Chapter 9: Down We Go

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.

My friends are assholes! Nothing can convince me otherwise! A few weeks has passed since the last Angel appeared. During that time, it was announced my class would be taking a trip to a place called Okinawa. The place must be something, because the entire class was excited to go there. I, on the other hand, didn't really care for the trip. I always prefer staying in one place; moving around too often only serves to annoy me. So, I was unfazed when Nerv told me and the rest of the pilots we weren't allowed to go on the class trip. Nerv's call makes sense. We need to stay behind in case an Angel decides to attack Tokyo-3.

Now what does all that have to do with my friends being assholes? Simple. They wouldn't shut up about the damn trip! They kept bragging about how much fun they were gonna have at Okinawa every single minute of the day! They just wouldn't stop reminding me that they're going and I'm fucking not! So excuse me for being a little pissed! They talked about the trip so much that a small part of me actually became jealous. Like what the actual hell?! How does that even work?! When the day finally came for the class to leave, Toji and Kensuke said nothing. They just kept giving me this smug look which said "You wish you were us, don't ya"?

I'm gonna kill them when they get back.

Currently, it's one in the afternoon. Asuka, Rei and I are inside one of Nerv's many indoor pools. Asuka and Rei are swimming while I'm seated a few feet away from the pool in a lawn chair, reading a book. If you're wondering, we're here due to Asuka's insistence. The redhead wasn't too happy she couldn't go to Okinawa, so she demanded Misato to do something about it. Nerv's indoor pools was the only solution Asuka found satisfactory. But, since Misato wanted all the pilots in one place, Rei and I were dragged here. Normally, I wouldn't put up much resistance against swimming, but I can't swim with other people. It's just too weird.

Taking my attention away from my thoughts, I return to reading. It has become a whole lot easier due to Rei's tutoring. Still, I'm having trouble finishing this book she gave me. I should've been done by now. Not that I'm in a rush or anything. After all, this is a good read.

"Hey Michael," says a brash voice.

Time to switch to default response, which is none.

". . ."

"Hmph! Can you stop doing that?" asks Asuka, voice laced with irritation. "It's annoying."

I decide to mess with her. "Stop doing what?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" she nearly yells. "Every time I speak you pretend I'm not here!"

"Oh, is that all?"

The redhead snatches the book away from me and gives a glare which could melt steel. I respond by staring blankly at the pool. I didn't expect her to get this close. Asuka's swimsuit is less conservative compared to Rei's. It's extremely revealing! Hopefully, I can keep up my poker face.

"Why do you insist on being so rude?!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Because it's funny."

Asuka throws the book and I catch it, despite not looking in the redhead's direction. Feeling satisfied with myself, I go back to reading.

"Anyway," starts Asuka. "Why are you here reading instead of swimming and having fun? Even the First Child seems to be enjoying herself."

As if to confirm Asuka's statement, Rei begins swimming laps around the pool.

I let out a sigh. "One, because this is a really good book. Two, it's helping me study kanji."

"Hmm? You're having trouble with kanji?"

"Yeah," I say as I glance at her. Big mistake! I knew Asuka was standing close to me, but not this close! I can smell the chlorine coming off her body. That's too damn close! My eyes seem to move on their own when looking at Asuka. They linger at a few places for too damn long! I try tearing my gaze away from her, but my eyes refuse to listen. It's like they want to remember everything about her. Like how her wet swimsuit clings to her body. How blue her eyes are, or how her red hair seems to shine, or how surprisingly large her boo- NO! DOWN BOY! ! ! I cross my legs to hide my shame. Hopefully she hadn't noticed.

"Well Michael, you like what you see?" she says in a flirtatious manner.

DAMMIT SHE NOTICED! ! !

She gets even closer to me while fondling her breasts. I can feel her breath on my skin. Stupid hormones!

"It's okay if you like to stare," she says whilst smirking.

