Shinji

"Ayanami Rei is dead."

Gendo and Misato had gathered the Angel Slayers. Six teenagers should have stood by proudly. Instead, four wounded children waited in a hospital room, two were confined to hospital beds.

Rei was missing. Everyone was concerned. When the call came, that Gendo would appear before all of them, Zenitsu had seemed ready to draw blood. When the man arrived, with Misato in tow, things changed. Not only did Gendo seem out of sorts, but Misato barely seemed present. With slumped shoulders and a defeated expression, she looked at the floor.

Shinji had never seen his father emotional, but this seemed close. The Commander of Nerv stood like as if he were imitating his usual posture. The man held his gloved hands behind his back, one gripping the other intensely. His posture had never been so rigid. He held his emotions, but anyone who bothered to analyze him could see that he felt more than showed.

The posture surprised Shinji. The words only registered with him after a moment.

"Impossible…" Shinji said.

The whole room seemed to react in slow motion. "Miss Perfect?"

Zenitsu erupted: "Liar!" He screeched from his hospital bed. "The last thing she did was go to see you. What did you do to her?"

Commander Ikari spoke dispassionately. "It seems she suffered an aneurysm."

Instantly, Inosuke and Zenitsu turned to Misato, silently demanding a definition. She didn't react. Her eyes stayed fixed on the ground. Her expression wouldn't have looked out of place at a funeral. "A clot suddenly formed in her brain. She… it was so sudden."

Gendo continued, "The early reports indicate that there was a foreign body in her blood stream which may have caused the incident."

Zenitsu clenched his teeth; Inosuke gripped the rail of his bed. Both seemed ready to pounce from their places and murder Gendo on the spot.

"It seems that Dr. Akagi was performing experiments on Ayanami Rei."

The growling stopped. Zenitsu paled. Gendo noticed. "Traces of Zenitsu's blood, stolen from his medical report after the Entry Plug Incident, were found in Rei's system. This also explains her recent erratic behaviour. We cannot understand why Dr. Akagi performed such an experiment. She is currently being punished. You won't see her again."

Zenitsu shook his head. "She—"

Gendo turned. "We recognize your innocence. You will not face discipline for this matter."

His eyes narrowed for the last three words. All in the room recognized the threat.

A few sputters sounded in the room, the opening fragments of disbelief and anger. A few hours ago, they'd defeated two Angels. Two back-to-back attacks occurred, both of which could have destroyed Nerv. The Slayers had won! It had been two of the cleanest victories they'd ever had!

How could a day of victory turn into this? Shinji wanted to refuse it all. He wanted to call it a nightmare and move on. The worst part was the tragic sense of it all. Tanjiro lay dying because of an accident on the battlefield. Inosuke had been wounded by his own swords because of the same. Rei suffered because of a tragic medical error. If anything, this made more sense than anything else. This scenario presented a clear villain. Ritsuko, the mad scientist. It fit. There was monster and victim.

It fit easily. Maybe that was why Shinji couldn't believe it. The idea that Mad Scientist A caused Victim B's death seemed far too plausible. If Rei had just dropped dead, that'd be more understandable. It'd be the newest in a long list of needless tragedies. Gendo was lying. As usual, there was no way to prove it.

The cold voice inside of Shinji saw futility. His father commanded Nerv. If the Slayers ever attempted to leak this information, they'd be laughed at. All of them had seen enough battle to have mental scars. The only one of them who hadn't drenched themselves in the madness-inducing LCL fluid chose to wear a boar mask in all places.

Nobody would believe them. For the moment, that wasn't even the greatest concern. The Angels took precedent. They needed to defeat them. It came down to a logic puzzle.

Nerv was the only one who could beat the Angels.

Gendo was necessary to sustain Nerv.

Therefore, Gendo was necessary to fight the Angels.

Or was he? Cold, self-fulfilling hatred rose in him. The Slayers were strong. Maybe…

Gendo turned away. "Though it's small consolation, our updated reports project three days until the next Angel attack. I encourage all of you to rest as much as you can in that time. Much has happened. The worst is yet to come."

