Hey guys, I'm back. Hope you're enjoying the holidays.
This chapter is a bit different than the others, focuses more on a relationship.
For those whom do not like this relationship, I urge you to keep reading as there is more to the story.
Here we are, chapter 19: No Time Left.
"Looking back on it... these first months of Eva piloting were a good time in my life. They weren't perfect, not by a long shot. With all the pain, the battles, the seizure, meeting Rei and Asuka, the house arrest... bad times as well as the good. Despite it all, I had grown. I wasn't as mopey as I had been, I had started to learn to live in the outside world with Misato's helping hand. I had made friends and even something more. I had finally seen the sparks of love that I'd been too blind to see for years.
Hmm, Mari and me having our time to be together. Living, truly living. It's funny... since day one I knew that piloting was never easy, but I would never see just how hard it could be until after the changes.
'He' told me what was coming, but I didn't listen at the time. I think I didn't want to listen. He scared me. So I tried to ignore it, to live my life. But I always heard his words in the back of my mind. A warning, despite his cold demeanor and his flaws. A warning that changes were coming. A message from the Other Man.
He told me that 'we' had a job to do, that there was no one else to do it. And that two Angels were coming for me.
Have you ever had something coming your way? Something you'd have given anything to avoid? Did you notice that time seems to fly? As if all the clocks in the world decided to start running faster. That it's hard to be in the moment. Heh 'be in the moment'. That's where Mari came in, she's always been my anchor. The one to ground me just as I grounded her.
I love her. I really do."
- Shinji Ikari
Two months after Mari was released from the ward
Cafeteria
You should eat your food.
Little Shinji stared at the food on his plate with blank lonely eyes. He was in the cafeteria sitting alone like always did these days. Ever since his only friend in the world had left.
Mari.
She had left the ward without him. Not even a goodbye. Almost a year know and no messages, no letters, no calls, no visits... nothing at all. Had she even cared about at him at all? She had been his friend, his first and only friend. Now she was gone and he was alone again.
Shinji, you're a growing boy. You need to eat something. Even if its just the pudding, you need to eat the voice in his head told him.
Little Shinji blinked at the voice in his head, the manifestation of his insanity, nagging him to eat his food. Slowly he grabbed the pudding off his plate and peeled off the lid.
He managed a small sad smile as he took a bite of the pudding, feeling like he was going to cry at the memories in his head.
… You won't be here forever. One day, you will leave the ward. I promise
"Need my pills" Little Shinji whispered softly to himself. Closing his eyes, he imagined that Mari was sitting beside him, stupid grin planted on her face and whispering conspiratorially to him about something. About plans to steal more pudding for the two of them, or else of sneaking into his room at night.
Shinji, there is more to life than a girl. You have to eat something. Just take a bite. Just one. It will help.
Little Shinji put a spoonful of pudding into his mouth and swallowed, enjoying the sweet taste amid the sea of blandness that was the ward food. He sat there eating his food all alone, eating because he did not know what else to do. He ate, then left to take his meds.
Just another blank day among the countless others for Shinji. Dressed in white, locked in because he had to be. No one for company but the thing inside his head.
…
Elsewhere
Mari stood in the park smiling as the wind blew across her face. The nanny was chasing after the wild girl, a pre-teen really, as she explored and explored. Her curiosity never seeming to end.
She'd already played basketball with the other kids until she'd gotten bored, most boys didn't like losing to a girl but that only made her laugh at them more. They'd stopped playing with her after that, little boy's and their egos, and so she'd gone exploring again.
"Mari! Get back! Your parents will hear about this!" the nanny was saying as Mari ran off again. Watching as butterflies flew past them.
"They won't care. They're never home!" Mari shouted, taking off with a shrug.
In the two months since she'd been released, mom and dad had come home exactly once. Mom had been too tired to talk to her, and dad had spent the entire time on his phone. When she tried to press them, to spend time with her parents, they only brushed her off saying that she should focus on studying, saying that she 'had a lot of schooling to catch up on'.
Stupid adults Mari had thought at the time.
She tossed her recently purchased skateboard to the ground, and took off down the path enjoying the simple toy for it was. Enjoying the fresh air after years of being confided inside a single building.
"Mari be careful!" the nanny called as the girl went sliding down a steep path, sliding down on the skateboard and using the added gravity to go faster. Other kids at the park panicked and moved out of her way as she did so. A few young boys watching in awe at the brave little girl, the girl without fear of heights it seemed.
"Mari!" the nanny called as the little girl lost her 'supervisor'. Mari skating on and on, enjoying the cheap thrill for what it was.
...
Later, Mari sat on a park bench with an ice cream cone in hand. Her parents gave her an allowance, but nothing she bought ever made her happy in the end. Not the skateboard, not the ice cream, not the roller skates in her room. They were just 'things' and she went to the park to forget, tried to have fun by herself. Sometimes she could, other times... she couldn't.
Even now, she imagined her friend sitting beside her on the bench. Imagined him eating ice cream with her. Going on adventures. The shy little boy who was a little too honest at times, whom wasn't embarrassed at losing to a girl at anything, whom had always been her friend. What was the point of all these things if she had no one to share them with?
"Young lady" a stern voice called getting Mari's attention.
The nanny had finally caught up to her, took her long enough. Mari had been ready to go home for a while now, so she had waited for the older woman to find her.
Looking up at the older lady, Mari saw the narrowed eyes and cold glare.
"You can't go running off like that! Come child, we're leaving. Your parents will hear about this" the nanny said with a fresh scowl. Mari tuned the woman out until the nanny reached down and grabbed Mari's hand, pulling her along as they headed back for the car.
Sigh. The nanny will quit and mom will just hire another one. Mari thought, dropping her ice cream and forced to follow the woman back.
Within the week, that nanny had quit. As time went by Mari had stopped bothering to learn the nanny's names until she was shipped off to boarding school.
Late Morning
Mari's apartment
Moments after Shinji's vision
If she was honest, Mari did not expect her morning to start off with being rudely awoken by a stirring in her blankets.
She felt the sudden change in warmth as the blankets had been torn off her sleeping form, the sound of a small gasp waking her.
Shinji. What did you do? She managed to think with a slightly annoyed yawn.
Mari rolled over from the spot on her apartment balcony, expecting to see Shinji tripping over himself or something very 'him' like. Probably hurrying to get back as he had stayed the night.
"Whoa there... next time just set an alarm clock" Mari yawned. The older girl stretching as she made to sit up, then took in the shocked sight of Shinji.
The boy panting as he woke with a fresh layer of sweat. He was holding up his hands, before slowly placing one on the fabric of her blanket as if feeling the material to see if it was real.
She put a hand to his forehead, frowning as he hadn't seemed to have noticed she was there with him.
