AN: Yes, it's finally here, the next installment of Evangelion: A Beautiful Lie. I know you all are a bit irritated at the long wait, but unfortunately it was necessary, I've been focusing on my school work and I am just about to graduate from High School. Once I'm out I'll have a lot more free time to write. Now, onward with the reading!

Gendo Ikari was not pleased, no he was not pleased at all, in fact the normally calm, unwavering, stoic man was now incredibly and thoroughly pissed the fuck off. At approximately ten thirty-seven, the super computer Balthasar, located at Nerv headquarters was assaulted by an outside party. In less than sixteen minutes the entire database of Nerv was under the control of a foreign party, and he had no choice but to completely destroy the computer along with any data that was being transfered at the time of the hacking.

"This doesn't bode well Ritsuko, were you able to recover anything at all?" The tone used by the commander caused the good doctor to nearly jump out of her skin as she rummaged through the core of the now useless and scorching MAGI.

Wiping her forearm along her brow, the blonde woman gave a hefty sigh as she looked over the fruits of her effort from the last few hours. These 'fruits' however, only consisted of several smoking data grids, and a few fragments of what was once the most powerful CPU in the world, or so it had been thought at least. "It doesn't look good, while we were able to recover the main files you asked for, it seems as though whoever did this got some of the Photo files and a few video." Ritsuko bit her bottom lip to keep from blurting out her next thought. 'My personal notes... I had them stored on balthasar...'

A loud crunching sound was heard throughout the entire room and everyone looked in shock as Gendo Ikari opened his hand, revealing his crushed, orange sunglasses now merely shards in his palm. "I want the person responsible for this found... and I want them found now!"

With an audible thump, Kensuke fell to the floor, his glasses falling off of his face and landing a few feet away from the now unmoving boy. The freckled boy, who just moments ago had been smiling in triumph over his victory of the esteemed personnel of NERV, was now slumped on the ground with his eyes glazed over, a small stream of blood flowing down his neck.

Shinji gave a heavy sigh as he pulled the syringe out from his bespectacled friends' neck. Wiping away the blood with a handkerchief, he rolled the unconscious boy into his futon and flopped the covers over him. It took him no more than three minutes to pack up all the equipment they had been using just moments ago and make it appear as if nothing of the sort had occurred.

"Sorry buddy, it's safer if you don't get involved though..." The brown haired boy whispered, shutting the door behind him, lugging several cases with him as he made his way into Kensuke's assigned room, having taken the small paper sign with Kensuke's name on it and switching it with his on the door, no one would notice if two people switched rooms, or at least he hoped. 'Man you never know when the stuff you steal from Kaji's suitcases is gonna come in handy.' He thought as he pocketed the syringe, careful not to prick himself with the needle.

Let out an exhausted groan, the young teen ran his hands over his face in an act of habit, showing how frustrated he was with the current situation. As he began setting everything back up in Kensuke's original room, Shinji bit his lower lip to stop from screaming out in anger and running straight to Nerv to grab his father by the throat and watch the life drain from the bastard's eyes.

Sighing, the brown haired youth flipped the laptop open again, grinding his teeth together at what he saw. Pictures... numerous photos of him and Asuka over the past few months beginning with the very day they had met at the airport, at school, at the lake, and most disturbingly, play by play pictures of his and Asuka's kiss on the kitchen table in Misato's apartment.

'He's been watching me, no, he's been watching us... but why?' Shinji bit his lip in thought, scrolling through the numerous images and only becoming more and more confused with each passing second. What could Gendo possibly gain from having him followed, his father always had a reason, for everything. As of now he could see no benefit at all, so why have him, and Asuka stalked?

It was then that he halted, finding at least a bit of the information he had been looking for, even if it wasn't much. Photos of the wreck, his supposed "crash" on the mountainside. With a thin, amused grin, he chuckled, shaking his head as he allowed himself to fall backwards, landing on his futon. He had his proof now, the skid marks, or rather, the absence of skid marks on the road where he had apparently been found.

If he were, in the very, very unlikely and impossible instance, to crash, he would at least have attempted to avoid such an occurrence as much as possible and that would entail him swerving, which would have left skid marks on the road. The lack of any such marks only meant one thing...

