Chapter 2: Prologue – "Lost to tragedy of those who might love"
Kanako stumbled on the pathway, slipping down the side into the paddy field. She looked up at the departing back as she tried to pull her foot out of the mud.
"Shinji!" she called.
The boy didn't look back behind him, running as fast as he could away from her voice.
After a moment, Kanako was able to pull her foot out and clambered back onto the pathway, shaking some of the mud and water before lumbering after him.
"Shinji, wait!" She called again.
Shinji glanced over his shoulder as he turned at the cross path, but didn't say anything as he headed for the roadway, trying to put as much distance between him and Kanako.
Kanako pushed herself harder as she tried to keep up with the boy. Though she was the same age as Shinji, he was a fraction taller than her, and had far more practise in running away.
"Shinji, stop please?" Kanako called as she reached the corner.
Shinji hit the base of the embankment, clambering up it with his hands. "I'm not going to see him!" He called, over his shoulder. That man abandoned me!
"Shinji!" Kanako called out.
"You won't talk me into going!" He called back, still facing her.
Kanako's eyes saw the truck coming along the road just as he crested the top. His head was still turned towards her and didn't see it coming as he took a step forward into its path.
"Shinji!" Kanako screamed as the truck screeched when the driver put on the breaks, but not in time as Kanako saw Shinji's body fly forward from the impact.
Kanako tore at the grass with her hands, pulling herself up the embankment as fast as she could, reaching the road right beside the end of the truck.
She didn't pause as she ran around the truck, ignoring the driver who stood on the road with a hand held over his mouth in shock.
"Shinji!" She called, ignoring the scraping of her knees as she fell next to him.
There was red; so much red that she knelt there in shock, trying to recognise the face she was so familiar with.
The head turned a little, revealing an intact part of Shinji's face as the only recognisable eye opened.
"Shinji!" Kanako cried as she grabbed his intact shoulder and lifted him to her lap.
A gurgling sound erupted from a set of smashed lips as he attempted to say something, only to have blood bubble from his mouth.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Shinji," Kanako said, as tears ran down her cheeks. "You don't have to see him. You don't have to see him ever again, I promise you. Just don't go!"
The blood stained eye that stared up at Kanako blinked once, seeming to open a little bit less.
The tears from Kanako's eyes ran down her nose and chin, splashing on the bottom of his face as he wheezed noisily in response.
"Don't go, please," Kanako begged him, as he blinked again, his eye half closed now.
"Shinji please," she said again. The tears continued to fall from her face as she was forced to brush her face with the back of her hand so she could see. But even as she watched, the eye that stared up at her closed fraction by fraction.
"Shinji! Shinji!" Kanako bawled. "Please don't go. Please don't go. Please don't go. Please Shinji?"
As she watched as his eye close, her face screwed up in anguish as the tears flowed faster. She didn't hear the sound of his wheezing stop as she tried to wipe away the tears again.
"Shinji?" She pleaded once more, before lifting his head high enough that she could whisper in his ear.
"Shinji?" She said in a quiet desperate voice as she struggled to get her words out. "Please don't go. I love you."
--
Chapter 2: Part 1 – "The hearts of the lonely"
Year 2015 – Mid morning Saturday August 15
"Shinji?" Kanako called again before snapping her eyes open.
The blur of light in front of her seemed strange and somehow unfamiliar. She was forced to wipe the fresh tears from her face her hand before she could discover that she was curled inside a bed.
Slowly she sat up and looked about the large room, hearing the sound of cicadas chirping outside.
"Where am I?" she asked aloud, wondering how exactly she had gotten there.
As she struggled to focus on her memories, she half raised an arm to rub an unseen ache on the back of her head, instead stopping to stare at it in a detached manner, wondering if in fact her arm was really her own.
She rubbed at her arm with her other hand before raising the same hand to her face, feeling out the shape of her eye socket, the ridge above and along the cheekbone.
Nothing felt out of place, and no scars could be felt. It was as if nothing at all had happened, yet the feeling she got when touching them felt wrong.
Kanako was still sitting there in bed, trying to isolate that feeling when a woman in a nurse's uniform opened the door.
"Oh you're awake," the nurse said as she entered the room and approached the bed and picked up the charts. "How are you feeling, Miss Harley?"
"Um, where am I?" Kanako asked.
"You're in the hospital. Can you remember what happened to you?"
Kanako looked at the nurse thoughtfully. "They had me fight, in that giant thing. Something happened…"
--
"It's already been taken care of. You may rest assured of that," Gendou said to the projected members of SEELE seated around him.