"Shinji... what's wrong?" Mari asked concernedly.
"I'm fine. Just... sometimes I have bad dreams." Shinji said slowly. The boy shaking his hand as if getting the feeling back. Now, she was worried.
Mari took his shaking hand in hers, sighing softly. "Nightmare?" Mari asked as she intertwined his fingers with hers. His hands were softer than hers, it wasn't a surprise. What was, was the tremor in his hands, the shake that lingered in her boy.
She'd had a few strange dreams after leaving the ward, but nothing like what he had. She remembered seeing him on that night all those years ago, seeing Shinji screaming in the cafeteria with blood in his eyes... lost to the world and seeing things no one else could. Mari was no fool, she knew whatever issues she had had were nothing compared to his.
Her Shinji had been troubled in ways Mari just wasn't. She didn't like seeing him like that.
"Yeah, they come and they go." Shinji admitted with a shaky voice, breathing slowly and catching his breath.
Oh boy. Shit, I wish I was better at this. Shinji... it's okay she thought.
Mari gave him a hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he slowly did the same to her. She of all people would never judge him. She didn't know what to do from there, so she held up and let him calm down.
"It's okay. Hey, let's just get some breakfast." Mari said softly.
…
Moments later, she was awkwardly watching as the boy stood in her kitchen getting ingredients together for a more 'western' type breakfast as she had mentioned in passing that she enjoyed them.
God, when was the last time she had ever felt 'awkward'? This was new for her, and that surprised her, having a boy in her apartment and cooking for her? It was so different from any 'fling' for lack of a better word she had had. Even with the older boys she'd known in her time.
Damn, I'm being just like Asuka. Bossing him around. No, I can't do that. He just had a nightmare and now he's cooking for me. She thought.
"You don't have to" Mari said uneasily from her seat at the breakfast table.
"No, it's okay. I want to. I don't mind, this is something I'm actually good at." Shinji was saying as Mari watched him from the table.
The young boy stood in his girlfriend's kitchen and was already at work making them breakfast, he'd already put the pan on the stove and grabbed what he needed.
"You don't have to. After last night... Why don't you let me-" Mari began, her eyes on Shinji's hand watching for the tremor but finding it gone for now. She wasn't used to this, 'caring' about someone else.
"It's fine. Let me cook for you." Shinji said already starting up the stove so he could make them scrambled eggs.
Mari's time in Germany had left her with a certain pension for more 'Western' food and Shinji knew how to cook that too. Westerners had a habit of eating more 'stuffy' food than Easterners, but even Shinji had to admit that the west did have really good food even if it was a tad unhealthy at times.
Mari momentarily noticed the difference between their cooking. Like comparing a stick figure to a painting. Where she would have microwaved her food or else threw what she wanted into the pan and let it cook, Shinji instead took his time with it. His hands moving with care despite the nightmare from before, almost like he was an adult really. So simple and yet not simple, cooking was.
Shinji made the two of them bacon with scrambled eggs and side of toast. A 'simple' breakfast but somehow more tasty than anything Mari had ever made herself.
It helped him to calm down, his hand tremor had gone away and it was kind of... 'nice' to be here with her. Shinji only wished his condition hadn't ruined the mood last night, but that was just his life.
They sat at her breakfast table in silence, eating the food that Shinji had made for the two of them along with some orange juice that Mari had pulled from the fridge.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Mari asked suddenly. A hesitant edge to her voice, unsure of whether to push or not.
Shinji stopped eating to consider that. He knew he had worried her, hell he had worried himself, and that was something that had always gone unspoken between them. Their conditions, it was almost like a pact they had had since they were kids. In-between their games and adventures, a pact that they need not discuss their illnesses.
Shinji put his fork down and stared at his hands again. How strange, he'd never really chosen to talk about this with anyone before. The facts had been forced out by the hearing, because of how he had saved Asuka, and now people knew. The people at Nerv, his fellow pilots, and all the adults. Yet he was doing okay all things considered, but they only ever knew the surface level. Not the intricacies of his madness. He didn't like to talk about it, but Mari was different.
"Sometimes I have nightmares... or dreams. It's hard to tell the difference, they're not all bad but they're not all good either." Shinji said slowly, deep in thought.
He remembered the Other Man telling him to 'be brave' moments before he'd found the strength to summon the AT Field and save Asuka and himself from the N2 mine, remembered the voice talking to him during his first piloting run. Remembered the voice pushing him to get up and fight when Rei had been struggling against the Beast Angel and Unit 01 had been without power. Remembered the Woman in the Dark and the visions from last night.
"Why do you want to die?"
The whispers from the Woman in the Dark. Not the thing in his head, but the woman from his childhood dreams/nightmares.
Mari looked up at him frowning in concern, saying "that doesn't make sense."
He laughed sadly, flexing his hand and thinking of the things that he could not explain, and that a part of him did not want to understand.
He sighed saying "no it doesn't. It makes no sense at all... but I... I see things. See another life that isn't mine. Flashes of things. Like when I was kid, but not as rushed. Mostly I try to forget... I try to live in the moment but lately... I don't know."
Shinji half expected the thing in his head to stir, to tell him not to talk to Mari or else some other nonsense about him being young and foolish. That was the strange thing about 'it', the voice rarely yelled. It was so strange, the voice soft and yet at times bittersweet. Tired more than anything, and yet capable of getting frustrated and perhaps even angry with him.
But no, the voice did not come. And Shinji felt himself breathe in relief.
"I take my medicine, I try to be responsible. But ever since I started piloting I've had these dreams. It makes wonder if I'm go-" Shinji began with sad empty eyes.
Mari reached over and grabbed his hand, shaking him from his thoughts as he looked up at her in surprise.
"You're fine." she breathed in a hushed worried tone. Surprising him with her grip, as if afraid he'd disappear if she let go. The words unsaid but filling the room with an unexpected tension.
"Shinji... don't talk to Page again. Don't tell her those things. I- you know what she's like. She'll try to send you back to the ward if you do." Mari said as their eyes met.
No. Never again. I'm not going back there ever again he thought. He knew it was childish, thinking of that place as a prison, yet he couldn't help it. He had tasted the outside, had been free for over a year now and never wanted to go back.
Shinji felt his lips curve into a small smile at the feeling of his hand in Mari's, he shook his head saying "I'm fine, just a bad night or two."
Mari let him go and sank down into her seat looking relieved.
He laughed softly saying "sorry, didn't mean to worry to you."
"No, it's alright dummy. Just... damn you looked like a lost puppy for a second there."
"... a lost puppy?" Shinji said feeling himself lighten up at that.
"Yup. No wonder Momma Misato is over protective" Mari said in a soft tease, glad that things were going back to normal.