"It was a set up." Those five words caused a truly amused, entertained smirk to form on Shinji's lips. A moment later he had covered his mouth, chuckling softly to avoid waking the other students sleeping just past the thin walls.

A small, exasperated sigh would emit from Shinji's lips as he stood up, walking over to his overnight bag and fishing through the piles of clothes he had brought with him on the trip.

"Aha found it! Man am I glad I remembered to bring you along." A flash of silver would reflect in Shinji's eyes as he looked down at the container that housed the remaining two cigarettes Kaji had given to him as a gift. Flipping the container open, he drew out one of the cigarettes, and placed it between his lips. Not a moment later, the young teen had whipped out his lighter, inhaling the smoke that flowed, the bittersweet tobacco taste running along his taste buds as he exhaled.

"Nerv, no my father is having me and my girlfriend spied on at all times... he's following us around in order to... in order to... keep us together?" The revelation was accompanied by Shinji's bewildered look, wide eyed and slack jawed. "Kaji takes me out of nowhere back here to Tokyo-3, coincidentally where Gendo's base of operations is located, and where Asuka is located." The brown haired youth paused for a moment, taking another hit of his cigarette before he continued, the smoldering end being his only source of light at the moment. "Rather than doing something sensible and leaving me on my own or with someone responsible, Kaji drops me off with Misato and Asuka. He leaves two teenagers with raging hormones in an apartment with a guardian who is likely to return home late." The more and more he continued, just increased his suspicions. "Misato forces us to stay in the same room, eat together, sleep together, and bathe together as punishment... Nerv... wants me and Asuka to be together."

That was it, so subtle, a plan that would seem to have no outcome, what could his father possibly gain? With a shake of his head, Shinji took one last hit, the smoldering cigarette finally burning out and down to the filter. If there was one thing that he was sure of at this moment, it was that he did truly have feelings for Asuka, and not because of Gendo's, Misato's, and Kaji's influence.

Even if they had been forced together, no one could make them truly do anything, no one had the ability to influence whether or not they got along. The moments they shared, their conversations, their kisses, their feelings for each other, was all their own. "I may be playing into your hand dad... but not the way you want me to... I care about Asuka Langley Soryu, but it's not because of what you did... it's because of what I did... what we did... what she does, to make me feel complete..." With that last sentence, spoken into the darkness, to no one but himself, Shinji Ikari would begin his revelation, his journey was just now beginning. And that's when he collapsed.

FLASH

Shinji whirled around, once again lost within what he could only believe to be the confines of his own mind. A blank, white, endless void and him standing, or rather floating right in the middle of it.

"What am I doing here... why do I keep coming back here? WHY DO YOU KEEP TAKING ME HERE!" He screamed, yelling to himself, shouting to the world, a cry, a question, what had he done, why was this happening to him?

His shout would echo, shaking the abyss around him, when a sudden gust of wind would envelop him and cause the young teen to shield his eyes. Slowly the gust would weaken to a light breeze, and then dissipate completely.

Instantaneously he noticed the change, no longer was he standing in the empty world, no as of now he was in a long and vacant hallway. This new world was different, yet entirely the same, everything the same shade of grey, black and white mixed into a perfect concoction. Only one object stood out, in a glowing blood red, a logo on every mechanical door in the hallway.

NERV

"I'm at Nerv... what the hell?" Without even registering it, Shinji had begun walking down the seemingly never-ending hall. His footsteps made no sound on the hard metal floor, turning his head to the side, the brown haired boy could vaguely make out images through the small glass windows that were centered in the doors.

Tubes, odd glass containers filled with a yellow liquid were in every single room, although one room he had paused to peer inside further, inside one of the tubes, their seemed to be a young girl, with short, pale blue hair. "What is..."

Before the brown haired teen had time to voice his question, his feet began moving along again, stopping at the base of a large, metallic stairway that led up to a pair of large double doors. Once again the Nerv logo shining brightly, intensifying with each and every step that he took towards the door. It was so odd, he seemed to have no control over his actions, and yet it was what he had wished to happen. As he gripped the handles to the large doors, Shinji's heart began to race, fearing what he may find on the other side.