Pretty sure my skin can't turn red, but it tried its hardest. My heart feels like it's slamming itself against my chest, and my body feels like it's been put in a sauna! I look away from Asuka, an attempt to hide my embarrassment.

"Shouldn't you be studying instead fucking around?" I say, desperate to change the subject.

A bit put off by my cursing, she backs off. Not that it matters, she knows she won that round. "*Sigh* I don't need to study. I've already graduated from college, so school's nothing more than kids stuff."

I nearly jumped out of my seat. "What?! You went to college?!"

Asuka, apparently happy she got my attention again, reveals a toothy grin. "Of course I went to college! Honestly Fourth Child, you shouldn't be surprised. After all, I am the best at everything."

I give a deadpan expression. "If you really went to college, then why are your grades so terrible?"

She waves her hand dismissively. "It's only because I have trouble reading the language here."

Makes sense.

"So. . .you too." Asuka may be prideful, but she doesn't seem like the kind of person to lie. At least, not lie about her own successes. If she really did graduate from college, then that's fucking impressive. "Well, guess you're really something if you went to college."

She pauses for a moment, as if she didn't expect me to say that. "Well now you're just stating the obvious. Still, I'm glad you finally realized how great I am."

I roll my eyes. "Don't get a big head. You're still doing terrible in class, so do something about that."

She lets out a snort and walks back to the pool. Letting out a long sigh, I collapse in my seat. I'm glad that's finally over. Hope things will never get that awkward ever again. Though, our conversation went better than usual. Instead of tearing at each other's throats, we spoke like normal people. Well. . .as normal as the two of us could get. Hell, I'd go as far as to say our conversation was somewhat pleasant; minus the awkward moment. Guess that tends to happen when I dial down the insults. I may not like Asuka, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to get along with her. I'm gonna be spending a lot of time with the redhead, so staying on her good side will do me some good.

"Hey Michael, look over here!" I hear Asuka say playfully.

I look over to the pool to see her waving at me while wearing some kind of oxygen tank.

Right, she wanted to go scuba diving in Okinawa. Guess to make up for not going she's gonna do it here.

"Watch this!" She then plunges into the water, back first.

I let out a chuckle at this action. Can't believe she was excited to show me that! The girl always brags about how tough and mature she is. But it's moments like these which serve to remind me she's just a kid, like me. Just wish she would tone down her brash attitude.

I eventually go back to reading.

Asuka, Rei, and I were called to the Command Center which I found odd. There was no mention of an Angel being spotted in the city, so being called here makes little sense. Maybe we're being scheduled for a sync test? No, we would've been informed hours beforehand if that were the case. Maybe it's a surprise sync test? Would Ritsuko even do a thing like that? These thoughts and so many more were running through my mind while standing in this semi-lit room. I'm slightly irritated that no one's showed up yet. They called us, so they should be here!

Finally, the silence of the room was broken by the sound of footsteps. Finding the source of the noise, I spot a tired looking Ritsuko along with her assistant (think her name's Maya) walking in our direction.

"About time you guys showed up!" says Asuka.

"You were the ones who called us, so what took ya'll so long?" I ask.

Ritsuko lets out a weary sigh. "Doesn't matter. What matters is we're here now. Maya, the projector."

"Yes ma'am," says the brunette as she points a remote to the giant screen in the room.

The screen comes to life as it displays several images. There's images of an ocean, a volcano, and pictures of magma (don't know how they got a camera to survive being in a volcano). What catches my attention is an image of a strange creature living within the magma. The creature has a large head, a small body, and skinny limbs. The creature's eyes are wide open, though something tells me it's not fully conscious. The thing's in a fetal position and a cocoon-like object seems to encompass its form. In short, the thing looks like a damn embryo! A human one in fact!

"Is. . .is that an Angel?" I ask, jaw dropped slightly.

"Correct," Ritsuko says calmly. "More accurately, it's an Angel in the embryonic stage."

"This Angel was found inside the crater of Mount Asama, an active volcano." Maya explains.