"Well, we must acknowledge that," the man in blue said.
The one lit in green cut in. "But, Ikari… there are better ways of utilizing Nerv and Eva are there not?"
"We're referring to the repair costs for Unit-01, which when added to the costs for Unit-00, are enough to bankrupt a country," the one in yellow probed.
"We also understand that you gave that particular toy to a previously unknown girl, did you not?" The one in red asked.
Gendou didn't react. To react was to give away his hand.
After no response, the man in blue continued. "Manpower, time and money. How much more will be wasted by you, and those children?"
"And that is not your only responsibility," the one lit in red reiterated. "The Human Enhancement Project. That should be your top priority!"
"Correct," the one in yellow added. "Under these circumstances, that project is our only hope. Do you understand?"
Kiel Lorentz stared across the projected table at Gendou, his face unreadable behind the cybernetic vision implants. "In any case, the Angel is no excuse for delaying that project's schedule. However, we will consider adjusting the budget."
"Now, the rest of the meeting concerns only us," the member lit in blue said, signalling an end to the conference.
"Your presence here was appreciated Mister Ikari," the one in yellow said almost in an afterthought.
The members faded out, leaving only Lorentz and Gendou facing one another.
"Ikari, you do understand there can be no turning back, don't you?" Lorentz asked.
Lorentz faded out before Gendou could respond, leaving him alone in the darkened office.
"I understand," Gendou said to the empty room. "Humanity has no time left."
Gendou pressed a button on his desk, shutting off the projectors. After a moment, light started to filter back into the room as giant shutters slowly slid back, revealing the Geo-front below the clear floor.
Leaning down, Gendou lifted a box from the floor beside him and placed it onto the desk. After a moment, he lifted the lid and looked at the contents.
Inside, there was an urn that had been sealed with red tape bearing the Nerv emblem. Someone had carefully cleaned the inside of the box and its content of ash, depositing it back into the urn where it belonged.
Gendou lifted out the urn and placed it onto his desk where he stared at it.
I'm sorry Yui, but our son has gone before us already, he thought solemnly. The boy was supposed to rejoin you, but instead I've found this girl. Apparently she's been living with our son for two years, but I didn't know. I guess I have been too focused on the project to realise it. Perhaps she and Shinji… he thought.
On the desk surface, Gendou pressed a couple of buttons.
The sound of a ringing tone came from hidden speakers in the desk, until there was a click.
"Yes?" came Ritsuko's voice.
"Prepare the chamber of Guf," Gendou said.
The sound of papers been shuffled about could be heard before Ritsuko responded. "Have we shifted the schedule?"
"No, I have another purpose in mind," Gendou explained. "I will be needing one of the spares taken out."
"I'll get one of the medical rooms prepared then," Ritsuko said. "Is that all?"
"Yes," Gendou replied before disconnecting her with a press on the desk.
He turned to the still box in front of him, and lifted out bound diary with Shinji's name written on its cover. Placing it aside, he lifted out some letters that had been written by the boy, letters written to himself after he had left the boy with a trusted colleague.
Under his thumb, Gendou found an envelope. Placing the papers down, he used both hands to open the letter, and found a clipping of black hair inside. He stared at it as a mix of thoughts ran through his head. After a moment, he put the carefully envelop aside before returning to the box.
Reaching in, he withdrew a compact SDAT player with the headphones neatly wrapped around it. He put it down on the desk, before reaching back into the box for the final item it held.
Drawing up his hand, he found a glass photo frame, but inside it was empty, filled only with a blank sheet.
Standing it up on his desk, he stared at it, wondering why it held no photo of his son.
After a moment, he stood from the desk and picked up the urn, heading for the door.
--
Kanako sat on a bench in the hospital waiting room, fidgeting nervously. She stared down at her black dress which has been cleaned since yesterday. The gray stains of ash spilt from the urn were gone, leaving nothing but clean fabric over her chest. But the smell however, the odour of the strange liquid she'd been enveloped in last night, still clung to it like a funeral shroud, thick and cloying, making her feel like she wanted to tear it off. But it was also the dress which she'd worn to Shinji's funeral, so she put up with it for the moment. When she got home, it was probably going straight into a bucket to be soaked long and hard in some bleach. She would trade one odour for another, but it would be worth it in her opinion. Thoughts of home stalled her for a moment however. Home was a place some distance away by train, and it was missing someone important to her.