Shinji laughed at that too. Whatever it was, it had seemed to pass. They were just two teenagers sitting in an apartment eating breakfast. It was nice.
"Thanks Mari" Shinji said looking up at her and meeting her eyes again.
"For what?" Mari asked frowning.
For holding me when I had woken from the nightmare, for being there with me. He thought.
"For being you" he said honestly.
Mari seemed to consider that, the earnest look in her boy's eyes. She had forgotten how mature Shinji could be. And Shinji blinked in surprise at the sight of Mari glancing away, the shadow of a blush on her face.
Wow. Mari blushing? She's the one whom cornered me in my room to make out, and she's the one blushing? What has the world come to? Shinji thought with another soft smile.
"I'm still human. No one's perfect. Usually not good with emotional shit. Jeez, there are days I forget I'm older than you." Mari said seeming to read his thoughts. Mildly embarrassed more than anything else, though she admitted that she liked the sensation.
That was thing about her Shinji, he really did mean what he said. He wasn't just putting the moves on her, she suspected that he didn't really 'know' how to, and yes the boy was inexperienced. But this side of their relationship seemed to come naturally for him.
How... what was the word she called me? When she said I was such a 'goody two shoes'? Ah, she called me 'cute'. That's what she is right now Shinji thought even as Mari shook her head.
She knew what he was thinking.
"Don't say it" Mari said shaking her head. She couldn't believe that had actually happened to her. Shinji was about to respond that he liked seeing that side of her too, when suddenly a loud noise got their attention.
RING
RING
RING
Shinji and Mari looked up from the breakfast table, towards the blankets where they'd been lying outside on her apartment balcony. Shinji's phone was ringing.
"I better get that" he said already knowing whom it was. Mari glanced at her own phone at the table, checking the time and seeing it was past 10 in the morning.
"Shinji?! Where are you?" Misato's voice called out from his phone as he answered.
He winced slightly at the suddenly loud voice, before saying "hey Misato. I'm at Mari's place. I spent the night and I-"
"You spent the night?! What happened to being careful? Shinji! I... sigh, just- we talked about this." Misato was saying as Shinji listened. He glanced behind him on the balcony as Mari joined him, standing beside him as he talked with his guardian.
"Nothing happened. Nothing like that anyway. I just wanted a night out with Mari. And... and the house arrest is over." Shinji said calmly.
'Misato' Mari mouthed to him. Shinji nodded and she rolled her eyes.
"Don't do that! I woke up to find you weren't in the apartment and no one knew where you were. Ugh, Shinji just-" Misato had been saying on the phone.
Until Mari snatched his phone away from him leaving a very confused Shinji gaping at her.
"Hey! Miss Momma Misato! Lots of bad reception around here!" Mari said pretending to yell and adding in obviously human made sound effects of a bad phone connection.
"Mari! Your reception is fine! Don't-" Misato started to reply.
"Sorry! Can't hear you! I'll give Shinji a ride back to the apartment. He'll see you later. Bye!" Mari said into Shinji's phone before hanging up with a click.
Shinji stared at her in shock before she tossed him his phone back.
"She was yelling. And we didn't finish our breakfast" Mari said with a shrug as she headed back into her apartment. He stared after her before laughing as he followed her in shaking his head.
Mari was Mari after all.
Misato's Apartment
"Mari! Your reception is fine! Don't-"
Click
"She hung up on me... ah that girl" Misato scowled.
She was sitting on the breakfast table, phone in hand, tired expression planted firmly on her face, and eating a hastily made meal with Asuka.
Asuka barely even looked up from her bowl of cereal as Misato sighed putting her phone down. Why cereal? Because with Shinji gone this morning Misato had had to cook and Asuka didn't trust her with anything more than cereal. Misato choose not to take that as an insult, but only just.
Ugh. I drank too much last night. And what happened with me and Kaji... no. Better to leave that night forgotten. Ah, what did I get myself into? It was the drinks, and then to hear Shinji spent the night at a girl's house? When did he become such a teenager... sigh... no that's not fair. I wanted him to be more normal. Misato thought with a heavy head.
"Asuka, you're really quiet today. Something up?" she asked glancing at her other charge.
"No" Asuka said softly. The girl taking another bite of cereal and choosing to stare at her food without so much as a glance at Misato.
Cold shoulder today hmm. Hope I wasn't that bad as a teenager Misato thought. She would have to check up on the girl later, for now she needed to get over her hangover.
Asuka grumpily ate her cereal, of course stupid Shinji had spent the night with his 'girlfriend'. They were so weird together.
Honestly... it's like he's the girl and she's the boy. Her giving him rides everywhere and him spending the night at her place. How the hell did that happen? Asuka wondered. Then she blinked and shook her head. Why the hell did she care who Shinji dated?!
"Listen, I got work today but I won't be there the whole day. If you want I can take you out or-" Misato started.
"No, I... I have plans with Hikari" Asuka cut in. The young girl seeming unwilling to meet Misato's curious eyes.
I swear, it's like the kids are avoiding me. Teenagers Misato thought. "Alright then, well then I gotta go. See you around Asuka" Misato said finishing her meal and getting to her feet.
Misato waited for Asuka to say goodbye, but the words never came and the girl only nodded at her on her way out. One of these days, Misato would have to sit down and talk to Asuka about a lot of things. But not this day.
...
Minutes later, and the apartment door opened as Shinji emerged onto the scene. The boy closing the door behind him on his way in, and immediately heading for his room to grab a change of clothes so he could shower.
Asuka sat in the living room playing that stupid video game that Misato had bought for them, and no she did not want to invite Shinji over to play. If she wanted a partner then she had Hikari.
"You weren't here to make us breakfast" Asuka said in greeting as he awkwardly passed through the living room. He'd blinking in surprise at the sight of her playing but quickly got over it.
"Sorry. I was at Mar-"
"I know. Sigh. Forget about it." Asuka said turning her gaze back to the game.
Shinji blinked in surprise. Never sure what was going on with Asuka, but hey she wasn't mad at him or anything. This was one of those good times between them, better not push his luck. He shrugged and continued on his way.
He grabbed a change of clothes, and took a quick shower before getting dressed and moving to his room to catch up on his school work. He'd had much rather spent the day with Mari or at the arcade with his friends, but he had to do it or else he'd fall behind again.
...
Meanwhile, Asuka smirked taking some small joy in seeing her high score displayed on par with Mari's on the stupid video game. She was neck and neck with the older girl, and she almost laughed at how pathetically low Shinji's score was. Even Rei had had a higher one than him.
Well of course I could play the stupid game better than them Asuka thought with a small grin. That always made her feel better. Proving that was good at something, better than most, and that she was a prodigy. Almost an adult. She continued playing.