The wrinkles in his forehead intensified as he finished this. As he walked away, Shinji saw a look that he hated more than anything. It was resolution. That man believed he was the hero. He overcame adversity and accomplished great things. His were the hands that created not only created the promised land but forged the weapons which would attain and protect it.

"Oi! Chinstrap!" Inosuke yelled after him. "What about the green-haired Rei! What about the Lilith thing in the red room?"

Gendo stopped. The clatter of his halted step seemed to echo throughout the room. Suddenly, that resolution turned into a different kind of rigidity. "Inosuke. Nerv has deemed you necessary for the defeat of the Angels. But if you seek, or reveal, any more classified information—"

"Answer him!" Shinji screeched.

"You will seen as an enemy of Nerv."

Indignant rage spilled over. All the Angel Slayers, swordsmen and pilots alike, flung their hatred at the man who walked away. They'd uncovered something destructive – no, evil – within Nerv, but it all their concerns and effort had been denied.

And what could they do? Gendo may as well have been the Chosen One. If they fought him, they'd never pilot the Evas again. Could they just trust the Slayers, then? How many battles until they became like Tanjiro? Or how long until Nerv terminated them all and found new pilots?

Did it matter?

A strange instinct took hold. Blind fury filled Shinji. He ran. He'd felt and followed the impulse to run many times. Fury alone guided him. A blind but directed anger. "Father!" He rushed out of the room toward the commander.

"I'd like to visit your mother tomorrow. Will you join me?"

Instantly, the fury died.

"It's possible that we'll be occupied for weeks when the next Angel hits. The anniversary of her death is still some time away, but it seems right to visit her in a calm moment. Do you agree?"

It was cruel. His father had just presented that which he'd wanted for so long: Attention. Care. Approval. A request to spend time with him.

Before he could think, Shinji said, "Yes."

Asuka

Shinji didn't come back. He stalked off like a wounded puppy. Sure, his master had kicked him, but the same master gave him food. So, the coward licked his wounds and followed his master.

Pathetic, Asuka thought. Everybody knew that they'd just been fed a bunch of nonsense, so why was everybody just taking it? She turned to Captain Katsuragi. "Stop looking so sad!" Asuka jeered. "You think we'll pity you? Miss Perfect's dead. Sure, I didn't like her much, but we needed her, didn't we? She was a pilot! Don't stand there like it's all such a shame that we have to hear all these obvious lies. Talk to us."

Captain Katsuragi sighed. "I can't."

Suddenly, Inosuke swung his arm. The warrior broke the metal handrail on the side of the bed. "I'm going to the cafeteria." Inosuke grit his teeth as he pushed himself to the floor. Seething, he forced himself to walk. His legs worked fine, but his pain was obvious. Asuka was impressed at how he pushed through the pain. Those other-world guys were hardy, if nothing else.

"I'll join you," Misato said.

"Like hell you will." Inosuke grabbed the boar mask and put it on.

"At least let me help you walk."

Inosuke hobbled off, clearly looking to vent some steam. Misato followed him.

The hospital room had emptied much quicker than it had filled. "You know," she said. "Things made a lot more sense before I heard the word 'Evangelion'. This is almost enough to make me wish I'd never joined Nerv. Too bad the world needs us."

Zenitsu said nothing. His body slowly crumpled back until his head hit the pillow.

This downer atmosphere was too much. "Geez," she mumbled. "It's impossible to win around here. No matter how many Angels we kill or how quickly, something goes wrong. Say, before I got here, was there any battle where somebody didn't die or end up incapacitated?"

"It's my fault," Zenitsu stared at the ceiling.

"Don't give yourself so much credit. There's way more going on than any of us could have known. You think Ritsuko's in on all this? Maybe that green-haired person is a new Eva pilot."

Zenitsu groaned. Asuka wasn't sure when he'd last blinked.

"Hey, thunderhead, blink a little. You're freaking me out."

"Rei's dead," he muttered. "If I had been with her, she'd still be here. I was supposed to be with her. If we'd confronted Gendo together—"

"She'd still probably be dead, genius. You think you would've saved her? How? What's to say you wouldn't be dead, too? If Gendo really killed her, there probably would've been a bullet or an LCL hose aimed at you. For all we know, it was just an aneurysm."