Drawing her feet up to the seat, Kanako sat there with her knees under her chin, hugging her legs as she tried to imagine Shinji's frowning face as he struggled to work through Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, and instead felt the tears well up in her eyes.
"Kanako," called a voice.
Kanako wiped the tears from her face as she looked around to find Misato Katsuragi approaching. She too, was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, though she had thrown a red jacket on over her dress.
"How… are you feeling?" Misato asked hesitantly.
"The doctors have been asking me that all morning," Kanako said.
"Oh?"
"I feel fine."
"Then, do you want to get out of here?" Misato offered.
"Yes. Watching lots of sick people go past is kind of depressing," Kanako said as she got up.
"Come on then, let's go," Misato said, as she led her towards the lifts. "While we're at it, we can talk about you moving to Tokyo-3."
"Move… here?" Kanako asked.
"If you're to continue piloting the Eva against the Angels, you'd have to," Misato replied.
"I… thought it was just the one time," Kanako said. They want me to continue piloting that thing?
They reached the lifts and Misato reached forward pressing up button. "Damn," she said trying to cover for clumsiness, before pressing the down button.
Kanako looked up at the door bell chimed and the doors opened to reveal Gendou standing there with an expressionless face.
Cold bastard, Misato thought as she stood there, hoping to avoid any kind of communication.
Before the doors to close however, Kanako stepped forward shoving her hand in between the doors. They stopped when the pressure bar came into contact with her arm and opened again.
"Shinji desperately didn't ever want to see you again," Kanako said to the man. "I… I tried to encourage him to see you, but he refused. He didn't want to see you. When he lay on that road, I promised him that he wouldn't have to see you again. That's why there is no photo of him in the frame. He tried so hard to do things that you might praise him for, but…" Kanako shook her head as tears welled forth. "He… he… couldn't bare it, to see your face."
Misato stepped forward and calmly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to ease that sense of sadness at losing someone close to you. It was a feeling she'd spent the last 15 years trying to outgrow.
Kanako withdrew her hand from the doors to wipe her face, and looked back up at Gendou who stood there impassively and unmoved by her words, almost as if he was indifferent.
"We tried to call you when it happened," Kanako said as the doors started to close again. "But you never answered!" she called as the doors shut. "You never answered," Kanako whispered as she tried to hold back her tears.
Misato jabbed the down button again, hoping the electronics would sense her impatience. "Come on."
Kanako turned to look up at Misato. "Why… why's he so cold?"
"Cause he's a cold bastard," Misato replied.
--
"A single room apartment has been allocated for Miss Harley, along with stipend to cover rent and living expenses," the Nerv employee said.
"Alone?" Misato asked in a surprised tone.
"Right. Her room will be in Block 6, just beyond this one," the man explained. "Is that satisfactory?"
"I guess," Kanako said hesitantly.
"Are you happy with it, Kanako?" Misato asked, seeing the expression on the girl's face.
"Though all the families I lived with always treated me like an outsider, I've never really lived alone before," Kanako admitted. "I'm not sure I want to live alone."
Misato felt a shiver down her back, feeling the familiar truth of those last words.
"Kanako," she said speaking up. "How would you like to live with me?"
"That's highly inadvisable Captain," the man said.
"That's not your decision," Misato said in a warning tone as she glared at the man. Her face brightened up and smiled as she turned back to Kanako. "How about it? I live alone in this apartment that's too big for just one anyway."
"I'm not sure," Kanako said, feeling things moving too quickly for her to keep up with. "You hardly know me."
"I think I know enough about you Kanako Harley," Misato replied. You're just like me, except younger. But you haven't lost your ability to speak your mind…
"If you are willing to accept me then Misato Katsuragi, then I would be willing to accept the offer of living in your home," Kanako said with a formal bow.
Misato smirked a little at the formalness of Kanako's tone, wondering where she had learned it in this day and age.
"Then it's settled then!" Misato crowed in triumph at the man.
"Captain!" The man snapped. "Even if you have decided this, this will still need to be approved by the Commander. If you will please wait here while I make some calls," he said before walking out of the room.
Misato watched nervously as the man walked out of the room before changing her expression as she looked back at Kanako. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she said with a smile.
Kanako nodded. Finding nothing else of interest to look at, she turned to look at the floor of the room where she could see the top of Nerv's HQ far below.
Misato looked at where Kanako was looking, noting the transparent floor that overlooked the Geo-front. This is why I hate wearing skirts in here, she thought a little self consciously and made sure her feet were together.
--
"What?" Ritsuko snapped over the handset.