...
The Signal
Deep down in the hidden layers of Nerv, the First Angel stirred in the limited confines of its prison. A shadow of his former self, most of his power denied to him. Yet not defeated. Perhaps unable to truly die. It had taken all this time for him to gather what power he could. He could not act on his own... Imprisoned but not without means.
Adam stirred, the strange embryo like being tilting its head ever so slightly. It had no mouth, and yet it screamed. No sound audible to human ears, but a frequency that reached out and beyond the confides of the space down in Nerv. Reached out far and wide.
A calling. For Adam had never been defeated, only weakened.
The next day
Nerv Test Room
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shinji asked into the comm. Normally he just followed orders, but he'd heard stories of something bad happening the last time Nerv had tried this.
"Not really no, but you have the highest sync on record" Ritsuko answered into his ear via the comm.
Seeing the unconvinced look on the boy's nervous face, Misato grabbed her own comm opening up a channel between her and Shinji.
"She's just messing with you. We wouldn't do this if we didn't know what we were doing" Misato said hurriedly. Misato glanced at Ritsuko mouthing the words 'what's wrong with you?'
Ritsuko, for her part, seem to realize that she probably shouldn't have been so blunt and cold. She'd been acting harsh lately and no one knew why, just another thing Misato had to worry about it seemed.
'Sorry' Ritsuko mouthed back to her.
"Alright. Just... you guys can eject me if something goes wrong" Shinji said slowly into the comm.
"Of course, we got your back. Just relax, think of it like Unit 01" Misato said into the comm forcing herself to sound calm and collected even while her insides were writhing with worry.
The last time Nerv had tried this, Rei had ended up in the hospital and they'd had collect Shinji to pilot 01 on Gendo's orders via the backup plan. That had been what caused Shinji's very first piloting run in Unit 01.
Cross Pilot Evangelion Testing. Putting an Eva pilot in a different Unit and trying to form an operational sync ratio.
Shinji stared back at the hulking figure of Eva Unit 03 with a frown. This was so weird, but he didn't have much say in the matter. Rei was watching from afar, keeping her eyes glued to the Eva and that made Shinji nervous. He had a feeling his friend knew more than he did.
"Opening Entry Plug" a voice sounded on the intercomm.
With a hiss of compressed air being released, Unit 03's Entry Plug was opened and Shinji hurried forward stepping inside. Letting the Plug be re-sealed inside the Eva before he touched the controls.
Misato had made a change to the operation almost last minute. Instead of Unit 00, she had changed the test so that Shinji would try to pilot Unit 03. Misato had a suspicion, more of a woman's intuition than a scientific one, that Shinji would have a higher sync with Mari's Eva than the others. Apart from Unit 01 of course.
...
"You behave now! Okay girl, be nice to my dummy" Mari was saying.
The wild girl actually 'talked' to her Eva and that tended to freak out some of the Nerv staff, but Mari had a high sync ratio and a good combat record so they kept their thoughts to themselves.
Mari stood in her plugsuit, hovering just outside the testing area where Shinji had nervously made his way to her Eva.
...
"Starting Sync: 12%" Maya said standing beside Ritsuko by the main display.
Please... do not hurt him Rei thought watching the Eva with a blank expression. Hiding her nerves with a mask of detached calm. She remember the incident with an Eva going berserk after trying to pilot it. She did not pretend to fully understand the Evangelions, at times they seemed to have wills of their own.
"Raising. Raising. 22%. 25%. 32%. 41% I... 51%... 52%... sync holding steady at 55%" Maya continued to the stunned room of Ritsuko and her team, Misato, and the handful of Nerv engineers and technicians on call for this experiment.
All of them had been expecting another incident with a 'berserk' Eva, but the boy had done it. Shinji had synced up with an Eva Unit that was not his own.
...
"Right on!" Mari called into his comm.
Shinji opened his eyes marveling at this strange sensation. It was not at all like piloting 01, this was strange. He could feel the phantom sensation of 03 'running' through his nervous system but it was more rigid than 01 was. Like his movements would be slower if he actually tried to pilot 03.
"It smells like her... smells like Mari... I- and someone else" Shinji started to mumble. He felt himself dousing off and distantly he could hear a woman humming.
He had closed his eyes again.
...
"Sync ratio raising again. 56%. 58%. 60%" Maya reported to the surprised staff.
…
A woman humming to him. That sound... it was familiar and yet different the same time. A lovely lovely voice humming to him.
Someone had grabbed onto his hand. But whom?
"Why do you want to die?" whispers from the Woman in the Dark.
Stop. The thing in his head stirred. Shinji flinched feeling a hand on his shoulder, as if a figure was pulling him away from something.
With a jolt Shinji opened his eyes flinching as he realized what had happened. Need my pills he thought shuddering at the sensation.
He looked down at his hand seeing it was empty. Who had grabbed his hand?
…
"Shinji? Hey, answer your comm" Misato said starting to get worried.
After a tension filled moment of silent, Misato sighed hearing a response.
"Sorry, dozed off. I'm fine" Shinji half lied.
Misato breathed a sigh of relief. She checked her comm twice to make sure that it working when he hadn't answered her calls.
"He better not be trying to pilot my Eva" Asuka mutter to herself, forgetting that the comm was still open.
"Uh, you're fine Asuka. Only Unit 03 today, we figured you wouldn't want anyone else inside your Eva" Misato said hurriedly into comm.
Asuka blinked in surprise, realizing that Misato had heard her.
"Of course" Asuka said smirking. No one else could pilot her Eva, the very thought of stupid Shinji touching her beloved machine was just wrong.
…
Leaving Unit 03, he found Mari waiting for him on the hangar beaming at him. She patted the bolted down hand of her Eva.
"Good girl, he's a bit scrawny so go easy on him. I'm so proud of you" Mari said running her hand affectionately across the Eva.
Shinji ran a hand through his hair trying to shake off what had happened earlier. He couldn't help but feel a mixture of dread and suspicion lately when his condition came back. No matter, he could push it aside for now. He forced himself to focus on his girlfriend and not whatever the hell went on in his head.
"I'm not that scrawny, am I?" Shinji said managing a grin as she beamed back at him.
Mari jabbed him in the chest playfully, smirk planted on her face, saying "yes, yes you are."
…
Ritsuko studied the records again, noting how data showed a spike, a high point in the sync, before dropping down to a steady rate. Perfectly operational, and that had honestly surprised her. She'd thought Shinji would sync with Unit 03, but not to that extent.
"How did you know he could do that?" Ritsuko asked turning to Misato.
Misato seemed to consider that, crossing her arms as she observed Shinji and Mari chatting below, watching Mari playfully jabbing the boy in the chest.