I look back at the image of the Angel, awe painted on my face. How can something survive being in a volcano?

"We're under special orders to retrieve the creature while it's still in its current state," Maya continues.

"Which brings us to your mission," starts Ritsuko. "Two of you will be sent to Mount Asama. One of you will be lowered into the volcano while the other will be left on standby. The mission is to contain, then bring the Angel back to the surface and, if the need should arise, destroy it if it hatches."

So they want us to go down the mouth of a volcano to capture something we should be killing. What kind of logic is that?!

"The designated pilot will be-"

Don't pick me! Don't pick me! Don't pick me!

"Oh, I want to go diving, let me do it!" Asuka cuts in, weirdly excited about diving into magma. Though, I'm glad she jumped in. It saves me the "pleasure" of diving into a literal lake of fire.

"Alright, then Michael you'll be put on standby," Ritsuko explains.

"What am I to do?" asks Rei.

It was Maya who spoke this time. "The equipment we'll be using isn't compatible with Unit-00. As such, you will remain here on standby."

"Understood."

"Awww, Rei doesn't get to have fun," Asuka mocks Rei, though the blue haired girl just ignores her, much to Asuka's disappointment.

Ritsuko dismisses Rei and I so we can get into our plugsuits. The doctor asks Asuka to stay behind so she can be outfitted with a new plugsuit.

After Rei and I got suited up, we just waited for Asuka in the Eva cages. When there, I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Unit-02. It looks ridiculous to say the least. The Eva's red armor is obscured by a white, bulky, "suit". A large helmet rests on the Eva's head and two robotic pincers replace its human-like hands. The suit looks like it would limit the Eva's movements by a lot. Overall, it looked like Unit-02 was wearing a spacesuit.

A sudden scream draws my attention away from the Eva.

"There's no way I'm going out wearing this thing!" yells Asuka.

Curious, I walk towards the yelling to see what's going on, Rei follows. When I locate the source of the noise, which is near the entrance, I have to hold back my laughter at the sight of Asuka. Her plugsuit looks like water was pumped into it. Any movement Asuka made would cause the suit to jiggle as if it were made of jello. The suit must've also had some weight to it, for Asuka didn't walk so much as waddle around the entrance. The pilot of Unit-02 now resembles an oversized cherry.

Ritsuko took off her reading glasses and began rubbing the bridge of her nose. "The suit is to help you deal with the conditions that come with diving into a volcano. The way it looks doesn't matter just as long as it serves its function."

"I don't care!" whines Asuka. "I can't be seen in this thing!"

I can't help but to poke fun at her. "Hey Asuka, did you gain weight? If so, it's a good look for you."

I swore she turned pale at the sight of me. "S-Shut up!" She then catches sight of Unit-02. This causes her to become even louder. "What did you do to my Eva?!"

Ritsuko lets out a sigh and begins shaking her head. I know how difficult it can be to deal with Asuka, so I can relate. I almost feel bad for Ritsuko. Almost.

"That armor serves to protect Unit-02 from extreme pressures," explains the doctor. "Like your suit, it's necessary for this mission."

Asuka closes her eyes and lets out a huff. "I won't be seen wearing this suit, and I won't have Unit-02 undergo this humiliation!" She points a finger to me. "This kind of thing is better suited for this idiot!"

No you don't. "You're not dumping this crap on me!"

Just as she's about to respond a familiar voice cuts in.

"You won't be piloting Asuka? But I was looking forward to your performance."

Asuka, immediately recognizing the voice, waddles towards a wall to hide behind. When hidden, she takes a peek and spots Kaji leaning on the railing of a catwalk. She audibly whines, saying she won't come out as long as Kaji's there. Dr. Akagi's visibly irritated at Asuka's lack of cooperation.

"Come on Asuka," I say, trying to coax her out of hiding. "You *pffft* don't look that bad. You *pffft* look great. Just come out and *pffft* waddle into Unit-2!" I then start laughing at the absurdity of this situation.