"So, I said that I'll take care of Kanako," Misato explained. "I've already got permission from the top. It's not like I'm going to teach her any bad habits."
"You had better not!" Ritsuko yelled back, forcing Misato to hold the handset away from her ear. "How could you think of such a thing? Shame on you for always acting like that!"
"She just can't take a joke," Misato said half turning to look over her shoulder at Kanako.
--
Kanako gingerly held the closed envelopes in her hands. One of them held documents relating to her legal status and new residence in Tokyo-3, several bank documents of a new account opened in her name, a debit card, an outline of how much money Nerv was paying her for working for them, as well as a Nerv security ID card with a photo of her.
The other envelop held think wad of documents related to Nerv operations and many others stamped with "TOP SECRET" all over them. The prospect of reading them both fascinated and daunted her.
At the moment though she simply stared out of the front of the car, listening to the sound of the car's engine as it echoed back from the tunnel walls.
"Misato, why did you take me in?" Kanako said suddenly, surprising the woman. "I mean, I'm an orphan, and not even a proper Japanese citizen. Almost everywhere I live, no one has really treated me like I belong."
Misato glanced over at the girl, who was only staring ahead, and sighed.
"We both are," Misato said. "Orphans I mean."
Kanako looked at Misato but didn't reply.
"As for been a Japanese citizen… I've lived in Germany, and let me tell you they are a whole lot more friendly to other cultures. The people in Japan… I guess they've always had strong family ties. Accepting outsiders into their family has always been hard. Allowing someone in requires a lot of courage. Perhaps if they'd lost their parents and all their relatives and tried living alone in an unfamiliar place, perhaps they might understand what it's like for others."
Misato glanced again at the face of the fourteen year old girl sitting beside her. "Look, you don't have to think about any of that stuff any more, since you're going to be living with me. We're going to have a party tonight, alright?"
"For me?" Kanako asked.
"Of course! Why shouldn't I have a welcoming party for my new roommate?"
--
After the doors on the Renault Alpine closed, Kanako sat staring out her window and down the street, holding the bags of groceries between her legs.
Misato looked over at the girl as she turned the key. After a moment of thought, she turned the car and headed out of town, onto the road towards a popular date spot.
Misato grinned to herself at what some guy might think if she brought him there, but instead she was taking this young girl who was half her age.
"I hope you don't mind if we make a little stop on the way," Misato said.
"That's fine," Kanako said, still staring out the window over looking the city.
Misato's mouth quirked but didn't respond, hoping that perhaps what wasn't seen under the cover of night, might be all that much clearer during the day.
--
The setting sun glared a red angry colour as it settled over the western hills over looking Tokyo-3, making the flat landscape of the city look somewhat like a red sea of concrete.
"It looks so empty and devoid of life," Kanako said.
Misato was watching her watch eagerly as the seconds ticked over. "It's time."
A siren rang out loud across the entire landscape indicating the all clear.
Even as the tone died out, black shadows slowly rose from the ground across the entire area.
"They're rising from the ground!" Kanako said.
Even as she watched, several buildings continued rising until they towered over the city, dominating the skyline.
"This is our stronghold against the onslaught of the Angels," Misato said proudly. "Tokyo-3." She turned to Kanako. "This is our home. And the city you protected."
Kanako could stare in awe at the immensity of the city.
--
"And we're here on Level 11," Misato said, stepping out of the elevator.
Kanako followed her out, finding the centre of the building open to the sky. She looked over the balcony, distracted for a moment before Misato called for her.
"It's just down here. The corner apartment," she explained as they passed several doors.
"We've had trouble getting your things delivered here, but I except they'll arrive tomorrow," Misato said. "You can borrow some of my things tonight," she added as the door opened. "If that's all right, that is?" She asked, turning back to face Kanako.
"That's… fine. I'm used to wearing hand-me-downs."
Misato stared at the girl. "Hey, I'm letting you borrow my clothes, not keep them!"
"I… I'm sorry Misato," Kanako said, suddenly bowing. "I didn't mean to say that you were giving me your clothes. I thank you for your kind hospitality."
Misato felt like slapping her own face. "Kanako, no. I should be sorry," Misato said in a softer tone, causing the girl to look up in confusion. "I didn't mean put it that way. We're both going to living here as roomies. This is your home too from now on. If you feel like it, you can borrow my clothes any time. Just, not my favourite dress okay?" Misato said with a wink.
Misato saw Kanako smile a little.
"Come on in," she said, stepping into the apartment.
