Sekhmet: I'm uncomfortable. Susano-o is In charge of writing the more heavy scenes, and he's good at it.
Susano-o: It wasn't that heavy.
Sekhmet: I'd say what happened but the notes are a spoiler free zone. Anyway, this chapter and the next are heavy character interaction, some last minute character development before the storm.
Susano-o: Like regular Evangelion, the last bit is all talking! Except this time we have proper feelings and emotional growth!
Sekhmet: Yes, HEALTHY EMOTIONAL GROWTH (™) was a huge thing that we both agreed needed integration, and I think we've accomplished that in spades. It'll affect the outcome of the finale too, like a choice based game.
Susano-o: Even if it wasn't amazing we tried to show that they did interact all the time and would talk to each other, even offscreen and during the intervening months/weeks, they were friends, even Asuka Sekhmet :P
Sekhmet: I hate her, not Mary. We fixed that anyway. It helps that there's no concrete timeline beyond Shamshel. From then on out, it could have been weeks, months, or even years to the end. I choose to believe it happened over the course of a year.
Susano-o: EVA why you no make christmas episode!? Anyway this is the beginning of the end times so enjoy!
Chapter 18: The Sixteenth Angel, Armisael
"Wow two new people," Kensuke said smiling as Shinji, Toji, and him watched everyone surround Kaworu and Ray. "Quite a new development considering how many people we've lost in recent weeks."
"Yeah. Maybe things are finally looking up." Shinji replied.
"Whatever," Toji mumbled rolling his eyes. "I'm just glad you guys are almost done," He said annoyed. "Sorry I couldn't help anymore…"
"It's ok, it wasn't your fault." Shinji said.
"Yeah man," Kensuke said patting his back. "You couldn't have known your EVA thing would go nuts, glad all you got out of it was a few bruises and some time in the hospital," He said smiling, then got in closer. "Also I heard Class Rep came to give you your homework and some homemade soup if I remember~" He sniggered. Toji blushed and hid his face. Shinji smiled and chuckled.
….
"So the new guys," Isabelle said hanging upside down in a tree around her fellow female pilots. "Discuss."
"I will throw Ray into the primordial sea," Rei said annoyed. "And then drown him."
"What's to discuss? We all know where Ray came from, but we know nothing about Kaworu yet." Mary said.
"Yes but we can still give our impressions of our new Pilot/Friend and the new student," Adelise elaborated. "I find Ray to be enjoyably upbeat, he even helped me make some plushies."
"I can't get a read on the new guy and I don't like it." Asuka said. "As for Ray, he seems nice enough, but it's still a little strange all things considered."
"We're fighting giant monsters from space and you find a clone made from our collective orgy weird?" Mari asked not looking up from her book.
"And you don't?" Asuka retorted. "Those things aren't equally weird?"
"Nope," Mari said shrugging. "I gave up after we learned Shinji was a memelord," She chuckled. "As for pasty boy, eh, he's just a weirdo."
"Does he seem kind of...empty?" Mary asked. "I can't really explain it, but it's like I'd expect him to be hollow if I cut open his body. It's an unexplainable weird vibe."
"Yeah he's got a real 'Blue before we taught her the true meaning of Christmas' vibe about him," Isabelle said giggling. Rei responded with a glare.
"So what do we do then?" Adelise asked.
"Destroy him before he destroys us?" Mari suggested brandishing a switchblade.
"What? No, where did you even get that, those are illegal here." Mary said, ushering her to put it away.
"I don't know," Mari said shrugging. "And really? Do you think they'll arrest me for it? I think I could literally stab a man in broad daylight and get away with it," She chuckled. "Or did you forget about the time we threatened the entire world's safety when we rebelled?"
"I'm still not convinced they're not gonna take us out back and shoot us in the back of our heads after this is all over. Besides, we haven't saved the world yet." Mary said. "Isabelle and I have been keeping count, there's only two left."
"They will not," Rei answered. "I have...persuaded a number of NERV officials to forget that little incident," She said crossing her legs, creating the image of a mob boss talking to her capos.
"Right…." Asuka said nervously scooting towards Mari. "How many Angels are left again?"
"Two, unless something else happens." Adelise said.
"Good," Asuka said sighing as she leaned against Mari, who started rubbing her head. "I'm ready for this to be over."
….
"So…" Kawrou said standing behind Shinji. "You're the third child."
Shinji eeped and whipped around, he hadn't realized Kaworu had come up behind him. "Oh! Y-yeah…"
"Interesting…." Kaworu said smiling. "I wish to get to know you even more now."
"Well-I-uh…" Shinji stuttered.