"I hate this place so much," Zenitsu covered his eyes with his hands.

Grief gave way to frustration. His body shook. His voice broke with sobs. "I had everything! There wasn't supposed to be any more war or monsters or stuff like this. I should be spending time with Nezuko… We won… Tanjiro's almost dead. Rei… I owed Rei so many apologies."

"Get a hold of yourself."

"Screw you, red." Zenitsu scowled. "Try to read the room. Shouldn't you be mourning too?"

He turned away from her, denying any reply she might have given. Yet again, she was being ignored. She wanted to mourn, of course, but anger came first. It had always been the instinctual emotion. The person who slowed down from sadness got stepped on. So long as she was the loudest, the fastest, the smartest, the strongest, Asuka was able to excel.

This world of doubts, murders, and esoteric mysteries annoyed her too much to depress her. She didn't want to mourn Rei, she wanted to put whatever killed her in the ground. She'd been chosen because she could accomplish something. What good were her qualifications? Tri-lingual, recognizably genius, physically above average, and the first person to (almost) capture an unhatched Angel.

This esoteric mystery nonsense meant nothing. Questions were for losers and quitters. Asuka wanted solutions. She'd make them.

Why couldn't these idiots feel the same way? How were they so great? Why was everyone praising them? They had muscles, but they gave up too easily.

"You complain too much!" Asuka yelled. "You went and killed an Angel by yourself, didn't you? You're supposed to have killed all these demons, right? Whenever I see you, you're just crying or complaining. You're a man, aren't you?"

Zenitsu turned to her. Annoyance turned to confusion. A rebuke caught in his throat. "What does my being a man have to do with that?"

"Geez!" Asuka stood and kicked her chair.

"You're too violent," Zenitsu said.

"Shut up! Stop acting like you're the only on in a bad situation. You think I don't care that Rei died? We were study partners! I have to go to school tomorrow like nothing's happened, and hear the other students ask what happened to her! You think I want to answer that? No. These Nerv pricks probably won't even give me an extension on the tests. I can't even study for the tests yet… I need to be able to read the questions before I can answer them…"

Zenitsu tilted his head. "Huh? You can't read?"

"Shut up, you presumptive asshole!" Asuka lunged forward and swung her arm for a slap.

Zenitsu blocked the attack and pushed her arm away. "Hey, please stop trying to attack me."

She didn't even get the satisfaction of hitting him. Dammit. She'd find a reason to smack around Shinji later, she decided. "I can read, dummy. I can read German just fine; even some English. Japanese is too complicated. Kanji is stupid."

"Oh, right. I forgot you weren't Japanese." Zenitsu sighed and lay back down. Suddenly, he bolted upright with a "Huh? They expect you to writer tests in a language you can't read? You can speak great, so why—"

"So, you get some things, huh?"

Zenitsu ignored the jab. Instead, he looked forward. His fingers tapped his leg for a while. Soon, he said, "You want me to teach you some kanji?"

Asuka raised an eyebrow. "Why would you do that?"

He slumped. The boy who screamed and yelled at everything became human. "It sounds like a nice distraction from mourning."

"Oh…" she didn't have a jab for that. She thought for a while. "My tests are on college-level science. Do you know the kanji for things like thermal expansion?"

Zenitsu blinked. "No. Please explain."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Why?"

Zenitsu groaned. "I'm stuck in this room and I hate being alone. I'm also a century behind, in case you forgot. I like learning about this Japan's science. It's like seeing the future. At least… study here a bit. I'm sick of only having the nurses and Shinji for company. I'm getting depressed around here."

Asuka harrumphed melodramatically. "Well, if you're so pitiably lonely and stupid. I guess I could extend some of my wonderful company to you."

Zenitsu blinked. "I think I regret my decision."

They bickered for a while, but Asuka ultimately returned to his room with her textbooks and notes.

Misato

"Stop keeping secrets," Inosuke grumbled.

They sat alone in a small garden outside the hospital building. The sterile air, Inosuke claimed, made him crazy. Made sense. The guy was born and raised in the mountains. After a lifetime of nature, the scent of disinfectants must be bizarre. So, out of pity, Misato bought him a sandwich and soda, then invited him outside for a chat.

