons. NOT RECOMMENDED.
Additional Suggestion: If available, initiate 999 protocol in Unit-00 and raise synchronization rate to 99%. NOT RECOMMENDED.
Additional Suggestion: If available, initiate 999 protocol in Unit-03+04 and raise synchronization rate to 99%. NOT RECOMMENDED.
Additional Suggestion: Conditional - Consider disregarding piloting restriction; sortie Unit-02 and Pilot Sohryu, even if Unit-02 is not capable of preforming combat. NOT RECOMMENDED.
/
-And Lo, The Skies Above Did Burn-
/
"Do it, Rei! Use the triple six protocol!" Asuka ordered.
"No! No, absolutely not! That is completely out of the question!" Ritsuko shouted.
"Do it, Rei!" Asuka ordered the girl again, "Speak it! Think it! Just do it!"
"Captain Sohryu, this is gross negligence! If she syncs too high, her life could be in danger!"
"Her life's already in danger!" Asuka retorted before shouting over the radio, "What are you waiting for, Wondergirl!? Initiate the triple six protocol! Now!"
Rei sighed into the LCL, looking up at the angel. She then glanced down at the GB-012, laying on the molten ground below her. While the weapon was still in tact, it's cable had been obliterated by the N2 detonation. Without it, the angel would likely be able to dodge most of her attacks at the speed it was capable of moving at.
Deciding she had no other choice, Rei finally, in a determined voice, said, "Engage… triple six protocol."
Unit-00 suddenly lurched over, seemingly in pain. Its blue A.T. field sparked around it before several cylinders shot out of it in multiple directions, several smashing into Unit-03+04's A.T. field, completely flattening as they did.
"What the hell is happening to Unit-00!?" Ahni asked.
"Rei's going rage mode!" Asuka answered, "Be ready to back her up!"
Ahni glanced at Amelia, each of the girls giving each other an uncertain look.
"Uh… I didn't know Evas had a rage mode. What's... rage mode?" Ahni asked again.
"Huh!? You really need me to answer that!?"
Several bolts then shot out of Unit-00's head, pinging against Unit-03+04's blue and yellow A.T. field. A thin jaw then emerged from below Unit-00's head and several more screws shot out of its arms as it threw its head back before roaring.
"Oh, Dios mío," Ahni whispered as she watched Unit-00 transform right before her eyes.
"Captain Sohryu, Unit-00's sync limiters have successfully been ejected and Ayanami's sync rate is slowly rising!" Maya called out.
"Misato, Lieutenant Aoba!" Asuka shouted, "That angel knows we can hurt it with N2 weapons. But we can't just keep bombarding it with them. We do need to keep it low enough to the ground that Rei can attack it. However, as I mentioned, we can use conventional cruise missiles as decoys. But we will need to throw in a few additional N2 bombs so the angel won't completely see through our bluff. To do this, I want total aerial coverage. I want explosions going off anywhere and everywhere from the ground to the flight ceiling. I want to trap that thing with Rei. With Unit-00's triple six protocol and Unit-03+04's dual aspected A.T. field, we should have no problem neutralizing its A.T. field if we can keep it close and stay on the offensive."
"You're… going scorched earth on this thing! This is unacceptable!" Ritsuko shouted, "There are living human beings out there. We've already bombed them once and you're going to do it again!?"
"Yes and no. You're right we're going to be bombing everything. But I only want the N2 bombs detonating further away from the Evas. They're just there to confuse the angel. The only missiles we'll be launching near Unit-00 and Unit-03+04 will be normal cruise missiles. Their A.T. fields should have no problem shrugging them off."
"Still, the financial cost of this will be astronomical! Do you have any idea how much those missiles cost!? They're ungodly expensive!"
"Life is more expensive!" Asuka retorted, "And the costs will mean nothing if we lose this fight."
"Well then, I say we get this done!" Misato said, finally sounding determined herself!
"I want the first volley aimed above the angel. Set proximity detonation at five hundred-feet at the lowest and seven-hundred at most. Altitude one-hundred to eight-hundred! After that, I want everywhere from zero to thirty-thousand feet covered as a detonation net with a 6 mile radius around the angel!"