"Shhhhh…" Kaworu said putting a finger on his lips. "Let's go out for lunch, my treat?"
"I-can I bring someone else too?" Shinji asked, blushing and scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Of course, I love meeting people," Kaworu chuckled. "-Bring everyone, I'm sure it will be a fun time," he said before walking away. Shinji sighed in relief, he hadn't gotten quite used to social interaction with strangers yet.
….
"So where are we going again?" Asuka grumbled as Kaworu led them around the city.
"A place," Kaworu said vaguely.
"What place?" Asuka growled.
"A place to get lunch," Kaworu said smiling.
"Asuka," Ray said setting his hand on Asuka's shoulder. "I would highly advise not grinding your teeth, you can cause serious damage to them."
"Then tell him to stop bullshitting," Asuka snapped.
"I do not possess the means to obtain the feces of a cow right now," Kaworu chuckled.
"I think she's asking for a specific answer." Adelise said.
"Oh, I don't know," Kaworu said shrugging. "I just moved here after all, I don't know where anything is."
"I KNOW A PLACE!" Isabelle suddenly shouted before Asuka could commit a murder they would have to cover up.
….
"So why is there a KFC Taco Bell in Japan?" Asuka asked munching on her famous bowl.
"Apparently KFC is really popular here. Good thing too, these things are so good." Mary said, shoveling a bite of her famous bowl in, then deciding if needed more butter.
"And artery destroying," Rei and Ray said in unison as they ate their vegetarian taco bell, a combination everyone wasn't expecting.
"See? You do get along!" Adelise said cheerfully.
"No we don't/Yes we do," Rei and Ray said again in unison sending everyone into a laughing fit.
"So are you two twins?" Kaworu asked the blue haired duo.
"No," They said again for the third time.
"We are cousins," Rei explained. "The Ayanami genetics are very strong though."
"She is like a sister to me though," Ray said poking Rei's cheek with a smile. "My sweet little sister."
"I'm older than you," Rei informed with a glare. "You are the youngest, but that doesn't mean you have license to be annoying."
"Isn't that the job of the younger sibling?" Shinji asked.
"Come on you two," Isabelle said grabbing Rei's hand. "No fighting at the dinner table."
"...Very well," Rei said taking Isabelle's hand as well.
"Hehe," Adelise said giggling. "So cute."
Kaworu joined in the laughter as he reached out and put his hand on Shinji's thigh. Shinji jumped at the contact, spluttering and blushing and his brain fried trying to decide what to do about it, eventually forcing himself to take the offending hand off. Kaworu didn't seem to react, instead taking his other hand and setting it on Mary's thigh. Mary however had no problems pulling his hand off, brushing it off with barely a bristle but plenty of blush.
"What was that about?" Shinji thought. "I mean, yeah he's cute, but I also like Mary, and I have to choose one, right?" He asked himself.
"So," Kaworu said smiling. "I think it's time to tell you all my secret…." He chuckled.
"What?" Isabelle asked.
"I'm the 9th pilot," He said chuckling.
"Ah! Well if that's the case," Mary said, digging two peaches out of her bag. "This is for you. And Ray, I forgot to give you yours." She said, handing the two newcomers their peaches.
"Thank you," Ray said eating his peach like a corn on the cob to make her laugh. Kaworu nodded and slowly started eating his as well, slowly bringing his hand over to brush Mary's as he did so.
"It's delicious," He said smiling calmly. Mary became flustered and Shinji felt a twinge of something inside his chest.
…
"That was great. I can tell a song like Moon River is gonna sound great under heavy plunderphonics. And not to mention it was a great performance." Mary said. She and Shinji were working on a tape, which Mary had titled " N.", and were back in
"Oh, well, thank you." Shinji said, putting his bow down.
"Now we just wait for the file to convert to MP3 and we can get started. What do you wanna go for this time? Vaporwave? Citypop?" Mary asked.
"I was thinking maybe something calm, like you'd hear in a coffee shop." Shinji answered.
"Lo fi then?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, maybe with a jazzy touch." Shinji said.
"Alright, I'll load up the samples." Mary said, bringing up the app.
"Samples of what?" Kaworu asked, poking his head in the doorway of the computer lab. That twinge in Shinji's chest came back.
"Oh! Hey Kaworu. We're making music." Mary said.
"Music? That sounds interesting." Kaworu mused, pulling up a chair to the computer next to her. "How do you make it?"
"Well, plunderphonics is a bit easier to make than other music since it's all samples and distortion…" Mary trailed on and on about all the intricacies of plunderphonics, all its branches and distortion techniques, pretty much everything she had learned about it, and was so enthralled that she never noticed that Kaworu put his hand over hers while seeming amused about what she was saying.