Misato rubbed her eyes and yawned. She'd called the Slayer out here, alone and in one of the few places not monitored, for a reason. "I need to tell someone. Rei's a clone. Ritsuko injected Zenitsu's blood into her. Rei wanted that. Gendo didn't like how it changed her personality. He killed her. Now, the genetic half-child of Zenitsu and Rei's DNA is blocking access to reviving another Rei clone. They claim that they can do something called Instrumentality when the next Angel attacks. So, Gendo's agreed to give the thing one chance, when the next Angel attacks. So, things are gonna be even messier than usual when the next one hits. Oh, Ritsuko's also stuck down with the clones until the next attack, to keep an eye on them."

As the explanation had continued, Inosuke's head had tilted more and more to the side. "Gendo's a murderer. Ritsuko did wrong but Rei wanted it. Green-hair is still a mystery."

Misato nodded. Inosuke worked through his sandwich. There wasn't even a single wrinkle in his forehead. All that horrible information hit him, and he was unbothered. Misato wished she could have a roommate like Inosuke. The guy relaxed her. Nothing bothered him. His moral compass never wavered. Self-doubt had never appeared once in him. Sure, his intellect and maturity lacked, but she admired his resolve. That same simplicity made him easy to talk to.

She almost chuckled at how nonchalantly he took what she'd told him. Inosuke had managed to lift her abysmal mood somewhat. For that, she was grateful. "You know, you could be killed for knowing what I just told you. Not a single word sunk in, did it?"

"You make me repeat myself a lot. I fight monsters. I protect my friends. Everything else comes after that." The whole of his attention focused on his sandwich. "Food is important, too."

Misato nodded. She lacked the energy or motivation. "I think we might die in the next attack."

"Oi, don't think like that."

"It's a likelihood."

"So? If you die thinking you're gonna die, you die sad. It's better to go full-force all the time. That way, your last thoughts are good. If anyone sees you go, that last attack is their last memory of you. If you saw me die, I want you to remember me howling like an animal, swords high. I want it to look like I've never thought about losing."

He was a child after all. As he devoured the last of his sandwich, mask lifted up, she saw that. The soft features of a harsh face, the musculature of a demi-god, belonged to a child. Still, she found him inspiring. Misato allowed her mind to wander. She recalled the boar-headed stranger who held her car aloft after an explosion. He'd charged headlong into an inferno of sparks. He comforted Shinji.

Inosuke wasn't gentle, not by any means. Perhaps Misato's selfishness gave him qualities he didn't really have. She wanted something simple in this storm. Inosuke provided that. Hell, if she was going to die, or see this 'Instrumentality' come to fruition, she wanted her last days to have some comfort.

Misato double-checked for cameras. Nobody observed them. Misato wished she knew how to let Inosuke know that he'd done good. She appreciated him for so much more than his fighting. Shinji definitely wouldn't have been a calming presence if he were left the chief Angel Slayer.

So, Misato leaned in and kissed Inosuke on the cheek. "Thank you."

"What was that?" Inosuke asked. "Was there something on my face?"

The innocent bluntness of his question got her. Finally, Misato laughed.

Tanjiro

His muscles relaxed in the water. Heat soaked through him. Steam filled his nostrils. Tension left. The process of relaxing seemed to take several minutes. It was as if Tanjiro were awaking from a great nap after exerting himself. Tanjiro breathed the air deeply, then relaxed his head against the stone behind him.

He needed this. There was no question. Rest was a crucial part of training. As he tried to relax, something ebbed in and out of his mind. Flashes of violence and defeat. Tragedy and victory.

With a yawn, he stretched his muscles and tried to relax again. His arm closed around warm, soft skin. "Something's bothering you," a familiar voice said.

Everything felt right, but something nagged at him. He closed his arm further, pulling the body against him. A slender, calloused hand pressed onto his chest. "It's okay to be exhausted, Tanjiro. You can rest now."

Tanjiro lifted his head. Rest was all he craved, but he recognized the voice. He needed to be sure. He looked, and Shinobu lay against him. He'd never even seen her hair down, but now, she lay naked and comfortable against him. With a content, "Hmm," she pulled his hand and rested her temple on his shoulder. "I think you were having a nightmare."