Hey, I said I was trying!

Ritsuko glares at me. "You're not helping."

I shrug in response.

Rei looks between Asuka, Ritsuko and I. She then raises her hand as if we were still in school. "If Soryu is unable to pilot, then I would like to volunteer to pilot in her-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the oversized cherry waddles over (with surprising speed mind you) and slaps Rei's hand out of the air.

"You don't get to pilot my Eva!" yells Asuka. She then turns to Dr. Akagi. "Fine! I'll pilot Unit-02 on this mission!"

The doctor just nods then walks Asuka to the giant robot. I stand there, kinda shocked how quickly Asuka's demeanor changed. Then again, Asuka doesn't like anyone but her piloting Unit-02, which makes me curious.

"Rei, did you really intend on piloting Unit-02, or did you know Asuka would react the way she did?"

"Yes," is all she says.

I stare at her for a moment before silently laughing.

Standing near the edge of the volcano's mouth gives me cause for concern. Despite the lava being so deep into the structure, I can still feel the extreme heat. But apparently that's the least of my problems. There are U.N. jets flying around the area, and there's a slight possibility of them blowing us all to kingdom come if it even smells like this mission will fail. So there's a lot of pressure on Asuka not screwing up. Though, the redhead (as usual) is not the slightest bit worried about the current situation. Sure she was pissed when she learned of the U.N.'s intentions, but she immediately after brushed off their threat, radiating an air of confidence. Say what you will about the redhead, but she knows how to keep calm under pressure.

Scanning the area, I see a crane-like structure above the mouth of the volcano. Hanging from the structure, with several cables attached to it, is Unit-02. The structure shoots a laser into the lava to locate the Angel. When the creature's located, the structure moves Unit-02 over the volcano to prepare it for the dive.

"Okay Asuka, you ready?" asks Misato over the radio.

"Ready when you are," responds Unit-02's pilot.

"Alright. Lowering Unit-02."

The crane-like structure begins slowly lowering Unit-02 into the volcano.

"Hey Michael! Check this out!" Asuka's Eva moves its stubby looking legs like it was preparing to do a split. "A perfect scissors dive!"

I roll my eyes as Unit-02 becomes fully submerged in lava. "Pretty sure that's not a real thing."

"Sure it is," says the redhead. "It's not my fault you're uncultured."

I smile at her insult. I can recognize her sarcasm. Still, can't let her get away with that. "Oh! You got jokes you oversized cherry?"

"What did you call me?!"

Our verbal assault goes on for a few rounds until Misato eventually puts a stop to it. We spend the next fifteen minutes in silence. The only sounds come from either someone occasionally reporting Unit-02's depth or the bubbling of lava. During one point, one of the tech advisers, Maya, reported that Unit-02 is taking on too much pressure. Despite the warning, Misato pressed on with the mission, pushing Unit-02 to its limit. This made me worry slightly, especially since the pressure caused her Eva to lose its Progressive Knife. There's a very real danger that Asuka will die if they continue lowering her Eva beyond its depth capacity. But the redhead insisted she was fine with the potential danger, which mysteriously calmed my nerves.

A few more minutes pass before Asuka decides to speak up.

"*Yawn* I'm bored."

I yawn as well. "Yeah, me too. Kinda inevitable with nothing happening."

"Well, let's chat a bit." I can hear her stretching over the radio.

I raise an eyebrow at that. "Why?"

"Weren't you listening? I'm bored," she deadpans.

"Right. . .what you wanna talk about?"

"I don't know," she pauses for a moment. "Oh! How about that book you read earlier?"

I shrug. "Sure, why not? What you wanna know?"

"What's it about?"

I take a moment to gather my thoughts. "Well, I'm still a bit early into the book, so you won't get the full story." After not hearing a complaint, I decide to tell the basic summary. "The book's called Phantom Ties. It's about a man living in a fantasy world. You know, the kind filled with elves, dragons, etc."