The twinge grew.
…
"Ok everyone pack it up," Misato ordered clapping her hands, startling Mari out of her doze. "Testing is done for the day, we need to get the 9th child in for baseline testing."
"Glad to be done." Mary said sardonically. "I'm getting tired of coughing up LCL every time I get out."
"I hate getting the stuff out of my hair," Asuka agreed.
"-But I love the smell on you queenie~" Mari cooed. Asuka blushed and grumbled something under her breath.
"I don't like it either. I think it's damaging my hair as well." Adelise said sadly.
"Come on stop complaining all of you," Misato said. "We've got to do a lot of tests so hurry-" She started before being cut off by the Angel Alarm. "Alright change of plans, everyone to their EVA's now!"
"This will be the second to last one, right?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah I think so?" Mary asked.
"Great let's kill it and get closer to the end of this bloody fighting," Isabelle agreed.
"Harem Squad go!" Mari laughed.
"We are not a harem!" Asuka screeched.
…..
The Angel was bright white, like the last one. However, instead of being a featureless vague humanoid, this one looked like a giant halo. Upon getting closer, the pilots could see that it wasn't a halo, but a DNA strand attached to itself in a circle.
Symbolism!" Isabelle shouted in a Josh impression.
"So who's gonna be the first to poke it?" Mary asked.
"We do not poke the creature that last time nearly fried our friends brain," Rei deadpanned before unlocking her Prog Spear. "We will pincer it, Asuka are you ready?"
"Ready and waiting," Asuka said nodding. "You go low I go high?"
"Agreed," Rei said. "Three, two, one now!"
The two EVA's surged forward and stabbed the Angel in its body. It didn't seem all too phased, but it broke its halo circle to become a more worm like being. It shot forward and stabbed into Unit 0 in the stomach, causing veins to pop up and rapidly spread.
"Blue!" Isabelle shouted as Rei's screams of pain flooded the coms.
"Not again!" Mary shouted, rushing ahead to grab the Angel.
"It's fusing to Unit-0!" Maya screamed in fear. "It's AT-Field isn't defending against the Angel's intrusion we're already at 5% biomass infusion!"
"Well how do we get her out!?" Asuka shouted grabbing the other end of the Angel, only to scream in pain as it attempted to fuse with her as well.
"Everyone! AT-Fields max power!" Shinji ordered as the remaining pilots grabbed the Angel and started pulling. As the Angel was very slowly being extracted, thousands of fleshy manifestations of the pilots popped up on the surface of Unit 0.
"Ah! Mini Me's!" Mary shrieked.
"What the fuck!" Mari, Isabelle, and Asuka screamed as the small versions invaded their pods.
"Everyone hold on!" Shinji ordered gritting his teeth. "If we pull it out we can stop this! Misato we need a way to destroy this thing!"
"We can't determine one!" Misato yelled back. "The Angel's entire structure is made of core material! It has to be destroyed completely at once or it will regenerate!"
"Fuck!" Shinji screamed pulling harder.
"...I have an idea," Rei groaned. "If I were to invert my AT-Field, I could pull it inside and detonate Unit-0."
"No! We're not gonna lose you!" Mary screamed.
"Yeah, no way!" Adelise agreed. "There has to be another way!"
"I will be fine," Rei insisted as she inverted her field, sucking the Angel inside her unit, where the back suddenly exploded into a giant tower of all the previous Angels together.
"Rei no!" Asuka screamed as the last of the Angel escaped her grasp.
"i-I will eject," She stuttered out. "B-Before d-detonation," With that she boosted her field to max power and sucked the tower back inside, preparing the self destruct sequence.
"Wait!" Misato shouted. "Unit-0 isn't accepting the ejection codes! Rei you can't get out!"
Rei groaned, but finished the sequence anyway, causing her Eva's core to implode.
"Project your AT Fields! Shield Rei from the inside!" Shinji ordered. The pilots projected their fields around the plug just as the blast occurred, causing the plug to bounce off the fields and shoot off into the distance.
For a few moments, no one moved, before Ritsuko's voice came over the radio. "...The blue pattern has disappeared, and life support is getting faint readings from Rei's pod." And everyone let out the breath they were holding.
…
"Get me her right now," Gendo ordered as he watched the retrieval team pulled a rather beaten Rei out of her pod.
The crew looked uncertain, but pull the girl over on a stretcher, Gendo looked down at her with a cold disdain before bringing her into the medical tent with him.
"Do you know how much of a situation you have created when you destroyed your clones and created that abomination?" Gendo asked coldly.