"Wait," Ritsuko said, "If you're going with this insane plan, at least let me have my input! Leave a path open for our fighter pilot! He's coming in from the west! There needs to be a path, if only for a short time, for him to launch the Type-94 missile! And, for god's sake, please be mindful of his location. He can strike from well over two-hundred knots away. But the need to strike the angel while it's A.T. field is down has caused him to engage at close range out of necessity. He should be circling to the west but the missile needs to reach the angel in tact, so it needs a clean flight path for at least a few seconds."
"Can do. I'm sure we can leave a corridor open. Now," Asuka said with a smirk, "If everyone's ready, let us begin. Fire when ready!"
/
A barrage of missiles sped across the molten hellscape, heading straight for the angel faster than the speed of sound. As expected, the angel dove to the ground as the first set of missiles exploded around where it had just been. Pieces of shrapnel flew into Ahni and Amelia's A.T. field as they stood stupefied, watching as the angel descended and plowed directly into Unit-00's A.T. field. A brilliant blue light surged in front of Unit-00.
Rei glared at the angel, her teeth elongating and her eyes flaring with a green glow as her entire entry plug display went red. Unit-00 then lunged forward, biting into the angel's A.T. field. It flickered for a few seconds before faltering and being torn apart by Unit-00's teeth. Unit-00 then immediately proceeded to pounce at it, but the angel avoided it, once more retreating into the sky.
"Captain, the angel's A.T. field is lowered! Should we have our fighter launch!?" Shigeru asked.
"No! Not yet! It's still too mobile! We need to wear it down some more if we can! Disable its movement somehow!" Asuka said before asking Makoto, "Lieutenant Hyuga, can we send up a Type MM-99 pallet rifle for Unit-03+04?"
"How about I one up you and we send up a the EM-226? Perfect for anti-air and it might be able to corral the angel in even more with its rate of fire. Even if it won't do much damage by itself, there's no way the angel could dodge all the rounds. It would wear it down like you wanted."
"Brilliant! That's even better! Do it!"
"Alright, the nearest catapult is melted. But the second nearest one should be just south of Unit-03+04 and it appears to be functional."
"Right then," Asuka exclaimed before radioing the Americans, "Ahni, Amelia! I'm sending up a gun! I need you to use it to help trap the angel for Rei."
"A… a gun? What kind of gun? The last one didn't fare so well," Ahni asked unsurely.
"A big gun! Trust me! This one will work better! I need you to head south. I'd tell you to keep an eye out for the catapult, but it should be easy to spot. It's probably the only thing left standing!"
"I'm an American, so saying a big gun isn't exactly descriptive. Big by your standards or by mine? And are you sure this is gonna work?"
"Big by God's standards! And I'm not sure it's gonna work! But we're just trying to limit this thing's mobility. It doesn't need to be lethal, just debilitating! We already have a plan to take out the angel but it needs to be trapped. That's where the gun comes in. It's using the sky as a safety-zone. I'm not going to let it do that and neither are you."
"Big by God's standards!? ...Right, must be pretty big then. That makes things clearer! We're on our way!"
Unable to reach the angel, Unit-00 leapt skyward, attempting to claw at it. But it once more retreated just out of reach. A missile shot straight for the angel. As expected, it dodged the initial artillery shot, simply weaving around it. However, as soon as the missile passed it by, it then detonated, the explosive force preventing the angel from reconstituting its A.T. field. Yet again another missile sped towards it. The angel retreated even higher, narrowly dodging it as the missile exploded below it. The hail of hellfire was relentless though as upon dodging, three more missiles detonated all around the angel. Now well beyond Rei's reach, the angel floated almost a thousand feet above the ground. But this only played into Asuka's hand as yet another missile detonated several thousand feet above the angel, this one much larger than the rest. An N2 missile no doubt judging by the size of the fireball in the sky.
