Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of its characters. All characters are the property of Gainax and I make no profit by writing this story.
AN: Thanks for the advice animefan29 I'll put it to good use. Actually I have a little surprise up my sleeve regarding the demonic powers issue that I think you will all enjoy. Heh heh.
The days passed quickly for Shinji. Toji ended up apologizing to Shinji for the black eye he had been given and Kensuke was properly introduced. They became fast friends as the days wore on, but Shinji could sense their residual fear of him. His 'abilities' marked him as a freak and a horror to some while to others it made him a celebrity of sorts. He hated both kinds of attention and did his best to be as unnoticeable as he could, but to little avail. Rei Ayanami remained absent from school and he found himself growing concerned as the days wore on. She had, after all, been in serious condition when he had first seen her in the Eva cages and her recovery had seemed too quick when he thought about the way she had looked when she came to him in that immense dark room.
Toji was the first to notice how distant Shinji seemed and proceeded to ask how he was in the usual way, by punching him in the arm and saying, "What's the matter Shinji?" Shinji gave a small shout and rubbed his arm as he walked to school next to his friends. "You just hit me! That's what's wrong!" Toji laughed as Kensuke just watched them quietly with an amused expression on his face. "C'mon Shinji you've been acting all gloomy and thoughtful since you left your apartment. What's on your mind man?"
Shinji looked at Toji seriously for several long moments before finally opening his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by the school bell. "Oh shit we're late! Move it guys!" Kensuke yelled back at them, already running toward the school. Toji laughed and sped up to run next to Kensuke, keeping pace easily as Shinji did his best not to lag too far behind.
When he walked into the classroom he was berated by the teacher along with Kensuke and Toji for several minutes until the teacher finally gave up and told them to take their seats. They did so quickly and quietly but Shinji looked around the classroom for Rei first. He saw her at last, sitting in the desk next to the window, looking outside blankly. He quietly took his own seat not far from hers and proceeded to spend the class period daydreaming and stealing glances at the blue haired enigma.
At lunch he, Toji, and Kensuke took their spot on the roof and ate their lunches in companionable silence. About halfway through lunch Shinji spotted Rei in a far corner, reading a book and eating her meager lunch of rice, bread, and miso by herself. Everyone seemed to avoid sitting next to her and even looking at her. Shinji grew curious, then noticed that he was in much the same position save for his few friends. We're the same… was his thought as he finished his lunch, the bell ringing soon after.
As the final bell rang he watched everyone rise from their seats and begin to depart from the room in an orderly fashion, calmly and quietly making their way out the door. Shinji marveled at the scene with rapidly building disgust. He knew not why but their calm and reserved behavior reminded him of a timid flock of sheep heading blindly for the slaughter. To him it seemed that they were so afraid of death and pain that they allowed people like him to do as they damn well pleased so long as they were 'protected' when in truth that protection was nothing more than a thin shell separating them from cold reality. They were so weak! Tiny little insects running about and kissing that bastard's feet. They lacked spine! They lacked strength! They lacked- "Third child… Were you not aware that class had ended?"
Rei's soft and calm voice penetrated the red fog that was clouding his senses like a beacon. He suddenly realized where he was and that he was griping the front of his desk so hard that his knuckles were white. When he looked up into her pale face he found himself slowly growing at ease and his grip relaxed, the wood of the desk creaking with the release of the intense pressure it had been under.
Rei's eyes widened for a brief moment when he looked up at her in brief surprise but the emotion he saw in her eyes was quickly stifled. "Were you aware that the pigmentation of your eyes has changed noticeably Pilot Ikari?" Shinji looked at her seriously and shook his head in a negative gesture. "I'm not really a pilot anymore Ayanami but no I wasn't. What color are they?" Rei looked into his eyes for several long moments before answering, choosing her words carefully. "Your eyes are almost identical in color to my own. Perhaps some type of irritant has gotten into them. Do they burn or itch?" Shinji's now crimson orbs widened greatly and he shook his head slowly, now unable to speak at all.
"Perhaps you should go to the infirmary or see Doctor Akagi. This is not… Normal behavior."
Shinji looked at her in disbelief for several moments. At length he stood and walked slowly out of the classroom without a word. Rei watched him go blankly, then chose to follow him for her own reasons, no doubt revolving around a logical conclusion of her own making. Shinji paid her no attention, but instead walked into the boy's restroom, the door swinging closed behind him as he walked over to the sinks and looked into the mirror at his face.
Rei frowned as the door swung shut on her, stopping a mere inch from her face. She looked at the sign next to the door that signified this as a men's restroom and seemed to be debating whether she should go in or not. At length she seemed to give up on monitoring the Third Child's condition and turned to leave, only to spin back around and dash into the restroom without hesitation as she heard Shinji yell loudly followed by the sound of breaking glass.