"Yes," Rei heaved. "That's why I did it," She smirked. "Ray wasn't planned, but he is certainly a big help," She said before breaking out into a laughing fit that caused her to start wheezing in pain. "Another one who could fulfil your insane plan, and another one you have no control over," She giggled with a vicious mockery of a grin. "You failed Gendo Ikari."
Gendo said nothing as he withdrew a silenced pistol from his jacket and shot Rei twice in the head, her expression locked in that grin as he waved in Ritsuko. "Have the backup prepared as soon as possible," He ordered before getting close to Rei's head. "Clever as you are, I always have a backup." He said smirking before leaving the tent.
…
"At what point do we stop boiling this?" Shinji asked, stirring a pot of peaches and sugar.
"Before it burns." Mary said, then leaned over to smell the pot. "That should be good."
"Ok," Shinji said smiling. "Rei's gonna love this."
"I would hope so, these were the best ones in the bag." Mary said. "I have to go get something in the back, all that's left is to pour in the filling and bake it." She left the kitchen to go get what she was looking for while Shinji prepared the dough.
"Hello there," A voice said behind Shinji. He jumped and turned around to find Kaworu standing behind him.
"Oh! Kaworu, how did you get in here?" Shinji asked.
"I have my ways." He mused looking over Shinji's shoulder by pressing his body against Shinji's and setting his head on his shoulder. "What are you making?"
"I-well-I-Peach cobbler…" Shinji spluttered, flushing at even the slightest movement.
"Oh? Never heard of it. It looks tasty…" Kaworu mused, and licked his lips absentmindedly.
"It-it's Mary's family's recipe…" Shinji stutters.
"Oh if she's making it I'm sure it will be wonderful," He said running a hand up Shinji's arm. "Need any help? I'm not much of a cook, but I'm good at taking orders."
"I-yeah that would be great." Shinji stammered, sliding out from under Kaworu's grip to go back to the dough, beet red from both the heat and the flirting.
"I found the-Oh hey Kaworu, when did you get here?" Mary asked, holding a big shaker of cinnamon.
"I've been here a few minutes. I'm checking in on everybody after I heard about what happened to Rei, making sure everyone's ok." Kaworu smiled.
"Well that's very nice of you.." Mary said. As she started filling him in on the recipe, Shinji stared at the sandy dough in the bowl like it owed him money.
"What the hell was that about?" He thought to himself. "I like Mary, but at the same time being pinned like that-wait do I like both of them? Is that even possible?"
"Shinji, are you ok? You're not overheating are you? Let me open a window." Mary asked in rapid succession before walking over and opening the nearest window.
"No, I'm alright." Shinji assured. "Something just came to mind."
"If it's about Rei, I wouldn't worry. They've got top surgeons working on her. She'll be ok." Kaworu said reassuringly. After Shinji put in the crust, Kaworu spread out the peach filling and Mary dusted cinnamon and some remaining crust on top. In it went into the oven.
"Well this has been fun, but I have to go check on the others. See you around~" Kaworu chimed, and he dusted off his hands and climbed out the open window.
…
"They better be done soon. Keeping me waiting like this…" Asuka huffed, inputting another combo into her game.
"They'll tell us when they're ready," Mari said doing a combo in return and stun-locking Asuka in a juggling chain.
"Fuckin-Stop that you scrublord!" Asuka shrieked in rage.
"Scrublord?" Kaworu asked appearing from an open window.
"How did you get in our house?!" Asuka asked, barely looking up.
"Open window," Kaworu said climbing inside.
"What, Mary just texted saying you were over there," Mari said. "So did you climb out their window, across the railing over a 13 story drop, just to enter through our window?"
"Yes." Kaworu said without a care.
"You mad lad," Mari giggled.
"I try." Kaworu laughed. "What's going on? Street Fighter 2?"
"What's happening is that I'm getting my butt kicked." Asuka growled before the battle ended, siding in Mari's favor. She threw the controller down in a huff.
"Mind if I give it a try?" Kaworu asked.
"Go ahead," Asuka grumbled throwing him the controller.
The first round saw Kaworu struggle with learning the controls. He seemed to be observing Mari more than actually playing. But once the second round started, Kaworu blew her out of the water, stringing together long beat down combos and timing stuns perfectly, easily winning the second and third rounds for game.
"What are you?" Mari asked as he beat her with every character she was best with, even M. Bison.
"Just observant." Kaworu smiled. "Want to play again? This is really fun."
"Umm no I'm good," She said setting the controller down.
"Asuka?" Kaworu offered.
"No," She grumbled. "I'm fine too."