At its current strength, Rei's A.T. field completely neutralized the blast, leaving Unit-00 entirely unscathed. And when the rumbling of air and earth finally ceased, the angel was once more in front of Unit-00, being forced down by the blast. Rei snarled and lunged at it once more. Yet again, the angel dodged the Eva. And while it had succeeded in avoiding the strike, the angel had visibly slowed down some. Not enough to be caught. But if they could keep bleeding it and limiting it's mobility, it would surely exhaust itself if it could be exhausted at all.
Yet another missile detonated next to Rei and the angel. And as the angel tried to avoid the missile, Rei managed to rake her Eva's claws across the angel, catching it between her and the blast. While it was hard to tell if any damage was being done to it, at least she was able to hit it now. Taking a chance, she tried to grab the angel but it still managed to snake out of her grasp skimming and spiraling just above the ground as it fled from her.
"Hah! You see that! We've got it trapped!" Asuka shouted in tempestuous excitement, "You can see it's avoiding the air now. Rei even almost got it for a second there!"
Ritsuko sighed before saying "Despite my reservations, it does appear that your plan is working," in an exasperated voice.
The radio crackled before Ahni's voice could be heard saying, "Oh, wow. This is a big gun. The mother of all guns! I didn't know they made Gatling guns this big! And thank god there's an umbilical cable here too. Our battery was just about to die after that last N2 missile severed our power."
"Oh, hey, blue-eyed brat, speaking of utilities, don't forget to use the coolant to keep the gun from overheating. It's already hot out there because of the bomb and it's about to get a lot hotter," Asuka said, "There should be a blue triangle with a snowflake symbol in it on the side of the catapult. It's right above the coolant release. So use it if you need it!"
"I think I see it and uh- Oh shit! This ammo is AP! And holy fuck, this is the biggest box mag I've ever seen. Oh, hell yeah!"
'Quit being a dork and help me fire this thing,' Amelia thought, hoping to get the girl refocused on the task at hand.
"Alright, alright, I know that look. I wanna say welcome to America. But, well, y'know. So instead-" Ahni chuckled as Unit-03+04 raised the Gatling gun, its barrels spinning up as the girls took aim at the angel still dancing around Unit-00 and Rei, "-WELCOME TO JAPAN! THIS IS THE FIRING RANGE! AMERICA SENDS ITS REGARDS!"
The gun spat out tens of bullets in a matter of moments, five or six of which somehow managed to pierce the angel despite its slender body proportions.
Being assaulted by both Rei and Unit-00, the angel once again retreated to the sky, trying it's best to avoid several missiles that flew past it.
"Now listen, Americans, this is what I need you to do!" Asuka radioed the girls, "Keep a distance from the angel. I'm sure you already know, but that gun's a little unwieldy. It'll be hard to aim at the angel if it gets too close. But from afar and with its rate of fire, you should be able to keep up with the angel's movements. Lead your shots. Aim ahead. Keep it near the ground. If it gets out of Rei's range, keep up the fire to stop it from raising its A.T. field. Don't forget to cool the gun if you need to though. We have missiles if you need to stop firing for a bit."
"Hahah, we may not have fought an angel before but we know how to shoot," Ahni laughed, "Now we're really in our element!"
Again, the gun let loose a stream of bullets at the angel, the constant firing creating a metallic roar that echoed across the land. The angel only barely managed to evade the bullets before diverting right into the blasting zone of a cruise missile, taking damage from both the explosion and a few bullets that managed to graze it.
The angel once more returned to the ground, dodging Rei as she lunged at it, but only just. It then arced over Unit-00 before torpedoing straight for Unit-03+04.
"Wanna play chicken then, huh?" Ahni taunted as the gun spun up once more, "Without an A.T. field, you're just asking to get torn up!"
Once again, the gun spooled up before letting loose an entire firestorm of bullets. The angel zigzagged between some of the bullets but was inevitably hit just because of the sheer quantity of leaden hail being lobbed at it. Before long, it was forced to break off its approach, circling up and narrowly dodging a missile that then exploded somewhere behind Unit-03+04. Unit-00 itself rushed the angel, jumping and attempting to bite at the angel as it retreated, only missing by a few feet as it flew up into the sky again.