Another bright flash of light, yet this one swirling with colors so bright that it blinded him before his blurry vision began to refocus and he could see what the world had become.

"Playground?" He whispered out, a look of confusion evident in his features. A quick glance around told him that it was not truly a playground, it was part of the prison that was NERV HQ. The entire area was secluded, and the fences that surrounded the designated "play" area were lined with barbed wire and two guards were posted next to a door that obviously led underground.

No children laughed or played on the rusty old swing-set, nor did anyone giggle as they slid down the poorly maintained slide. There were only two even in the vicinity, sitting in a small sandbox, and piling lumps of sand onto a poorly built castle in the center. As he approached the two children, Shinji's eyes went wide as he realized just who the children were.

On the left, with wild, unkept, brown hair... was a younger, five year old version of Shinji, who's eyes were downcast as he whispered quietly to his companion.

To the left... was Asuka, dressed in a smaller version of her favorite yellow sundress and her hair as vibrant and as perfect as ever. She sat, sniffling softly as she rubbed her left arm, her sobs quiet as she fought to stay strong.

"They hurt me again... they keep sticking those needles into me and they won't stop... Shinji-kun it hurts." The cry of pain in the young Asuka's sobs was heartbreaking as she cried, clutching her elbow.

A frown formed on the young Shinji's lips as he nodded in agreement, holding out his left arm and showing Asuka an odd, small, triangular shaped wound just in the bend of his elbow. "I get them too Asuka-chan, but they said they're gonna stop soon, and they'll let us out... then we can go to school like the normal kids, and play for real!"

It was plain to anyone who had any maturity and understood the graveness of the situation that the young boy was trying his best to comfort his friend, when everything was so far from okay.

"I miss Mama... I wish she was here... why did she leave me Shinji-kun!" The tears flowed freely now, as the little girl brought her gaze up, her eyes red as she pleaded with her friend.

It was weird to Shinji, seeing a younger version of himself, move over and hug a young Asuka in his arms, protecting her, soothing her just as he would do for his Asuka today. Unsettling seemed more the word, but it was still natural, as if it should be.

"Doctor Akagi told me both our mama's are with us, always... even when they use the needles."

Shinji narrowed his eyes at the statement, focusing on the wound on the child version of himself. Kneeling down, he reached out, and the moment his fingers brushed against the flesh of the wound, the world once more collapsed, this time in a ripple like motion.

He was not greeted by silence this time, no, now screams were his welcome to this new world. Horrified, and pain filled screams echoed about him before the world had even come into focus, and when he could finally see... he wished that he couldn't.

Indoors this time, a plain, clean white room, filled with people, doctors surrounding a single platform. Curious, Shinji walked around the crowd of medical attendants, attempting to get a look of who was screaming. On the table, laying down, side by side were the young Asuka and Shinji from before, only a bit older this time, maybe six, or seven. However Shinji could not focus on their looks, no, the only thing that he was seeing at this moment was their pain.

Countless wires were strapped to their bodies, and needles inside every major vein, around their foreheads, was something that made him sick, and electro shock belt, the same kind used on death row inmates during their executions. The two children were writhing in pain, crying out and screaming as they were electrocuted over and over again.

"STOP IT!" Shinji shouted, unable to watch the horrific act before him, he yelled as the doctors continued to mumble things he didn't understand. He had attempted to grab one of the doctors, only for his hand to pass right through them, his eyes unable to tear away from the pain filled eyes of Asuka and himself.

And then, it happened, and Shinji recoiled as he heard the two children scream in unison, the pitch so high he would have sworn it could shatter glass. The two children suddenly became silent, their bodies falling limp and their eyes closing.

An instant later, their eyes both flew open, this time, an unnatural and eerie presence heavy in the air. Gone were Shinji's dull blue orbs, as well as Asuka's cerulean gaze. Now replaced by a pure, glowing red glare on the face of a young boy, and a brightly shining yellow emitting from the young red head.

"GET OFF!" The dark, and overlapping roar that emit from the young Shinji's throat was chilling, as the young boy ripped through the leather restraints holding him down like they were paper. A simple kick, and the nearest doctor was sent flying, crashing into the window with a sickening crack as his skull caved in.