"Shinobu…" Tanjiro started.

She was alive. Shinobu was smiling. The muscles of her body were relaxed. There was no anger or hidden frustration. The face beside him conveyed only peace. Tanjiro was alone in a comfortable hot spring with a happy Shinobu. Somehow, he'd arrived in paradise.

"Are you really here?" He touched her cheek.

Shinobu laughed. The sound made his heart leap. He'd never heard such a sweet sound in his life. The only sound that meant more was Nezuko's voice when Muzan had tried to possess him. This moment embodied the type of peace he'd sought, a healing peace, where broken people could rest and be happy.

They could try to be together.

Shinobu nuzzled against him. "You've worked hard."

Tanjiro nodded. "Yeah, I'm exhausted."

"Let's enjoy this time together."

Tanjiro said nothing. She felt good against him. Some part of him felt a joyous lust, but that was secondary. The woman who'd saved and inspired him lived! He'd mourned her. Tanjiro had wept at her grave and wished he could've spent more time with her. Whatever desire they might have had to spend together had been outweighed by duty. They'd needed to fight; nothing outweighed that.

"I miss you," Tanjiro said. Amidst the steam, his eyes watered. "I've wanted to talk to you so many times. I have dreams about what might have been. I regret not trying to kiss you. I wonder every day what you thought of me."

She'd been hurt. Her scars had run so deep. She'd been so angry. That smile had hidden such fury. Demons had stolen happiness from her. The peace Tanjiro had helped earn belonged to her. Yet, he could not provide it. She hadn't even been able to see Kanae become her proper successor.

Shinobu traced a meaningless pattern on his chest. "You're not going to stay with me, are you?"

"There's more to do."

"It's not your Japan. You're allowed to leave."

"And miss the opportunity?" Tanjiro smiled. Smiling had never hurt until that moment. "I stumbled into this weird Japan. The people are confused, and they're in danger. I want to help them."

Shinobu pulled back as he stood. She smiled. "You told me that I hid a lot of anger behind my smile. You're hiding a lot of sadness and doubt."

Tanjiro shook his head and climbed out of the pool. He was in an enclosed area. The only door in this hot spring was a black wooden shack. He assumed he needed to go through that door. "It's not a lie," he said. "That's how the me I want to be would feel, so I do what I'd do if I believed it."

Shinobu blew him a kiss. "I miss you."

Tanjiro closed his eyes. It helped hide the tears. "You aren't Shinobu."

She simply waved as he walked off. Tanjiro opened the door. A wave of heat hit him. It was like a sauna within. There was a tiny pool of steaming hot water inside. His demonic reflection sat therein. Rei was beside, paler than usual, panting in the heat.

Tanjiro asked, "What are you doing to her?"

The demon smirked. "I'm trying to break you."

"Rei, step outside. Say hello to a friend of mine. I think you'll like her."

He reached out a hand and helped her step out of the pool. It didn't look big enough to fit the three of them anyway. Rei limped outside. Something was wrong with her. Tanjiro wasn't even sure if she was real, so he decided not to question it. Instead, he climbed into the pool. "Why did you bring me here?"

It shrugged. "I thought it would break your resolve. Maybe you'd want to stay here with the girl of your fantasies." Tanjiro hoped the steam hid his blush. "But nope. Wholesome to the end. You were so overwhelmed at being able to have a little farewell with her that you didn't even react to her body. I might be more human than you, if feeling that woman didn't make you think—"

"What do you want?"

The reflection shrugged. "I want to possess you. I come from the demon blood. Demon blood possesses. If Tanjiro the human ever leaves, Tanjiro the Demon takes over. Easy enough? I could wait until the Angels come in and destroy Nerv, but I'm impatient."

"That won't happen. The Angel Slayers will prevail."

The reflection smirked. "You really believe that?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll stop until the next Angel attack. I'm willing to bet that you'll give into me then. Your friends will fail."

"They won't fail, and you won't beat me. Where's that giant white Rei thing?"

The reflection shook his head. "She's in time-out for a while. It wouldn't do much good for… all that to go wild inside you, would it? It might possess you before I get a chance. Whatever Zenitsu did to her mind, she discovered her potential quickly. If I'm not careful, she'll take over your body."