Shinji was gone. No, not gone… Only pushed aside and forced to become a spectator. Something else had him now. Courage… Rei found herself not three feet away from a being that had destroyed an angel without any effort at all. His large, black bat-like wings brushed against the walls, knocking tiles away as he stretched them out. His shirt was completely ruined, a pile of tattered rags on the floor beside him. His pants were ripped and torn along the legs up to his thighs but appeared otherwise intact. His shoes had exploded though as he no longer wore the shoe size of a fourteen-year-old boy obviously enough.
The red tribal markings that adorned his body moved along his entire body in odd swirling patterns until they curled around his face, framing it perfectly. His hair was longer like before and as he stood there in his terrifying glory Rei found herself feeling a new emotion. That emotion was fear. She was paralyzed with it and she didn't know why. Rei knew full and well that he had no desire to harm a human being and wondered in truth if he could do it even if it was necessary. Yet there was a part of her that not only feared Shinji as he was now but also hated him a great deal. That half of her writhed in agony deep within her soul as fear, hate, and even pain seared through it.
"Your time is nigh, Angel but it has not come yet. You have nothing to fear of me for the moment but there will come a time when you must be torn from the body you now inhabit and dragged into the shadows." With those words spoken he thrust his wings up above him, through the thin ceiling with ease as though it wasn't there, then brought them down to his sides in a sweeping motion that sent him up and through the roof to the sky above.
Rei found herself watching him fly majestically toward Nerv and thinking deeply of what he had said. Finally she came to the only logical conclusion. "He knows that I am of Lillith." Then the sirens began to blare. Tokyo-3 was under attack again, but Rei found herself only mildly concerned. "Commander Ikari will not be pleased."
The Inner Demon of Courage stared at its advancing foe evenly, obviously unconcerned, from the shoulder of Eva Unit 00. With a small smirk on his face he touched the comm. link attached to his left ear and spoke loudly and clearly, obviously not confident in the ability of the technology he was using. "This is my opponent!? This weak, armless, near defenseless little thing!? And what is that pink cloud-looking thing over its head?" Courage mocked his foe over the comm. line and found himself barely suppressing his laughter. "Strong to you or not, Demon, that Angel is a very real threat to humanity and you will refrain from making a joke of our peril! Is that understood?" Gendo spoke over the line in a cold even tone with just a bit of edge to his voice.
Apparently the sound of it was enough to even rattle a demon as he fell silent quickly and awaited his orders. "Good. Now then, I want Rei to move in first and attempt to intercept the Angel on her own with you staying behind as backup. Do you understand?" Courage immediately looked outraged of course. "You want me to WHAT!? You would put human lives at risk for what? To satisfy the pride of some girl?! Or is this more about the pride you have in your precious Evas?"
Gendo's voice this time was even colder and more menacing than before. "This has nothing to do with pride for me as it may with you, Demon. For your information we barely managed to recover the core from Unit 01, and if we hadn't I think I might have had you held personally responsible. Unless you want me to consider our conversation as your insubordination then be silent and follow orders. Is that clear?" Courage laughed but said nothing and took flight, hovering behind the white giant as it began to slowly and cautiously move toward its foe.
Courage watched the Eva advance slowly on its foe with mild curiosity, only wondering how long it would be until she had to retreat. It didn't take long for the Angel to go on the offensive, tentacles made of lasers sprouting from what looked to be arm stumps and lashing out at her with blinding speed. She raised her AT field just in time to block the tentacles but they began to batter against the field relentlessly, causing it to slowly weaken and crack. As it battered at the protective field it continued to advance toward her, the power of its attacks increasing the closer it got.
With a cry she felt her AT field slip away and her right arm get severed at the shoulder. As the Angel moved to slice away her head she closed her eyes and waited for the peace that came with unconsciousness but it did not come. Instead she heard a loud shriek from what she assumed was the Angel and opened her eyes. Before the face of her Eva and big as life on her monitor was the body of Courage. His wings flapping powerfully to keep him in place and what appeared to be his own AT filed extended in front of him like a shield, blocking the Angel's repeated attempts to end her life with its long deadly arms.
Doctor Akagi looked at the readings coming from the Demon as he had come to be known with disbelief as most of the staff stared in amazement at the AT field Courage had produced. It was truly massive, as tall as a skyscraper and one and a half times as wide, actually shaped like an ancient shield. However there were further oddities about it. Instead of the usual orange hexagonal patterns it was bright blue and appeared not to have any breaks suggesting a geometric pattern at all.
Doctor Akagi looked at the visual monitor, then at the readings with wide eyes and loudly asked a question to which no one could have an answer. "What the hell is that!?" Maya looked at her superior curiously, then turned to her monitor and found herself just as surprised. "Its…. Its pattern is the exact opposite of an Angel's AT field. In fact…It's not an AT field at all!" Ritsuko quickly pulled up the Angel's AT field pattern and then the Demon's for a comparison on the second largest monitor on the bridge.