"Woman's intuition" Misato answered.
…
The rest of the testing at Nerv went about as usual, Misato knew that the higher-ups like Gendo wanted more experiments run. But this was already pushing it, they had to take things slow or else they'd have another berserker Eva incident. Ritsuko and her team had proved cross piloting was possible with the Evas, and that was enough for now.
Misato had to almost pry Shinji and Mari apart from their 'chatting' session so they could continue, but she tried to remember that they were young.
Next they had all four pilots practice with their AT Fields, Shinji had the highest record with the field with Asuka and Mari tip toeing over each other's records, and Rei having the weakest field. Misato and Ritsuko had them spend two hours testing their fields before letting them go.
…
Shinji stood in the shower of the Nerv locker room for male Eva pilots. As the only male pilot he had the room to himself, and he'd gotten used to spacious room with its many unused lockers.
He let the water run down his face, unable to stop the lingering thoughts about what happened. It made him wondering about his condition. He'd taken his meds once reaching the locker room, but he couldn't stop the feeling... a sense of dread and he wasn't sure why. The strange thing that had happened to him when inside Eva Unit 03, and the nightmare he'd had the day before.
The memory of the voice in his head talking to him. When the Other Man had spoken to him.
Shinji shook his head. "Just nerves from piloting another Eva. Nothing more" he told himself in the mirror.
There's no point in all this worrying. This always happens, I make problems bigger than they really are he thought getting dressed.
Outside in the hallway he found Mari waiting for him. Both of them dressed back in their street clothes, her in her jeans, shirt, and brown leather jacket and Shinji in his simply trousers and shirt. He'd already told Misato he'd be going out after testing was done, and that it is was the weekend so it'd be fine.
"You alright?" Mari asked seeing his troubled face.
"I will be. Just... me being me. Ready to head out?" Shinji said as the two of them walked side by side.
"Always" Mari answered with a small smirk.
I have to live in the moment. Not spend so much time lost in my own head. Like Mari. She knows how to live... I want to be like that too he thought managing a soft smile as he walked with his girlfriend to her bike.
"You're in a really good mood all of a sudden" Mari said with a raised eyebrow.
"Just you being you" Shinji answered softly. Maybe that wasn't the right way to say it, he wasn't good with words. The adults in the ward had told him that he'd had a higher than normal vocabulary as a kid, but Shinji still felt like he often didn't how to say what he wanted. Especially when it came to girls.
Then he remembered, Mari was Mari. She understood him alright.
"You are so weird. But I like it" Mari said laughing at him, the two of them getting on her bike. Shinji choose to take that as a compliment, which it was coming from her. She liked to tease him sometimes. She made sure he held onto her before taking off.
Together, driving off into another night out.
Shinji enjoying the breeze as the wind flew against his face. He couldn't live his life worrying about whatever problems he might, or might not, have. He chose to live his life instead.
He smiled.
Three Weeks Later
Surprising, how 'normal' life could be without his piloting. For three straight weeks, no Angels occurrences, only the occasional sync test, nothing out of the ordinary. Not even the thing inside his head. Ever since his nightmare or dream or whatever it was with the Other Man, it had left him alone. Silence.
Shinji had been able to go on with his life. At times he felt the nagging feeling at the back of his mind, the words the Other Man had told. He tried to move on but the words lingered. With Mari's help, he found himself able to push his worries aside. Found himself able to live his life.
School, home, time with his friends, time with Mari, Nerv tests, and so on and so on. It might have seemed boring at first glance, but Shinji didn't mind. Him visiting the arcade with Toji and Kensuke, working with Rei to finish their homework faster, and spending nights with his girlfriend.
That was still such a strange word for him, he never thought he'd have that. A girlfriend. Perhaps that was depressing, but he hadn't honestly considered it. Mari was so full of life, in many ways still the same kid who wanted to go out and on adventures, whilst in many ways she was not.
More experienced than him in more ways than one. Passionate, and sometimes leaving him breathless with her lips pressed against his. He'd gotten better at kissing to, not a lot, but just a bit.
Mari often had to wait for him to get out of school or else sync test at Nerv, as she didn't have school she had more free time than he did, and yet they made it work. When they weren't out somewhere in the city, they were either at her apartment or else at Misato's.
He was better at being more 'at home' so to speak. Sometimes cooking meals for the two of them or else staying up late to watch a random movie that they sometimes didn't watch.
Shinji never stayed the night at Mari's apartment a second time. Misato saw to that, checking up on him in the late hours to make sure he was home whenever she had to stay late at Nerv.
Tonight was one such night, Misato staying late at Nerv. Asuka apparently spending the night at Hikari's place, she'd been doing that a lot recently like she was determined not to be alone. Shinji had noticed something bothering Asuka, but the German girl probably wouldn't want to talk to him of all people about it.
Asuka had Hikari, and so Shinji left it be. Focusing on himself.
So Shinji and Mari had the apartment to themselves. They'd stayed in for the most part this night, Mari watching some crappy movie on Misato's TV whilst Shinji finished his stupid homework. Then the two of them just played the video game console Misato had gotten him.
They enjoyed each others company, even simply being around each other and in-doors which was a rare feat for Mari of all people. Two mostly empty plates lay on the floor near the couch where they'd been gaming. He'd made dinner for Mari and him, but he'd putting off cleaning the dishes long enough.
"You are so bad at this" Mari was laughing at him. Their score was an overwhelming majority of wins on her side. He held up his hand in defeat, shaking his head even as he reached down to grab their plates and headed for the kitchen.
It was a habit he'd learned from teacher back when he'd lived with that kind man, to always clean up after eating.
"You don't always have to clean up. I swear, it's like Misato and Asuka have a free maid. Just let them do it" Mari said good-naturedly as he went back to it. Cleaning up the dishes in a hurry.
"If I don't, then no one will. It's like Misato and Asuka never learned to clean or something" Shinji said finishing up.
Mari leaned against the kitchen wall giving him a coy look. Just like me then? You basically cleaned my apartment when you first came over she thought.
"Uh, not you though. You're fine. Just..." Shinji said starting to realize what he had implied.
Mari shook her head saying "it's cool. I'm not very organized. You're allowed to be better than me at something." She made a mocking voice as if hurt by his words.
Shinji rolled his eyes before drying his hands and heading back to her.
Then his phone beeped, Misato was calling. She liked to check up on him on nights like these, when she had to stay late and left him and Mari the apartment to themselves.
...
Mari paced the kitchen as he answered, telling Misato that yes he remembered the rules and that yes his girlfriend wouldn't be spending the night over, and that he wasn't supposed to spend the night at Mari's place either.