"Explain."

"Later. For now," he offered his hand to Tanjiro. "We have a wager. I'll do nothing against you or Rei until the next Angel attack. You can freely enjoy these visions of your dying brain. Oh yeah. Did you know that you're dying?"

Tanjiro stood. "We'll beat you. We'll beat the Angels. That's all I need to know."

Inosuke

The mask didn't smell of blood anymore. About time, too. That mask was as much a part of Inosuke as his name. It felt wrong to not wear it in a day. His body seemed to be complete again.

He lay on the roof of the hospital, staring at the stars. They were unchanged, thankfully. Someone told him that the seasons were different in this Japan. Some Angel attack at some time had made a near-permanent summer. The landscape, weather, and people were strange to him, but the sky remained. He recognized the stars.

"I'm tired," he grumbled.

There were too many doubts and fears to count. He didn't bother with the things he didn't understand. Questions would only delay his reaction time. He trusted those things to people smarter than him.

He fought the Angels. The Slayers would defeat the Angels. They'd find a way to save Tanjiro. They had goals.

Eventually, soft footsteps sounded behind him. Inosuke felt a presence. It was gentle, childlike. Inosuke's chest rose and fell with a sigh of relief. "Whoever you are, thank you. It's nice to feel something uncomplicated for once."

"Sorry," a young girl's voice spoke, "I'm afraid I'm complicated. I'm the one who brought you here."

Inosuke tilted his head up. Through his boar's eyes, he saw a child version of Asuka. It was the newest in a series of impossibilities. Inosuke reacted the way he felt was most reasonable. "Ha! You think that this will confuse me? I've been confused since the day this started! You can't make me hesitate with this weak stuff. Try harder, reality."

With that, he looked back at the stars.

The child Asuka lay down beside him and looked up at the stars. "I think you're important to this version of the story."

Inosuke didn't reply.

She said, "These events have happened many times, with countless little changes. Trying to find the right ending. The story of Shinji, Asuka, and everyone has played out a lot. The story will see many more retakes and rebuilds after this."

"You said you brought us here?"

The girl nodded. "You might be able to bring a new ending to the story."

Inosuke shrugged. Whatever the girl was, she wasn't a threat. She also didn't use words he didn't understand. Sure, she didn't make any sense, but he could follow the words, at least. "Keep talking."

"Shinji could end the world soon. Or he could fail to save it. A lot of different things have happened. I might not even be born in this world."

"Why'd you bring me here?"

"To see what happens if there's an outside influence. The Demon Slayers represent more than they are. You guys are limitless energy. Shinji runs away from fear; you face it head-on. The goal was to see what would happen if the key players in this story met you."

Inosuke grunted. "This is our lives. Not a story."

"It's both. You don't think the defeat of Muzan will be told over and over? The battles of Tanjiro, Inosuke, and all others have already left an impact. You might not go through as many iterations as us, but your story has value."

Inosuke shook his head. "You bring us here to help save the world?"

She paused. Soon, she said, "Yes."

"Thought so." He let his attention fix on the stars again.

She folded her hands on her stomach. "Will you tell anyone about meeting me?"

"Nope. I'm sick of questions. We're here to fight and protect. That's what we do. I don't need anything else. Save all your stuff about stories. I don't care."

This was just how today worked. He used to live on a mountain, but he got lost in a weird house, which made him meet a guy with a scar on his face. Because of that, he joined the Demon Slayers. From there, he participated in a war against Demons. Therefore, he'd been on the winning side of the war. Now, because they were in some way impressive, a child spirit-thing wanted them to save a different world.

The sense didn't matter. Life had never made sense if he stopped to consider it. Better to rush in, full energy, without doubt, regardless of what was happening. That was the guiding rule: never run away. Always run toward the big scary thing that's happening. The scary things can always outrun a person. Better to train and meet them head-on. Inosuke believed that, even if he'd never be able to express it.

Instead, he focused on simpler things. He pointed to a clump of stars. "I hear that star shapes have names. What are some of these called?"

The girl pointed and explained the names of stars. They lay there talking until he fell asleep.