On the train coming to Tokyo-3 with Shinji's ashes, Kanako had felt a strange feeling, as if she was being led to some place, or more accurately, pulled towards something. Whether it was the giant fighting machines, the battle with the Angels, or some other destiny calling her. When she stood in that doorway however, Kanako felt that same feeling, of something large and terrifying tugging her forward.
The urge to step backwards, and run away from this apartment grew in resistance to that feeling, yet at the same time, Kanako knew that was immature and would never solve anything. She was a girl who had learned in her fourteen years, to always step forward and challenge those that sought to oppresses her, to fight for her rights as an individual.
Even now, she sought to challenge this feeling as she stepped forward into the apartment and claim her freedom.
"I'm home," she declared, finding no opposition.
"Welcome home," Misato replied with an honest smile.
That feeling however returned as soon as Kanako saw the apartment.
"Just give me a moment while I change into some fresh clothes," Misato said as they entered the kitchen. She left Kanako staring at room as she ran off to first bedroom.
"Ah, yeah…" Misato said as she stuck her head out of her doorway while unzipping the back of her dress. "It's a little messy in here. Don't you mind that," she added before ducking back into the bedroom.
Kanako looked over the room, at the untold beer and coffee cans, dozens of saki and wine bottles, bags of trash and piles of take out containers, and buried underneath some of it, boxes. Some of which appeared to contain clothes.
"Is this… normal?" Kanako asked.
"Oh sorry, could you put the food in the fridge please?" Misato called out from her room.
"Ah, okay," Kanako said as she looked about the room, noticing two fridges. "Which one?" She called back.
Misato leaned out of the doorway, flashing an uncovered breast as she pointed a hand towards one of the fridges. "Just that one. The other one is PenPen's," she said before returning to the bedroom.
Kanako stared at the doorway, blinking once before remarking. "PenPen?"
"He's a new kind of hot spring penguin," Misato called out as she resumed dressing. "He's your other roommate. He's usually up around this time, so don't be too surprised when you see him."
Kanako nodded before remembering the shopping bag.
She went over to the fridge Misato had indicated and opened one door, and stood there dumbfounded at the rows of beer lining the shelves.
--
"Thanks for the food!" Misato said with great cheer as the aroma of food wafted about the kitchen table.
"Thanks for the food," Kanako said before lifting her chopsticks.
She paused as Misato instead lifted a can of beer to her lips, and sculled it down in a matter of seconds before letting out a loud yet cheerful shriek.
"Kwaaaaaah!! Ah, I love it! I live for this," Misato declared.
"You really seam to love beer," Kanako said before popping a takoyaki ball into her mouth.
"Having one at the end of a long day at work really helps me to relax," Misato said. "Perhaps you should have one," she said, pulling the ring on another can and pushing it forward towards Kanako.
Kanako stared at the can for a moment. "Are you sure Misato? Aren't I too young?"
"Sure you're still young, but that means you should try new things. Growing up is all about learning about new things, trying out new food, discovering love…"
Misato had a bit of leer to her mouth until she noticed the sudden reserved look on Kanako's face.
"Ooo hoo, has someone already discovered boys, has she?" Misato said mischievously.
Kanako looked down at the table before speaking in a whispered voice. "If he hadn't died."
The expression on Misato's face drained away in an instant. You idiot Misato! Way to break the tension. She… must be talking about Shinji. If she's this depressed, she must have really been in love. It's hard, no matter what age.
The silence in the room, forced her to move boldly as Misato slapped her hand down on the can, before lifting it and thumping it down right in front of Kanako. She pulled out another can and pulled it open.
"A toast," she ordered as she lifted her can above the table.
She nodded at Kanako to do the same, who lifted the other can and held it out.
"To the dear friends and love we've lost. To the chance at new beginnings, and to making new friends. Kampai!"
The two cans of beer banged together momentarily before Misato lifted hers to her lips and took a mouthful. She swallowed it before looking down at Kanako who was staring at the beer.
"You don't have to drink it if you don't want to," Misato said to the girl.
Kanako shook her head. "No, I'm just thinking of the times I spent with Shinji."
"Always cherish those memories," Misato said. "Sometimes… that's all we can do."
Kanako nodded before bringing the can up to her lips and taking a swig of the beer.
There was a brief moment where her face went blue before she swallowed it and started coughing.
Misato burst out laughing as the girl slowly got her self under control.
"Perhaps that wasn't the best idea," Misato offered.
"No, I just took too big a mouthful," Kanako said. "It's just a little bit bitter, but I think I like it."