Constantly being forced to make the choice between ascending or descending, it had currently decided to take its chances in the air despite the constant bursts of missile explosions for kilometers around. There was then yet another N2 detonation to the north, beyond the range of actually being damaging but still serving to trap the angel. Another cruise missile then detonated just below the angel, driving it further up as the shrapnel glanced off of Unit-00's A.T. field despite traveling at thousands of feet per second.
"Ergh! Get back down here!" Ahni growled, sweeping the gunfire across the Northwestern part of the sky toward the East.
As expected, the angel strafed to the east before yet again another N2 missile detonated in its path, once again cutting it off and causing it to be hit by a number of bullets as it returned to the ground. Rei immediately chased after it, relentlessly tearing at it with an onslaught of slashes all of which missed as it danced around her and Unit-00.
"We've completely got it on the defense! It's just a shame it's so good at playing defense," Asuka cursed as she watched the angel spiral around Unit-00 as it furiously swiped at it!
Rei growled as she erratically lunged at the angel time and time again. Usually not one to show her frustration, even she was visibly and audibly becoming aggravated due to the influence of the 666 protocol. Still though, she was coming very close to hitting it every time she launched an attack against it.
Once more, the angel tried to retreat from Unit-00 slinking through the air just above the ground before Ahni yelled, "No you don't!" and immediately cut off its path with a wall of gunfire, once more diverting it.
The angel then spiraled up in a corkscrew pattern but yet another missile detonated near it, sending a spray of shrapnel towards it as it quickly traveled straight back down the spiral of its own body. It tried its best to avoid Rei but Unit-00 managed to pin it to the ground by its tail end before it barely managed to escape, wriggling out of Rei's grasp just before Unit-00 could clasp its jaws around it.
"Incredible! It hasn't been able to raise its A.T. field even a single time since Rei took it down," Misato said in awe.
"Still, even without its A.T. field, it's remarkably durable. It's been hit by at least a few dozen 400 millimeter rounds as well as multiple missiles. That speak volumes for it's regenerative abilities," Ritsuko said as she lit up a cigarette.
"All the more reason to kill it in one fell swoop! How's that fighter pilot, Doctor Akagi?" Asuka asked.
"Still circling outside the detonation net. If Rei can get this angel immobilized soon, we won't even need to worry about refueling… Of course, we could always take our chances without it being disabled."
"And have him return to base at a key moment to rearm? I dunno… Do you think it can sense the missiles? Most of them are coming from the north. Do you think it would be able to figure out the missile coming from the west would be the kill strike?"
"I can't say," Ritsuko said as she exhaled a puff of smoke, "No way to tell for sure until we try."
"Hmm…" Asuka considered, "No, I think we should hold fire until we know it's a sure kill. I don't want to melt the Americans' gun and potentially the catapult or bring down their A.T. field after seeing what it did to Unit-00. I think that would be too much of a liability."
"Whatever you say," Ritsuko said, exhaling another cloud of smoke.
"Pilot Ayanami's sync rate is at ninety-one percent!" Maya shouted again, "Her A.T. field measurements are ridiculously high! The magi say that it would take at least twenty megatons to bring it down!"
"What's the explosive yield of the missiles onboard the plane?" Asuka asked.
"Four megatons. Each of them. There's two," Shigeru answered.
"And Unit-03+04's measurements?"
"Fifteen megatons!" Maya responded.
"Then they should be able to withstand it…"
The angel, still avoiding Unit-00, dove left and right in front of the Eva. Rei's eyes flit back and forth trying to track the movement of the creature. But with the 666 protocol augmenting her reflexes, she then lunged at the angel, actually managing to body slam it as it crossed in front of her again.
Unit-00 rolled over the ground with it's own forward momentum, entangled with the angel as it crawled over Unit-00's body. Rei's A.T. field flashed sky blue as it resisted the corrupting influence of the angel. But ultimately, it still managed to evade Unit-00's grasp.
Leaving Unit-00 behind, the angel then once again beelined for Unit-03+04 which was currently using the coolant line to bring down the temperature of the glowing gun barrels while Unit-00 was between it and the angel.
"Oh, shit!" Ahni cursed, quickly trying to raise the gun again as the angel rapidly closed in on the Eva.