"Oh, it's one of those stories." I can imagine her rolling her eyes.

"Will you let me finish," I respond, slightly annoyed. "The main character's name is Itsuki Nakamura. He's a thirty year old man who's basically rich and has a large family. So, he's living the good life. The perfect life." I pause for dramatic effect. "Well it was perfect, until one night, everything changed. One night, Itsuki fell asleep, and when he woke up, he was in a hospital connected to a bunch of machines. Turns out, the guy's been in a coma for seven years and the world he thought was reality was actually a dream."

"After some time to get adjusted, he is sent to live with some family members," I continue. "But, things aren't as they seem. Reality starts to warp around him. He starts seeing and hearing things which might not even be there. What makes it worse is that every time he falls asleep, he returns to that fantasy world. Now Itsuki questions which world is a dream and which world is reality."

"Huh. . .that actually sounds kinda interesting," admits Asuka.

"I know right!" I respond happily for some reason. "The story gets progressively more interesting as you continue reading. The guy keeps questioning reality, but there are hints there's something else going on."

It sounds like Asuka's gonna say something but stops when a beeping sound echos in her Eva.

"Hmm? Oh! I see it!" she says.

Looking at Unit-01's display screen, I bring up a digital representation of what Unit-02 sees. Even with the low quality of the digital image, I can make out what Asuka sees. Just like the pictures shown at the Geofront, the Angel looks like an embryo inside an egg.

"Right. Prepare for capture," commands Misato.

"Got it!"

A moment of silence passes as Asuka attempts to capture the Angel. I'm holding my breath, hoping the Angel doesn't wake up in the middle of the mission.

"No problems detected in the electromagnetic cage," Asuka reports. "Target has been captured."

Everyone lets out a collective sigh of relief. It seems everything went off without a hitch. A smile makes its way onto my face as Unit-02 begins its ascent.

"Nice to know you didn't screw up," I tell Asuka.

"Hmph! I'm a professional," she responds. "There's no way I'm going to mess up on such a simple mission."

Just as she said that, the previously dormant Angel starts screaming.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH! ! !"

"Shit!" I shout while covering my ears. It eerily sounds similar to a baby's cry. You know, if the baby were a demon.

"What the hell?!" says Asuka in disbelief. "It's hatching!"

"Dammit! What's the cage status?!" I hear Misato ask one of the Nerv employees.

"At this rate, it won't hold!" says a male employee.

"Asuka, abort the capsule and prepare for combat!"

"Right!" Her confident demeanor falters slightly as she realizes something. "Scheiss! I forgot I dropped my Prog. Knife!"

"Shit! Michael, drop Unit-01's Prog. Knife into the volcano," commands Misato. "Asuka, stand ready!"

Letting out a sound of acknowledgment, I pull out the Eva's knife and aim it in Asuka's direction. Raising the weapon high into the air, and tightening the Eva's grip, I throw the object as hard as I can into the volcano. The weapon might've broke the sound barrier because a shock-wave could be felt as soon as it left my hand. The knife's impact with the lava created a large wave, causing me to step away from the edge.

"Dammit! Hurry up already!" says Asuka in a panicked tone.

"The weapon's on its way! Calm down!" I tell her.

I bring my attention back to the digital screen. Even with the screen's horrible quality, I can tell the Angel has changed form; though, I'm not exactly sure what it changed into. The creature's circling around Unit-02, like it's scanning for signs of aggression. When it sees none, it charges. Unit-02 looks up, probably to see where the Prog. Knife is.

"There it is! Catch it!" I tell her, spotting the weapon.

"Got it!" Asuka commands her Eva to grab the knife just as the Angel's upon her. Once she obtained the weapon, she lets out a feral yell as she swings the knife at her attacker. "What?!"

"What happened?!" I ask. "My view isn't as clear as yours!"

"The knife isn't working!"

"What do you mean it's not working?!"

"I mean the damn thing barely made a scratch on the Angel!"