He could feel Mari's eyes on him as he spoke with Misato, he knew his guardian meant well but at the same time why couldn't he just be with his girlfriend.
Shinji sighed sadly.
"She wants me to get going." Mari said seeing the look on his face.
"You know how Misato is." Shinji said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He really wished they'd let Mari spend the night. He didn't like nights like these to end so soon. But the adults just had to have their way, there was no getting around that. No matter how much Shinji might have wanted to.
"It's not so bad, I'm not locked up anymore. And I made us dinner, something I actually know how to do" Shinji said sadly. Mari gave him a curious look, he could tell that she didn't want to leave so soon either. Misato's rules.
He made to walk her outside, he usually did when they spent the night at Misato's place. But Mari lingered in the hallway looking tentative. The 'cool' girl he knew standing uncertain as he thought he knew what she was thinking about. Her spending the night with him. More than making out.
That. They'd not done that yet, and though the adults in his life, and even the thing inside his head and warned him not to, he couldn't help but feel a desire too. The passion and life Mari brought out of him, and something else beyond the physical.
"Or I could stay" Mari said slowly.
Misato won't be back for hours. She wouldn't know... the words hung between them. Shinji felt his heart race even as Mari pulled him back in the hallway. His hands in hers.
"I know you're still new at this dummy. But I like you. I like you a lot. Hell, I probably love you. Why wait Shinji? It's been three weeks." Mari said to him sweetly.
Strange. Usually it was the other way around, with the boy confessing to the girl and pushing them towards the next step. Shinji didn't care, they were who they were. If he was honest, he was at times intimated by Mari's experience yet another part of him liked it. Liked feeling alive with her, the rush of sensations from where their skin touched.
But Misato... and we're both young. And Mari is beautiful he thought even as he looked down at his and Mari's hands breathing softly.
"I thought of it. Of course I have. It's just..."
"Just what?" Mari asked giving him a bemused look.
Our age. My age... why do I even care about that? I guess it just never came up. Maybe it was about the ability to choose. I... I doubt I'd be very good Shinji thought awkwardly. His heart was racing again from the nerves and excitement. The possibility that they could if he wanted to. Hell, Mari wanted to.
"Shinji. We're Eva pilots" Mari whispered, leaning in close to rest her head against his.
The Angels... yeah we have dangerous lives he thought. He glanced up at Mari seeing the way she looked at him. The warmth that she didn't fully understand herself.
Feeling a bit more bold, a habit he'd picked up from her, he reached up and kissed her. Not with the passion that Mari had often engaged him with, not a wild flurry of sensation that sent his heart pounding. This was slower, gentle.
It surprised Mari, not like the other boys she'd been with. No this was so very him, so very Shinji.
More than physical, the voice had once told Shinji that he didn't know what love was or what it meant but Shinji disagreed.
Yes, he was young and inexperienced. Yes, he and Mari had only been dating for three weeks now. But he knew enough to know that he wanted Mari in his life. They had been a kind of constant for the other despite their years apart. Their relationship was unusual, and they lived unusual lives.
For once, it was Mari whom was stunned and overwhelmed with sensation. Audibly gasping in the sudden warmth the inexperienced Shinji had brought to her lips. That was the thing about her Shinji, he really meant what he felt and did.
She squeezed his hand tighter as they parted from the kiss, both taking the time to breathe at the rush they gave each other.
"Can I kiss you again?" Shinji asked almost breathless. He couldn't believe how bold he'd been, almost like Mari herself. He kinda liked it... being bold.
Mari brought her lips to his and together they awkwardly made for his room, stumbling slightly in the hall before finding their way to the door.
"Next time don't ask." Mari breathed into his ear as she pulled him along, bringing his hand down to her hips. He barely had time to close the door.
Together, they ended up on his bed. Mari pulling off her shirt and helping Shinji undress as he did the same for her with nervous but steady hands. Mari was so beautiful, Shinji thought. Athletic and well muscled with a flat firm belly. Almost like the body of a dancer. He helped her unhook her bra as she slowly helped him get his shirt off. He moaned as he felt her hand run down across his bare chest. Reaching lower and lower...
In the mind of Shinji Ikari
The Other Place
A lone figure sat in the remnant of another time gone by. A small stretch of land with the ruins of a city visible in the distance.
The Other Man turned his gaze from Shinji and Mari, turned his gaze away from the real world, instead taking the time to prop himself up against an old and faded wall before sinking to the ground to sit.
I could stop him. Could take over and push Mari away. I- it would only make things worse. The Other Shinji thought glancing down at his hands.
He tilted his head down, still not looking what at his counter-part was doing. Giving the boy his space for the time being. He did not approve, and he had no desire to watch what was happening.
The Old Man closed his eyes feeling his frustration, his emotions had started coming back and that wasn't always a good thing.
Intervening would only divide us more. He would never listen to me, no matter how many times I've been right. Unhappiness is more common than happiness... I know that better than anyone. Time is running out. His and mine. Ah Shinji, why did you have to do this? Why did you have to choose Mari? Other thought to himself.
Alone, so very alone in the dark place. This scar from another time. His home for lack of a better word in the void.
The Old Man opened his eyes running a weathered and beaten hand across his face. Forcing the sorrow from his heart, it was refreshing to 'feel' again. But with those feelings came only pain. He hadn't thought the boy and him would have differed so much.
He stopped himself before the memories of his daughter came flooding back, those memories hurt too much. That was the thing about love, it was both a strength and a weakness. Beautiful to have, and agonizing beyond belief to lose. Other stopped the tears before they came, he knew what'd gotten himself into. There was no going back.
He glanced down at his right hand, noticing the two missing fingers for the countless time. The sight had once unnerve him, but he'd gotten used to his 'bad' hand over the years. His bad hand with three remaining fingers, empty stumps at the edge of his knuckles where the other two had once been. The pinky and ring fingers missing from that hand...
Occasionally they still hurt, almost like the phantom sensations from an Eva. Like he could feel his missing fingers curling when his hands turned into fists. He coped with it by curling his good hand, breathing softly as he did now.
Other tilted his head up.
The Woman in the Dark was watching over him in the distance. Hovering in the void as she observed him, her face hidden under her long hair. The Woman swayed back and forth, watching over him humming as she hovered around. Her body mostly hidden.
Her voice as soft as silk.
Other Shinji looked back at her with hollowed empty eyes, both of them. Red and brown. He heard the Woman whisper to him, another memory.
"Why do you want to die?"
Her words still lingered in his mind after all these years.
"Be gone." Other whispered, sorrow in his heart, and looked away.
With a wave of his hand... the Woman in the Dark vanished. Only a remnant. Nothing more.