But before the gun could spin up, then angel had coiled itself between the barrels and around Unit-03+04's arm, anchoring itself in place and effectively jamming the gun. This was ultimately a futile and desperate attempt on the angel's part. While it had prevented the gun from firing, it couldn't bring down Unit-03+04's A.T. field.
"God damn you," Ahni screamed in terror as she and Amelia pulled out their Eva's prog knife with its free hand.
Plunging it in between the barrels of the gun, the girl's fished out a coil of the angel, trying to cut through it but the angel was simply too resistant. The angel then managed to throw itself over the Eva's other arm tangling both of its arms with the gun as it coiled itself tighter.
"Fuck! Fuck! No, no, no!" Ahni cursed.
In a matter of moments though, Unit-00 had galloped across the battlefield before plunging its teeth into the angel, a bright blue glow emitting from Unit-00's mouth as it's A.T. field flared up to protect it from contamination. Both arms of Unit-03+04 then flared blue and yellow. Rei slowly tore the angel from its entrenchment in the gun barrels before Ahni and Amelia's A.T. field exploded into existence, forcing the angel away from them and shredding it as the length of it's body was dragged between Unit-00's teeth, nearly flinging it from Unit-00's maw.
But Unit-00 managed to hold on. The angel let out a hellish scream and it's body began to become more limp as something not unlike blood sprayed from its body. The light from Unit-00's mouth continued to flare, nearly hiding the glowing angel with its own radiance. The angel weakly attempted to wrap its body around Unit-00. But the Eva was essentially immune to contact and ignored the angel as it continued to furiously chew on the angel.
Unit-03+04 then came around to the front of Unit-00, wrestling it off of Unit-00 before pinning it to the ground with its foot as Unit-00 still gnawed on the other end of the angel. Then, leaning over, Unit-03+04 picked up the Em-226 before firing at the angel in a nonstop flood of bullets. Some of them plowed into the ground as the angel desperately writhed back and forth, trying to avoid injury. Others pierced straight through the angel, causing it's blood to scald and boil as it spilled onto the nearly molten ground.
"JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!" Ahni screamed as she ran the end of the gun up and down the length of the angel.
"Okay, I think we got it pinned! Fire, fire, fire! Fire now!" Asuka ordered.
Ritsuko pulled up her radio before telling Koji, "Alright, fire now. Target should already be laser designated."
"Should we go with one or both?" man's voice crackled through the radio.
"Hell, just launch both!" Ritsuko said, hardly even taking the time to consider.
"Alright, will be lined up in a few moments," the man said before falling silent.
"Urgh! Fine! FINE! IF YOU REFUSE TO DIE!" Ahni screamed as the end of the gun's barrels finally melted off, sending a hot spray of sparks and liquefied metal sputtering out of the gun.
Unit-03+04 then threw the gun at the angel as hard as it could before then proceeding to repeatedly crush its heel into it. All of this was needlessly excessive and before the pilots could even realize what was happening, there was a brilliant flash of light as well as a massive shockwave.
The girls all groaned in discomfort as the explosion subsided. Staring through the burning air, there was a faint glowing white light in the smoke. It then fizzled out before a wave of blood erupted, coating both of the Evas in red before yet another explosion went off.
"Jesus Christ! When will it end!?" Ahni shouted.
"I'm pretty sure it's over, Americans," Asuka's voice came through the radio.
/
-The Scorched Earth, The Shattered Skies-
/
"Well, that big cross shaped explosion means it's over then, right? It's dead!" Asuka proclaimed victoriously.
"Indeed, it would seem so. I have no readings indicating the presence of the angel," Ritsuko said after looking over some metrics on Maya's console, "It would appear it's been exterminated."
Watching the feed from Rei's entry plug, Asuka asked, "Hey, Rei, you doing okay?"
The girl's glowing green eyes, the only part of her easily visible from within her darkened red entry plug, darted to meet the feed from the command bridge. She was still panting through her clenched teeth, unable to say anything.
"You look like you're bristling… You should probably deactivate the triple six protocol, Wondergirl," Asuka suggested.