"Don't tell me," I hear Ritsuko gasp over the radio. "The extreme heat has distended its molecular structure!"

That's not good.

"The hell does that mean?!" I hear Asuka ask in frustration.

"It means the Prog. Knife's useless," I say, also frustrated.

The Angel once again charges at Asuka. This time, it managed to damage her Eva. I'm not sure how long Asuka can last down there. My mind begins racing to come up with a way to hurt the Angel.

"Okay, heat is making that thing hard to kill right?!" I start. "Then we need to find a way to cool it down!"

"Cool it down? Wait. That's it!" says Asuka. "Transfer all the coolant to cable three, now!"

At the sound of her command, the technicians got to work. Afterward, Asuka severed one of her coolant cables and jammed it into the Angel's mouth.

That's brilliant! The coolant will bring the Angel's temperature down! With luck, it'll allow Asuka to kill the creature.

As the Angel began choking on the liquid, the redhead repeatedly stabbed the creature. This time, the knife's able to penetrate the Angel's body.

"Oh no! Asuka's support cable's damaged," I overhear a female technician say.

What?! Dammit!

"Will it hold?" I ask no one in particular. It was Misato who responded.

"I. . .I don't think so."

Hearing this, I decide to ask another question. "Ritsuko. . .Unit-02 only needed that suit to deal with the pressure not the heat, correct?"

Ritsuko pauses for a moment. "Yes, but I don't see- Wait! Do-"

Before she can finish, I command my Eva to jump into the volcano. I bring my A.T. Field to its max power and hope this wouldn't hurt too much. As soon as Unit-01 touched the lava, I was in immediate pain.

"FUUC-mmph! ! !" I try holding back my screams of pain. Shit! It feels like my flesh is peeling off! ! !

The pain fades away as my field stabilizes. I'm slightly shaken up by the ordeal, but I get over it quite quickly. Asuka's in danger, and I need to push on despite the pain. Besides. . .I'm used to the feeling.

There are boosters located on the Unit-01's back. They have a limited amount of fuel, but they should have enough to push me through the magma. With this in mind, I activate the boosters and jet through the molten rock.

My head hurts, and it feels like I'm gonna puke. It feels like every cell in my body's being compressed! I need to push through this! I can't lose focus!

Finally, after what seems like forever, I spot Asuka. It's not looking good, her cable's about to snap! The boosters have no more fuel, so I can't descend any faster. Dammit! I command Unit-01 to reach out as far as it can.

The cable snaps.

Just as Asuka begins to fall, I grab her and hang on to the other half of the support cable.

"Alright! Reel us back up!" I command.

As I said this, Asuka and I started our ascension back to the surface.

I take a few seconds to catch my breath. Out of all the things I've done since becoming an Eva pilot, jumping into a volcano must've been the most dangerous. As interesting as that was, I hope to never do that again.

"You alright?" I ask Asuka.

"Huh," she responds. There's a moment of silence between us before she chuckles slightly. "You idiot. You just had to show off."

I roll my eyes at her comment as a smirk makes its way onto my face. "Well sorry for. . .dropping in."

Asuka groans over the radio. "Really? A pun?"

I shrug as my smirk turns into a grin. "Hey, it was funny and you know it!"

About an hour passed after Asuka killed the eighth Angel. For that entire hour, Asuka wouldn't shut up about her killing the Angel by herself. Nevermind the fact she was defenseless until I handed her my knife. Or the fact the Angel was strangely easy to beat once we found its weakness. She still hasn't thanked me by the way, but I digress. The U.N. fucked off after the Angel was taken care of, but not before they issued one last threat to show how they weren't pleased with the mission. Bunch of assholes. Misato, to commemorate our victory, took Asuka and I to a hot spring. Pretty nice of her, even though I just want to go back to the apartment to rest.

Right now, I'm in a cabin near the hot spring. I'm preparing to find somewhere private to undress until there's a knock at the front door. Walking over then opening the door, I see a man wearing a post office uniform. He's holding a large box.