"Well then, I believe I'll take my leave then. I still have a few more people to check on." Kaworu mused, getting up to leave and stepping up to the window he had previously entered. "I'll see you later." He said and stepped out the window.
….
"So you stitch here," Adelise said carefully guiding Ray's hands around the needle and thread. "And you're done!"
"Thank you," Ray smiled. "I am glad you allowed me to help you hem Rei's new dress, I want to show her I really do care for her, blood or no blood."
"Aww you are so sweet," Adelise cooed hugging his head. "Ze best friend a girl could make."
"Do you mean make as in-"
"Yes," Adelise cut him off giggling. "Now come along, we have to get ze rest of ze pilots clothes ready, this will be a most happy party!" She said clapping excitedly as she raced around to grab cloth bundles and supplies.
"I think you should go one at a time Friend Adelise," Ray chuckled as he watched her try to balance 10 different colored bundles in her arms. "Let's start with Mari, she'll be the easiest, get me the pinks, maybe we can use Neapolitan colors?"
"And what would Neapolitan be?" Kaworu asked, stepping into the apartment through an open window.
"Oh!" Adelise yelped. "You gave me a fright," She said breathing in and out.
"There was a door," Ray joked. "-But Neapolitan is pink, white, and brown."
"I rather like those colors." Kaworu mused. "What are they for?" He asked.
"We are making dresses!" Adelise yelled happily. "For the final Angel party we will be having soon, Rei got a new dress so we thought it would be appropriate to get everyone new dresses, and, of course, tuxedos for ze boys."
"Oh? That sounds like fun. If I could ask, will you tell me more about this party?" Kaworu asked.
"Oh it was something Shinji, Mary, and Isabelle came up with before we moved to Tokyo-3, after all the Angels are defeated we are throwing a big party for ourselves because the people of NERV did not appreciate the work we put in to kill the Angels, their words," Adelise explained.
"Ah, I see. It sounds like a lot of fun." Kaworu mused.
"Well another hand would be appreciated," Ray smiled. "Please take a seat and we can get started color matching."
"I'd be glad to. I'm not well versed in sewing, but I'm good at taking orders." Kaworu said, taking a seat.
The next four hours was spent matching colors to make dresses for the rest of the female pilots, most of the time though was them making ridiculous patterns that no one would wear and laughing at them. Kawrou was quick to pick up what goes with what, and gave the clothes making duo some ideas that they loved.
"Well that's the colors done," Adelise said smiling. "Next we need to make the designs and then put it all together."
"This has been nice, but I really must be going. I have to check on Isabelle." Kaworu said, getting up and walking to the window. "I hope the party works out." He said, and stepped out.
…..
Isabelle kicked her feet as she stared up at the clouds, laying down on top of the tallest building in the city was her preferred way to clear her mind, and right now her mind was a mess.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Kaworu asked, appearing beside her like he was always there.
"Oh hey," Isabelle said looking at him. "Yeah sure, I'm just having relationship troubles."
"Oh? I don't know much about that, but I'll listen if you let me." Kaworu said.
"Alright," Isabelle sighed rolling over on her stomach. "So me and Blue, we're best friends, but after all this stuff that's happened I feel like we're closer than friends, and I'm not sure if I should ask her to be my girlfriend or not," She explained. "I'm just...scared of her response."
"It can seem scary, I know. But really, I think you should ask. The worst you'll get is a no, and it seems bad, but I'm sure it won't affect your friendship." Kaworu said.
Isabelle sighed. "Yeah, I suppose with everything that's happened, us dating wouldn't be so strange to her, I mean I'm sure Mary and Shinji are like days away from hooking up and Mari and Asuka basically are an old married couple."
"Oh? Interesting…" Kaworu mused. "No, I wouldn't think it would be unusual, especially given the circumstances. People seek out bonds in stressful situations."
"Yeah you're right," Isabelle sighed before smiling. "Thanks Kaworu, I'll go tell her when we see her at the hospital!" She said standing up. "See you tomorrow," She said climbing down the roof in the most unsafe way possible.
"Yes, see you soon as well." Kaworu said, taking some time to think of what he would do next.
….
"Is she done," Gendo asked as he watched the final Rei clone he had floating in its tank.
"Yes," Ritsuko said. "She's finished uploading, in a few hours we can release her to the medical ward."
"Excellent," He said nodding. "This time make sure she doesn't go rogue," he ordered before marching out of the room.
"Yes Commander," Ritsuko sighed before doing her final checks and leaving the clone tank alone.
A few minutes later, Rei blinked, and then a moment after a familiar vicious grin came across her face. "I win."