Misato looked at the girl a little doubtfully. "Then you had better not have more than that one can tonight. I'd really get into trouble if Ritsuko found out if I got you drunk."
Kanako gently brought the can up to her lips and sipped at it this time before putting the can down on the table and smiling back at Misato.
Misato couldn't help but smile back at the blonde girl. "Well let's eat then!" She declared as she snapped her disposable chopsticks apart.
--
Misato stared at the table filled with emptied food containers and the pile of beer cans. Though she herself had emptied most of the cans, Kanako had easily emptied the one she had.
But now looking across the table at the blonde haired girl with a smile plastered on her face, Misato also noted how her cheeks were flush red from the alcohol.
"Perhaps we can leave the deciding on the chores till tomorrow," Misato said. "Why don't you take a bath now, and wash away all the unpleasant things."
--
Chapter 2: Part 2 – "First encounter"
Kanako slipped out of her underwear and placed them on top of the rest of her clothes in the hamper before turning about. She looked up at Misato's colourful collection of panties and bras hanging from a rack.
She said I could borrow her things, Kanako thought to herself as she tugged at the edge of a red lace bra. But I think these are a little too adventurous for me.
She pulled a little too hard on the bra and it snapped out of the peg to hang in her hand.
Turning, Kanako looked at the entrance to the bathroom a little guilty before lifting the bra up and holding it over her chest.
She stared down at her lace covered chest for several long seconds before letting out a sigh. It feels like it almost fits. I guess if it's comfortable… but still, it doesn't feel right to borrow from Misato.
Kanako had to stand on her tiptoes to peg the bra back up before turning towards the inner bathroom door and sliding it open to reveal a penguin standing as high as her hip.
"You must be PenPen," Kanako said as she squatted down to be eye level.
PenPen gave a squawk before shaking himself and sending a spray of water in all directions.
Kanako gave a short cry as she was hit with water and landed on her backside as the penguin waddled past only to stop at the outer bathroom door. He gave an indignant squawk and turned an eye towards Kanako.
"Eh, you can't get out?" Kanako asked.
PenPen's beak nodded in an almost human fashion.
"Oh, sorry!" Kanako said, quickly getting to her feet and rushing over to the door. She pulled it open just enough for PenPen to waddle out before sliding it closed again.
Turning about she headed into the bathing area.
--
Kanako turned about, and slowly lowered herself into the bath, sinking into the hot water until it was up to her neck.
The tub of hot water felt significantly better than the shower provided by the hospital. Even her hair felt better after the long wash to get out all the dust, dirt, and the cloying smell from inside the Evangelion.
Even now, Kanako thought she could still smell it. She took a breath and sank into the water, opening her eyes up to look up at the ceiling as bubbles of air slowly escaped her nose and mouth.
The feeling of floating in the water however reminded her of been inside the capsule, of floating in the LCL and the warm feeling she got from being inside it.
--
Year 2015 – Friday night August 14 (The night before)
"Are you ready Kanako?" Misato asked.
Kanako was still staring at the giant figure further down the street that dwarfed the small buildings next to it.
"I think so," she replied.
"Release the final safety lock!" Misato ordered the crew. "Evangelion Unit-01, lift off!"
Kanako felt the shift in weight as the Evangelion was released from the rail, and settled into a balanced posture.
Defence, I have to defend myself, Kanako thought, imaging the proper stance in her mind.
"Kanako…" Ritsuko started to say, but trailed off as the arms of the Evangelion lifted up. "Is that martial arts?" She finished.
"I… I had a sensei teach me for more than year," Kanako admitted.
Misato tried to hide the grin on her face. "How much do you know?"
"Just the basic forms," Kanako replied. "Enough to defend myself."
"Good," Misato said. "Try to keep those forms in mind."
"I will."
Ritsuko noted that the Angel had halted and seemed to be observing the Evangelion. "Perhaps you could try moving closer and see what the Angel does."
"Get closer?" Kanako asked, suddenly realising that through all her posturing, she hadn't yet moved Unit-01 from its initial spot.
"Just think about taking one step at a time," Ritsuko said, urging Kanako slowly.
Kanako stared straight ahead as she imagined lifting one foot and holding her balance on the other as she shifted it forward cautiously before putting it down.
With subtle slowness, her view moved forward.
"That's it!" Ritsuko exclaimed. "It's walking!"
Kanako tried to hold her excitement down at the doctor's voice, imagining the other foot coming forward.
It came forward only to catch on something. A moment later, Kanako felt her balance shift as the Evangelion toppled forward. It was only her normal need for preservation that got Unit-01's arms forward in time to stop it from falling flat on its face.