"Hello," greets the man. "Are the people from Nerv here?"

I nod.

"Alright, can you sign this?" he asks as he hands me a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. After signing the thing, he handed me the box then left. The box was actually pretty heavy so I laid it on the ground. Hmm. . .apparently it's from Kaji.

The box suddenly starts moving!

"What the fuck?!"

Cautiously opening the box, Pen Pen pops out. I just stare at the penguin in disbelief.

"Misato!" I call out. "Pen Pen's here!"

Moments later, Pen Pen and I are in one of the hot springs. Misato apparently thought it would be a great way for the bird and I to bond since we rarely interact. I, of course, opposed this idea. I hate being naked in front of anyone, animals included.

Letting out a sigh (and staying far away from Pen Pen as possible) I decide to think over today's events. Something's been bothering me. How can this world exist? I've been avoiding this question for such a long time because every time I thought about it too hard I would get frustrated. This place isn't supposed to be real. It's just a tv show made by some guy to entertain a few people. Yet, despite this fact, here I am. How can any of this be real?! How is this even possible?! First I'm living a normal life, now I'm in a giant robot fighting creatures called Angels alongside a cast of fictional characters! If someone told me this would happen to me one day, I would've outright laughed at them! I would've thought I was dreaming if it wasn't for the fact I never woke up to find myself home.

. . .

Home. I haven't really thought about that in awhile. Dammit!

"Hey Michael," I hear a voice coming from the other side of the wooden fence. "Be a dear and throw me the body shampoo."

I pause for a moment, having been suddenly thrown from my thoughts. Eventually, I roll my eyes at Misato's demand and grab the bottle of shampoo. I then toss it over the wooden fence dividing the men's and women's section.

"Ow! Watch where you're throwing!" says a brash voice.

"Quit whining!" I tell Asuka while silently laughing. I can tell Asuka's pouting, but she doesn't say anything in response.

Still. . .even though nothing about my situation makes sense, I'm not completely miserable. This world is. . .not really that bad.

I close my eyes and attempt to relax, but something else is bothering me.

Shinji.

Despite my attempts to not think too hard about it, I can't help it. Shinji died. He actually died! And here I am, causally living his life without a second thought. He's the one supposed to be sitting here, not me. He's the one who's supposed to live with Misato, not me. Hell, Toji and Kensuke are supposed to be friends with Shinji now that I think about it! Would the guy even be alive if I hadn't appeared? Did I somehow cause his death? Was all the pain he suffered, really my fault?

Shit! Why am I thinking about this now?! I should be happy I helped kill an Angel, not getting depressed. But. . .

"Shinji," I start, feeling like something needs to be said. "I'm. . .I'm sorry."

Author's Notes: Me: Nooo, I don't mind. Just decide to slow down when I'm in the middle of a damn story!

Computer: I detect a bit of sarcasm.

Me: No shit!

Computer: You do realize the problem's with the service provider not me, right?

Me: Bullshit! Anything else I use runs just fine while you fuck around on one page for about three minutes!

Computer: Why are you even using Google docs? You wouldn't be having this problem if you just use Microsoft word.

Me: Fuck you! YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE! ! !

Computer: I'm your computer! I AM YOUR LIFE! ! !

*Clears throat* After a bit of. . .technical difficulties, I finally finished this chapter. I will admit, this probably isn't my best work, but I will try to make it up in the next chapter. Also, I loved all the comments I got last chapter. They really motivated me to continue writing. The two which stuck out to me was justsomerealguy and nicbob255's comments. The former because of how funny it was (I literally couldn't stop laughing when I first read comment) and the latter because it was really insightful. Also, before I forget, Thomas Drovin got the name of the band and song correct last chapter. Good job on that one!

Chapter 9 Hint: The band and the name of the song was in one of the trailers for Logan. Also, the song's name should be really easy to figure out. I only removed one word.

Next Chapter should come out in either a month or a few weeks. Later.