He really was alone in here. With only the faded yet painful memories and the cold to keep him company. Other traced the ringer finger on his good hand, the hand that still had all his fingers, and felt the mark on his skin were the ring had once been.
What he wouldn't give to have that stupid ring back.
This was all wrong, this was not supposed to happen. The boy wasn't supposed to have chosen Mari, but he had.
The Old Man rested his face in his hands, so many things he had tried to change only for it go further than he had wanted. T'was his fate he supposed.
Time is running out Shinji. Enjoy it while you can. He thought sadly. Keeping his gaze away from the boy, for he knew that tough times lay ahead.
Other sat there for hours, waiting and waiting in the dark and the cold.
Later
The real world
Shinji lay down breathing softly under his bedsheets with Mari. He felt at ease, there was no other word for it, and so very... 'alive'. Maybe he should have felt bad for disobeying Misato's rules... but Mari and him were...
They were both so young and they lived dangerous lives, perhaps it was better for them to live in the moment and be happy.
Mari lay curling around him, her legs resting against his as he came down from his high. She had a hand resting atop his bare chest and looked up at him breathing softly like he was. He hadn't meant to wake her, but she opened her sleepy eyes all the same. He didn't think she minded.
Shinji didn't think he was very good the first time, nor the second, but he thought he was getting better by the third. He felt his face flush at that, where had that come from? Like a part of himself he'd never known he had. Mari had noticed and his heart raced at the realization that she like it. She liked the effect she could have on him.
"You're worrying too much about that." Mari said propping her head up on one of his pillows and looking at him. Seeming to know what he was thinking. Boys, always so obsessed with their 'performance' she thought.
"I wasn't very good the first time... " Shinji whispered.
"No one is." Mari said teasing him softly. I wasn't she thought.
Shinji chuckled at that. He reached down taking Mari's hand in his own. After they had finished, they'd fallen asleep under his bedsheets before waking hours later.
"This is nice" Shinji said simply, holding his girlfriend's hand.
He thought he could see Mari roll her eyes at such a dorky statement, but nestling against him all the same. Shinji had to think about the right word for what they were doing... after their love making. 'Cuddling' that was the word. They were cuddling.
"What time is it? What if Misato comes home?" Shinji said in a small moment of panic. He wasn't much of a rule breaker and they'd just broken one of Misato's big ones. Still, he didn't regret it.
Mari whined softly as he reluctantly forced himself to leave the warmth of his bed and his girlfriend, getting up and finding his pants. He checked his pockets and found his phone glancing at the time, already past 11 p.m.
"We'd better clean up. Misato might be heading home soon" Shinji said looking back at Mari, noticing that she had sat up on his bed. The sheets falling to her side revealing her bare breast, she gave him a coy look as he blushed again and awkwardly kept his eyes on her face.
What's wrong with me? After what we just did and I got embarrassed again? Damn, but it's Mari. She's beautiful Shinji thought even as Mari smirked playfully at him.
She rose from his bed and moved to where he was standing, his heart starting to race again, and before he knew it Mari had wrapped an arm around him. Embracing him from behind. Flesh upon flesh.
"Glad to know I still got it" Mari teased him. She had noticed him noticing her, and she approved.
Shinji was left at a loss of words, her standing next to him like that, leaning on him as they stood undressed. Still she sighed softly next to him, saying "this is nice dummy." Parroting his words back at him.
She rested her head against his shoulder, hugging him from behind, and saying "took you long enough to put the moves on me."
Shinji smiled softly at that, reaching a hand up squeezing her's gently before letting go. She pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder, and he breathed out pleasantly. The two teenagers standing there softly, their clothes scattered across his room, Mari leaning on him gently. Alive, so very alive.
They had both better get dressed just in-case Misato came home. Or Asuka.
"Gonna take a shower. I'd invite you to join me, but I think we'd waste all the hot water. And besides, your roommates would be mad" Mari said coyly.
Shinji felt his face grow red and almost couched, damn she was doing that on purpose. He was still new to all this, but it... was pleasant. Very pleasant. Not just sex but something more, something he didn't really have a word for. Like they were a real couple and not just a bunch of horny teenagers.
…
The Other Place
Other Shinji stood in the remnant, glancing back at the real world. Glad that the hormonal teenagers were finally done, he had absolutely no desire to watch these 'kids' live out their passions.
He'd had to wait and give them their privacy. Other watched the Younger Shinji with curious eyes, watching through the boy's eyes. He tilted his head spotting something.
…
Mari had opened his door and was already walking off towards the shower, having not bothered to get dressed as she did so. He figured she should use the shower first, so he'd stayed behind to get somewhat dressed just in case. Shinji was pulling his pants back on, when he glanced back up watching Mari from the open doorway.
Shinji was glad they had Misato's apartment to themselves, Mari sure was 'free' for lack of a better word. Why couldn't he stop looking at her? His eyes lingering on her shapely form walking through the empty apartment. She was only heading for the bathroom to take a shower-
Do you see it? Mari has a scar on her back. It's tiny, but it's there. The thing in his head stirred.
Shinji flinched and had to fight to urge to gasp in shock. Three weeks of silence and now the voice had returned. Just like that, so sudden and ready to ruin the moment.
Gah. This stupid thing inside my head is a pervert. Shinji thought with a flicker of annoyance.
Says the underage boy whom just had sex three times in his guardian's apartment. The voice stirred, an equal flicker of annoyance in its tone.
Shinji blinked at that, feeling more embarrassed than anything else. He could just imagine what Misato would have said if she knew he'd broken the rules. Wait, Mari was his girlfriend he shouldn't have to justify that to anyone. Rules be damned. And she was... Mari was really pretty. 'Hot' was what Toji had called her once.
Stop thinking with your penis. Look at the scar. Why is that there? The voice said annoyed at Shinji's lack of focus, or rather the boy's focus on another matter entirely.
Sigh. Still not listening are you?
Something happened... and Shinji blinked. Finding that his head had moved and he was staring at Mari's bare back... where a small almost imperceptible scar lined her back. Faded and thin, a small line barely an inch long.
What the-
"Its rude to stare" Mari called back, smirking in the knowledge that he had indeed watched her go. He was so easy to tease, so 'pure' and she almost felt bad for making him blush. Almost.
Shinji coughed and quickly looked away. "Hey! Don't you need a towel!" Shinji called keeping his eyes glued to his bedsheets. He would need to wash them. That was the part the movies never seemed to show, the 'clean up' after the 'romance'.
"Always the gentlemen" Mari called back as she got in Misato's restroom to use the shower. Maybe Shinji was imagining things but that walk from his room to the shower seemed to have taken a really long time.
Tsk. You're letting your hormones do the thinking for you. Be careful Shinji... you were too young for sex. Don't lose your head. The voice told him.