"Kanako are you okay?" Misato asked.
"I'm fine."
"Quick, get up!" Misato called out as the Angel suddenly approached the fallen Evangelion.
Kanako tried to get Unit-01 to its feet, but before she could, the Angel had gripped Unit-01's head and lifted it easily off the road.
Kanako swung an arm at the Angel, only to have it caught by the Angel's other arm. She grunted as she felt her arm bending backwards.
Quickly she tried to grab the Angel's arm with her other hand, but couldn't quite reach it. Instead, she grabbed the Angel's other arm to provide leverage as she swung Unit-01's feet back, before ramming them against the chest of the Angel.
Rebounding from the thrust, Kanako made sure she built up more momentum as she came back down, hitting the Angel hard. She thought for a moment she had caused the Angel to move. As she rebounded off, the Angel suddenly threw Unit-01 towards the ground.
The roadway cracked in all directions as bits of asphalt flew into the air from the impact. Kanako tried to move Unit-01, but felt something pressing down from behind.
"Kanako, you have to break free," Misato urged her.
"I'm… trying," Kanako said as she struggled to get Unit-01 to move. Turning her head within the entry plug, she could see the mammoth hand of the Angel pressing down. Even as she looked, a glow started to emanate from its palm.
"How is the Evangelion's defence system?" Ritsuko asked.
"I can't get a signal," Maya reported.
"The field isn't developing!" Shigeru said.
"No good?" Ritsuko asked in surprise.
The glow erupted out from the Angel's hand, hitting the back of Unit-01's head like a sledgehammer, rocking Kanako as she held the back of her head with one hand.
She tried desperately to get Unit-01 to grab at the Angel with the free hand, but couldn't get enough grip on it, as it hammered her again, and again.
--
"The rear cranium has been cracked!" Maya reported from her console.
"The armour won't take much more!" Ritsuko said as she stared at the readouts.
Misato turned from her, to look at the long range screen of the Angel bent over Unit-01. As a white glow shot into the Evangelion, some of the screens suddenly went red.
"Skull fracture!" Makoto called out. "Damage unknown!"
On the long range screen, the Angel stepped back from Unit-01 which had suddenly gone still, both of its arms dropping to the ground. After a moment, a crimson red sprayed into the air.
"Activity halted," Maya said.
"What is the status?" Misato asked urgently.
"Synchro graph inverting, pulse flow is reversing!" Maya replied, as her hands were flying across her keyboard.
"Cut the circuits!" Ritsuko ordered.
"It's no good!" Maya replied, still trying to get a response from the consoles. "The signal is being rejected! It's not connecting!"
Misato leaned over Shigeru to look at the monitors. "What about Kanako?"
"No response from the monitoring system. Life signs unknown," he replied.
"Unit-01 is completely silent," Makoto replied.
"Misato!" Ritsuko said, turning to the other woman.
"It's come to this." Misato glared up at the screen where the Angel stood. "Halt military operations. The pilot's life is our main priority! Eject the plug by force."
"It's no good," Maya said over her shoulder. "It's not responding!"
"What?" Misato snapped, looking up at the screen where Unit-01 lay.
Misato blinked as the figure on the ground shifted.
"The Eva has restarted!" another operator called.
"Impossible," Maya replied, looking up from her console to the main screen. "It shouldn't be able to move!"
Unit-01 put its hands underneath it and levered itself up from the ground, as its mouth split apart
"Has it gone…" Misato started to say.
"…Berserk?" Ritsuko finished for her.
On the screen, Unit-01 issued a roar before leaping forward onto the Angel.
The two struggled with one another as the Angel tried to push Unit-01 off, but Unit-01 gripped its arms and pulled on it.
--
"We've won," Fuyutsuki said as he watched Unit-01 slowly tear away one of the Angel's limbs.
Gendou, who sat silently on the command deck next to him, didn't reply.
--
On the screen, Unit-01 abruptly broke away as the arm came off, landing some distance away on the roadway.
Tossing the lost appendage aside, Unit-01 issued a roar and charged at the Angel again, instead to be suddenly repelled by a hexagonal field.
"AT-Field!" Ritsuko said in shock.
"Unless the AT-Field is breached…" Misato started.
"…She can't touch the Angel," Ritsuko finished.
Unit-01 quickly pressed up against the AT-Field, pressing its hands against it.
"Unit-01 has also raised an AT-Field!" Maya said, still concentrating on her console rather than the large screen. "Angel field phase space is being neutralised."