Shinji stopped breathing, if he had been breathing at all as he watched his child self flail and attack the doctors, though the wires connected to him did not break or fall. Slowly, shockingly he turned his gaze to Asuka, finding almost as sickening a sight as before. Syringes had floated up off the tables, as if being held up by invisible strings, with a flick of Asuka's hand, the needles flew, plunging into the hearts of several doctors, who fell to the ground a moment later, obviously dead.

"Enough... Do it." That voice... he knew who it was instantly, averting his eyes to the corner of the room, he saw him, Gendo Ikari, as stoic and cold as ever was glaring at his son and the young girl on the table.

"Yes sir."

The children began wailing in pain once more, jolting and thrashing about as they were electrocuted once more, this time on a much larger scale. With a high pitched scream, the two fell limp once more, unmoving except for the rising and falling of their chests... at least they were breathing.

Slowly, Gendo stepped out before Shinji and Asuka, and soon an incredibly young looking Doctor Akagi flanked his left, writing something down on her clipboard. "There powerful..." Even she seemed to be afraid of the spectacle, if her shaking hand was any indication of that.

Beside her, the eldest Ikari gave a curt nod. "True, but they have no control, it's a start however... together they could be potent... Now did it work?" A curious tone in his voice, one Shinji did not like hearing was in that simple question.

Sighing, the blonde woman pursed her lip. "We won't know until we wake them up." Was her curt reply, her voice and tone still as shaky and nervous as it had been a moment ago.

"Wake them."

"Sir, we can't possibly wake them so soon. They're in excruciating pain! If we even tried they would be-" She was cut off however, by Gendo's sharp glare and a stern command.

The older man pushed his orange sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose as he stepped over towards the collapsed young girl. "Just wake her then... for a moment and then you can put her back to sleep, we need confirmation as soon as possible that it worked."

Ritsuko gulped, a sad look in her eyes as she walked over to the collapsed form of Asuka, pulling out a syringe and emptying it into the girls bloodstream. Seconds later, the blue eyed girls eyes would flicker open, no longer a pure, bright yellow, but back to their original hue. A small, weak groan escaped from Asuka and she whimpered as she tried to get up, only to be stopped by the female doctor.

"Look at me... do you understand what I'm saying Asuka?" Ritsuko attempted to use the most soothing tone she could muster, although Shinji could feel nothing but hate as he watched her.

Weakly, and slowly Asuka nodded in response to the older woman's question, muttering a strained reply. "Yes..."

A small smile spread across the Doctor's lips. And she pulled out what appeared to be a small photograph, although the subject of what or who was on the photograph, Shinji couldn't make out. "Then... do you know this boy?"

Silence followed, slow and deafening before finally. "...No." Her head then fell to the side as she passed out once more, Ritsuko pulling another syringe from Asuka's arm.

"Excellent." Was the only thing that Gendo would reply upon hearing such an answer, a disturbing smile plastered on his face as he turned and walked out of the room. The world one last time, warping away, and Shinji fell, deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Shinji sat up with a jolt, inhaling sharply as he fought to breathe, hacking and coughing before he fell back, his chest rising up and down rapidly. Every last inch of his skin drenched and coated in sweat, glistening in the dim light that the sun provided as it shone through the window. A loud, exhausted groan rose from the young teens throat as he brought his knees up to his chest, resting his forehead against his legs in an attempt to clear his head.

Silently, the brown haired teen rose from his futon, stumbling about as he made his way to the small washroom provided by the resort in each room. Grunting, he turned on the sink, blasting the cold water and splashing it against his face. Droplets of water running down his face as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.

A sigh of relief escaped the teen, as he began to once more breathe normally. As he went to turn he halted, craning his neck back toward the mirror and leaning in, the tip of his nose mere centimeters away from the reflecting glass as he examined an oddity. His eyes... once a dull shade of blue, almost grey, were now bright and exuberant, the same startling hue as Asuka's. That was not the only thing that had changed, his skin, his appearance, he just seemed to look... healthier.

"Weird..." He muttered to himself, placing his hands on the edge of the sink. Once again he caught something he had not noticed before, on his left elbow, a small, faded triangular scar now seemed to stand out to him. Wrinkling his nose in confusion, Shinji ran his fingertips along his arm. Just as they brushed along the scar, he jolted, jumping back and away from the mirror as if he had been shocked.