Rei seemed taken aback for a moment by Asuka's words. The girl then looked blankly at the pure red display before the red panels shut of and resumed displaying the outside world. Rei could feel her rage slowly ebb away, her teeth shrunk, the green filter over her vision faded, and the lights on her plugsuit shut off. She hadn't even realized exactly how she'd done it, but it seemed everything had returned to normal. Finally, she let out a sigh, attempting to truly return to herself.
"H- Hey, I hear something!" Ahni said, drawing Amelia's attention.
"What is it?" Amelia wondered.
"It… it sounds like… rain?"
There was then a red drop that fell and appeared on the display of Ahni's entry plug. Then another landed on Amelia's side. And then another until finally, a deluge of what appeared to be blood started running over the display.
Both of the girls looked up and sure enough saw thousands of droplets of blood pattering down upon Unit-03+04 as well as a rainbow hanging over them.
Misato, still clutching her cross as she viewed the aerial video feed from the command bridge, looked on in disbelief at the flattened molten land where Unit-00 and Unit-03+04 rested.
"By the time this war is over… there will be no Tokyo-3 left to defend."
/
-The Seas Ahead-
/
Sometime later, just outside Doctor Akagi's office…
Rei was beyond exhausted. Fighting the angel and pushing Unit-00 to its limit had reflected similarly on Rei's stamina and, despite not often giving voice to her concerns, she couldn't wait to go home and have some of Shinji's cooking. This was notably visible on the girl's face as her eyelids drooped and in her body as she swayed walking down the hallway. She was so tired in fact that she'd even cut short her reunion with Shinji and Asuka upon her return to the Geofront. There was, of course, something she needed to do. Something she should have done sooner. A fact that the fight today had gone to great lengths to show and that had impressed upon her an urgency.
Raising her trembling hand, she knocked on Doctor Akagi's door, to which the woman responded with a flustered and curt, "Come in."
Rei slowly opened the door, a creaking sound emanating from its hinges.
"Oh, Rei. It's you. I was afraid you were the commander for a moment. He told me to gather DNA samples from any angels I possibly could. But the temperature on the ground would have cooked any material from the most recent one. And I've been worried he's going to come in here chewing me out over things I can't help."
"That is… unfortunate…" Rei tiredly mumbled.
"So, why're you here then, Miss Ayanami? What can I help you with? I'm afraid I'm a little short on time. But I'll give you what attention I can."
Rei glared at the floor before finally looking up and meeting Ritsuko's gaze.
"Doctor Akagi, there is… something I must ask you… about myself."
.
Storm of blood
Sworn in blood
Forged in fire and thunder
'Neath burnt skies
Kindred lives
Brave the surge together
Turn your eyes ahead
Cast aside the dark
Ever trust your heart
.
*Eva credits roll and Fly Me to the Moon plays*
.
"Well, was that not gripping!? Suspenseful even? No? Or was it? I'll leave that for you to decide. But what I won't leave up in the air is the preview of next chapter!
That's right, it's me again! Misato! Who else!? Your favorite narrating, alcoholic, operations director, fanservice-embodying, mother-figure, preview-delivery woman! So, let's get into it, shall we!? In the next chapter, Rei, still in distress over the conflict of running away or staying to fight, looks to Doctor Akagi for advice only to learn some very important information that will come in handy later. Though how handy none can say just yet. Asuka and Shinji meanwhile, more determined than ever to leave behind the life of an Eva Pilot, come to a decision and plot out a final destination to seek out a new life. And Ahni and Amelia, shaken over the recent battle against the twelfth angel, ask Asuka for aid only to learn she, Rei, and Shinji have no intention of staying in Tokyo-03. The calm before the storm, the last chapter before the finale of the second act, it'll all be in the next chapter of Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love; Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty!
And as always, I'll be there to provide fanservice! Though, to be fair, there's... actually not much fanservice next chapter. Who would've thought that would've been the case when we're this close to the finale? I guess the end of the world doesn't really put people in the mood for romance... Wait, did I just say the end of the world? Uh... Listen, you didn't hear that! Alright!?"