"Is it neutralising it, or is it corroding it?" Ritsuko asked as Unit-01 appeared to tear apart the hexagonal field like it had suddenly become tissue paper.
"It broke through that AT-Field like it was nothing!" Misato said in shock.
In desperation, the Angel's eyes lit up to fire at Unit-01, but not before it was knocked down to the ground on its back, firing uselessly into the air.
An explosion erupted in the night sky overhead, before Unit-01 jumped on top of the Angel and gripped its other arm. Squeezing it tight, it tore it off before pummelling the Angel relentlessly just as the Angel had done to it before.
Grabbing at a sharp protuberance on the Angel, Unit-01 tore it off, and began to batter at the glowing red core with it until it cracked.
All of a sudden the Angel seemed to melt and shift, wrapping itself about Unit-01's head, and released it's AT-Field.
The screen lit up as massive explosion engulfed Unit-01 and the surrounding area, erupting high into the sky.
"What is Unit-01's status?" Misato asked before the light could die out.
The long range sensor picked up the Evangelion as it walked out of the fire caused by the explosion, a tall behemoth missing much of its armour.
"This is Eva's…" Ritsuko said in shock as figure drenched in red became clearer.
"…True form," Misato finished.
"The… The circuits have reconnected," Shigeru said, turning to his suddenly active console.
"The system has recovered," Maya confirmed. "The graphs are back to normal."
"Pilot life signs have has been confirmed," Makoto reported.
"Send out the recovery team," Ritsuko ordered. "Hurry!"
"Preserving the pilot's life is our top priority," Misato commanded them.
--
Year 2015 – Saturday night August 15
Ritsuko picked up a couple of papers from her desk, glancing at the titles, as she listened to Misato on the other end of the phone.
"It's just awkward to deal with a child," Misato said, her voice echoing slightly.
"Caring for her is your job, isn't it?" Ritsuko said into the handset.
"I'm just afraid. I'm not sure how to treat her," Misato replied.
"You're complaining now?" Ritsuko said, having seeing this coming. She knew of Misato's history, and how much of a childhood she had lost because of the Second Impact. "You declared rather theatrically that you would take her in, didn't you?"
"Shut up!" Misato snapped.
When she heard the tones, Ritsuko lifted the handset away from her ear.
"But you're better suited to it Misato," Ritsuko said to the handset before hanging up.
--
Misato ran the towel through her hair, getting most of the water out. Lowering the towel, she turned to the door which Kanako had picked for her bedroom.
"Kanako, can I come in?" She asked.
There wasn't an immediate response, so she carefully slid the door open.
The room was austere and empty except for the futon in the middle of the floor. On it lay the slight figure of Kanako wearing one of Misato's t-shirts, with the cover falling to the side.
"I forgot to tell you something," Misato said from the doorway. "You did a good thing today. You should be proud…"
Misato halted as she heard the sounds of deep breathing coming from the figure on the futon. Misato chuckled to herself. "She's asleep already," she said quietly to herself.
Taking a step into the room, Misato squatted down next to the figure and slowly pulled the cover back onto Kanako.
"Good night Kanako. Hang in there," she whispered to the young girl. Misato took one more look at the sleeping girl's face before standing up and heading out of the bedroom.
--
Chapter 2: Liner notes
I haven't done much in the way of proofing previously, and I apologise. It's because I work long hours and what free time I get, is on writing.
I'm not aiming for any particular chapter length at this stage, just covering each DVD volume. It's the same with the content. I'm not trying to reproduce Neon Genesis Evangelion here, which is why I've been skipping any parts which literally are the same. Any changes to the story have been covered (or will be). Though on the other hand, any parts where you expected to see Shinji, but Kanako didn't appear in, just know that it never happened. For instance, Kanako didn't sit in the entry plug and look into the reflection off an office block at the uncovered eye of Unit-01, and scream. It never happened. In reality, this fight happened at night, it just wasn't depicted too well in the Anime. This has been fixed in the theatrical version however. Because it's night, there is no way anyone can see a reflection in a building at that height. There is just not enough light.
In August, Astronomical Twilight is just after 8:00 PM JST. Trust me, it's dark.
Also, it may seem that so far, I've written one lengthy and bloody death scene per chapter also. I have no intention to continue this. But hey, this is Evangelion, where everyone gets to die, right? It's equal opportunity.
Here we also show Kanako starting to pick up Misato's bad habits. Hopefully she'll never take up smoking like Ritsuko. Terrible thing. It'll get her killed one day, for sure.