Maya was correct in her assessment as the Magi made the comparison even though it was easily something that could be seen to human eyes. The wavelengths were exact opposites down to the very last detail. As Ritsuko and Maya went over the data Gendo and the rest of the crew watched as Courage began slowly advancing on the Angel, its laser-like tentacles bouncing off the shield as he tried desperately to maintain it and push it forward at the same time. For a while it seemed he was succeeding but his advancement on the angel began to slow and his wings began to beat more and more weakly as his strength waned. "Too…Too strong…I can't…I can't hold it off."
Rei watched as her would-be savior's strength waned and finally failed him, the shield falling at last and a laser like-tentacle flying out to end his life. Curiosity suddenly turned to horror and she cried out and reached to grab him away but she knew she wouldn't be fast enough. What happened next was the most confusing thing to happen to her in her life to date. Time actually began to slow before her very eyes, first to a crawl and then to a complete standstill. The Angel's tentacle that meant the Demon's end was but a foot away from his tired form. He had begun to fall when time stopped, eyes closed and seemingly fast asleep.
"What… has happened? This is not possible." Rei stared at her monitor in utter confusion and disbelief. "It is and it has happened. I have stopped time so that we may converse openly my child. I may only do this once however and not for as long as my dear brother so we will have to make this as short a conversation as possible." Rei looked about her, clearly startled to hear a foreign voice but more startled at her odd revulsion at the presence of this strange being that she could only hear. "What do you want of me!? Who is your brother!?" Rei asked her questions quickly with none of the fear in her voice that she actually felt. Rei heard soft, musical laughter that made her heart soar and sink at the same time. "My brother goes by the name of Courage in the language of man and it is not a question of what I want of you my child but of what you want of me."
Rei's face took on a look of profound confusion once again as she spoke. "I am not your child… and I do not understand what you mean." The laughter again that both excited her and filled her with a cold fear. "Do you want to protect this boy who laid down his life for you?" Rei frowned and spoke once again in monotone. "The Demon?" The voice, soft and feminine, made its reply. "The Demon of Courage supplied the power but it was young Shinji who wanted to protect you. Courage cares only for facing his foes in battle and not for any who would be in harm's way. Though his intentions are good he does not always consider the risks he may pose to himself and others."
Rei listened carefully and voiced her next question with carefully chosen words. "How did Shinji obtain his demon?" The voice laughed lightly once more. "Why he formed a pact of course. He was one of the three chosen out of all of humanity by our kind to receive our three most powerful warriors. Once long ago this was a more common act and much easier to do… Alas, those times are long dead. However, we may not discuss this now. My power to distort time's flow is fading and so we must make our own pact now. You must spill your own blood Rei. Just a drop will do however, don't go killing yourself just to make a pact with me." Rei moved her thumb to her lips but it hovered there and went no farther.
"Who are you though Demon?" The demon's response was quick, sure, and proud. "I am known in your language as the Inner Demon of Love. You were chosen for me as the quality I represent is most lacking in you out of all of mankind." Rei nodded solemnly and asked her final question. "What must I do to receive your aid when the pact is finished?" The voice of the demon replied and Rei could almost feel the smile it must have been wearing. "You only have to call my name when the pact is done and I will come to you." Rei nodded and with that, bit her thumb until the plug suit and her skin gave way and her blood was spilled into the LCL.
Rei watched as time began to crawl forward again, Courage fell just fast enough so that the tentacle just missed him and flew toward her instead. Just before the tentacle could slice her Eva in two she managed to find the words to summon her demon. "Come sweet Love and banish the pain light brings with the warmth of shadow." Her eyes rolled into her head and her body shook when she finished her words. The Angel struck her Eva and it was sliced cleanly in half, and then assaulted again and again by further blows until nothing remained but a heap of seared and scorched metal and flesh. Atop of this disgusting pile that was once an Eva was the most beautiful sight man has ever observed.
Glowing white wings that were much the same in their shape as Courage's sprouted from her back as her height increased before the eyes of those who watched. Her hair lengthened and grew straight down her back to reach her waist. As she grew taller her plug suit ripped and tore until it was nothing more than rags on her rapidly maturing body, barely obscuring her assets from view. Her curves grew more defined as her body filled out and her skin grew so pale as to appear to glow itself. Her crimson orbs remained the same color as they had always been and as she smiled up at the Angel one could almost see it shiver with what could have been fear if it was capable of such feelings.
Slowly she spread her wings and began to rise without beating them a single time. At length she found herself hovering in front of it's core and in a simple gesture she extended her arms out so that her palms were facing each other as though she were going to give some tremendous clap. On either side of the angel appeared two enormous light blue walls, larger versions of the shield Courage had made before though they lacked the shape his had.
Instead hers were two walls, twice the height and width as the one Courage had produced. With a soft smile and a muttered apology she brought her hands firmly together and a split second later the two enormous walls came crashing together and crushed the Angel utterly. When the walls disappeared what was left to fall to the streets below was a rain of blood-like fluid and crushed innards. The Inner Demon of Love slowly descended to the ground to stand before Shinji Ikari and smile warmly at him before she fell to her side and was delivered at last to the inky blackness of unconsciousness.