What? Hey! Stop talking nonsense. Just let me live my life! Jeez. I... hello. Shinji thought.
The voice did not reply. The thing in his head had stopped stirring, seeming to disappear after its final message to him.
Figures. It just had to have the last word he thought shaking his head.
He quickly grabbed a clean towel for Mari just as he heard the water start running. He left it there for her by the shower door before heading out. He felt himself grinning like an idiot even as he grabbed a change of clothes for himself whenever Mari was done in the shower. He felt silly but shook his head all the same.
Can't believe that just happened. Was so sudden and I- we... he thought. Life was good for once.
The Other Place
The Old Man rose from his seat in the ruins. On edge as he stared off into the distance, feeling outward with his senses. His red eye twitching.
Time ran out. The Angels are here... Adam, you bastard. Other thought.
…
Elsewhere
The citizens of Tokyo-03 had been having about as normal of a night as was possible when things took a dark tone. Something unexplainable and without warning... another incident.
A dark sphere hovering over the city, at least twice the size of an Evangelion, casting a shadow that grew ever larger as the object approached. Phones started to malfunction and all across the southern part of the city, tv screens, computers, and radios flickered in and out.
The Angel had appeared without any warning, it had not come from orbit, nor the sea, it had simply appeared hovering far above the city. Appeared as if folding space around itself to emerge where it had, a form of teleportation. Before beginning its descent and by the time people took notice, it was almost too late.
A menacing sphere like construct that cast moving shadows below it as it hovered over Tokyo-03. The people started to panic at the instantaneous appearance of the Angel.
The city-wide drill had been started in a hurry, but various parts of the city had trouble sounding off as the electronics for miles around the Angel started to malfunction.
The Angel's shadow moved of its own will, spreading out as if alive and enveloping objects below. Seeming to absorb whatever the shadows grabbed, cars, people, street lights, all of them vanishing out of thin air.
In their panic, the military(JSSDF) launched two attack helicopters into the sky. Nerv had been called and was in the process of deploying, when the JSSDF tried to assault the Angel.
Firing missiles at the hovering structure over the city, only for the pilots to stare in horror as the missiles changed trajectory and went wild. The miles changing direction and instead firing off into the city before exploding elsewhere.
We had locked onto the target... the computer had calculated the shot! The panicked pilots had thought unnerved at the electromagnetic disturbances surrounding the Angel.
The 'living shadows' began moving, seeming to climb the very buildings reaching for the helicopters as the two terrified pilots made to retreat back to base.
… only one helicopter made it back.
Misato's apartment
Shinji. Go to the balcony. You need to see.
Shinji blinked, he was sitting in the kitchen with Mari having just finished taking a shower and getting dressed after having waited his turn.
Mari tilted her head at him noticing something was wrong.
Whatever he was going to say was drowned out by the sound of the city alarm going off like a massive bullhorn. The ringing sounded loud and hard, but disrupted. The boom flickering in and out of existence as he and Mari covered their ears.
Together they ran to the balcony and both stared with wide eyes at the sight outside.
Like something out of an apocalyptic invasion movie, the Angel hovering over the city. A floating sphere of menace. Larger than an Evangelion, the sphere's surface warped black and white in strange colored patterns.
They watched as the city lights flickered in and out of existence around the Angel for several miles. Leaving entire blocks of the city in the dark.
Leliel The thing in his head told him.
…
Elsewhere, Asuka scowled at the Angel hovering over the city. Hikari started at it dumbfounded, having never seen an Angel except for on tv and even then only the ones that were dead.
…
Rei woke and looked up from her bed hearing the sound of the city alarm and wasted no time in getting dressed before heading out the front door. Phone in hand and struggling to call Nerv to get a ride, the Evas were needed.
…
"We need to get to Nerv. Come on, I'll drive" Mari said clamping a hand on his arm. They ran back inside, Mari grabbing her brown leather jacket and motorbike keys.
Something was wrong with the electronics, Shinji tried answering his phone when Misato's call came but the connection was bad.
"Shinji! - We... need- Eva... Angel is-" Misato's voice came thru his phone. The static was so bad that Shinji winced from what sound managed to get through.
"On my way!" Shinji shouted before hanging up. He only hoped his message made it through to Misato.
An Angel that large? That can't be good, and it's messing with the power. What are these things? How can they do what they do? Shinji thought rushing down the stairwell and heading outside the apartment block Mari at his side the whole way.
I'm sorry Shinji, this is it. This is his vengeance. The thing in his head suddenly stirred.
Shinji fought the urge to scowl. Of course, the voice had come back just as Angel appeared, and now it wouldn't leave him alone. He couldn't worry about that right now, he had an Angel to deal with.
No Shinji. Not one Angel, but two. Two Angels. Not just Leliel, but another. The other one is hiding... even from me. But I can sense it. There's two Angels. Be very careful. The thing in his head stirred.
What? Two Angels... I- no there's only one. Ah! Doesn't matter, we have four Evas now. Shinji thought shaking his head.
This is his revenge for what happened before, for what I did to Matarael. He hates the two of us. He is a shadow of what he used to be, but he called them here and warned them. He gave them knowledge.
What? What the hell are you talking about? Shinji thought even he got on Mari's bike with her and the two of them drove on. The wind brushing past him as Mari drove on and on through the panicked streets.
Adam. The First Angel. He did this, he sent those two after us. He's made them stronger. Warned them. Adam is very very angry.
…
Deep down in the hidden layers of Nerv, the strange embryo-like being stirred from within the confides of its prison. Tilting its head and moving the thin gap across its face, the beginning of its mouth that had never been allowed to fully re-grow, forming a surprisingly 'human' like expression.
The First Angel smiled.
This is the first time the opening quote was from Shinji and not the Broken Man.
I hope that's not too confusing. It's something that's been coming for a while now. Different levels in the story that have different quotes from either of our two Shinji(s). An opening not from Other, but our Younger Shinji himself!
As I said, this chapter focused on a relationship. There was another time jump this chapter, but I picture it like a montage scene. Readers can fill in the blanks for that time jump though I try not to do them too much. I wanted to write Shinji being more changed of course, but still that somewhat awkward kid put in more 'adult' situations. I didn't want to focus as much on the sex itself, but more on the intimacy and smaller more personal moments. How Mari is to Shinji and how he is to her.
I try to write Shinji as a good guy, an earnest guy who means what he says despite being young and somewhat damaged and inexperienced. Their dynamics are interesting to write, as Shinji is at times a more 'feminine' character and Mari is at times a more 'masculine' character(as in tropes).
Adam hasn't forgotten what happened with Matarael (spider like Angel from chapter 14 and 15).
Thanks for Reading and please Review.