A flash, a distant memory of a sharp stinging pain in his arm had hit him. Beyond his grasp in an image, but the pain, the hurt, he remembered that.

Gulping softly, Shinji returned his gaze to the mirror, biting his lip and closing his eyes. "What the hell did I dream last night..." Then it hit him, and he shot his eyes open as his lips parted in awe. "I dreamt... something, which means I slept... the insomnia... it's gone." He laughed, grinning at the revelation before he took off, intent on washing up in the springs before meeting the others at the dining hall.

There was only one other person in the dining hall when Shinji walked in, feeling refreshed and clean from his morning bath. Hikari Horaki sat at the farthest corner table by the window, nibbling on an omelet as she looked over several files in a blue binder.

TIlting his head to the side, young man took his place across from his girlfriend's best friend, his eyebrows raised as he leaned over a bit to get a better look at what she was doing. "What's with the paperwork?"

The freckled girl smiled slightly, answering without looking up from her work. "I'm just making sure that none of the students are allergic to anything in the food the chefs made, but it doesn't look like it." She replied with an upbeat tone, closing the binder and looking up to greet her best friends boyfriend. "Shinji you look... different." Hikari blinked in surprise, there was something subtle about her friend, as if he were calmer, more at peace than he normally was.

A small, satisfied smile was her reply, as the blue eyed boy began to take large bites of his meal placed before him. "I've been feeling better, a bit stronger than I have in a while, guess I just needed some rest."

"That or Asuka's good for your health." The class rep deadpanned with a smirk, causing Shinji to second guess the shy, innocent girl he had believed her to be once before. "What are you doing up so early anyway, it's only five-thirty?"

"Misato starts her day with a loud yell to get herself pumped at about five o clock sharp, and Asuka tries to steal my bathroom about three minutes later, so I have to wake up early." He answered between gulps and a few sips of orange juice, before he paused a moment and glanced to the side. "Where is Asuka anyway?"

At this point, students began to file into the dining hall, taking their seats and chattering about the previous day, where they had gone and the souvenirs they had purchased. It took only a few more seconds before both had cleared their plates and stood up, eager to get back to some peace and quiet. "She's still sleeping, she was worried about you last night and we stayed up talking about well... you and Toji, I think she got worn out." The young girl admitted guiltily, folding her hands in her lap as they walked down the main hall.

"Heh, well then that's good, she could use some rest anyway, she was taking care of me yesterday when I felt a bit sick, I'm gonna go check on her. See ya later Hikari." He waved as he turned down towards the classes designated rooms, intent on making sure his girlfriend was okay. Just as he had made it to Asuka's door, Hikari called out to him.

"Shinji!" The tone that came out from the young girl immediately caused said boy to turn his head, concerned at first, then understanding. Hikari was fidgeting with the fabric of her dress, her head ducked down as she spoke. "Thank you, for helping me with Toji..." It was easy to see how unusual and foreign it was for her, Hikari was always the strong one, not physically, but she was always collected, able to handle any situation that was thrown her way. It was the sole reason she was so thoroughly respected as class representative.

With a warm smile, Shinji nodded, having gained another friend this moment, he took her appreciation, and acknowledged it. "Don't mention it... no big deal at all, though that double date thing you asked me about yesterday when you called... I still gotta check with Asuka, even if we don't tag along, you'll do fine with Suzuhara... he may be an idiot, but he cares about you." With that, he quietly slid open the door to Asuka's room, and stepped inside, shutting the door silently behind him.

The freckled girl stood smiling outside in the hallway, her eyes bright as she bowed her head in thanks to her new friend, before they had simply accepted each other, now there was an understanding between them, one that would help them both in the future. "You're good for her Shinji... take care of Asuka." She spoke to herself, truly happy that her best friend now had someone, who could hold her, love her, and save her.

It was quiet when he entered Asuka's room, the only sound was the soft sound of running water coming from the washroom. Quickly, Shinji scanned the room, finding Asuka's futon ruffled and unkept, rolling his eyes he chuckled. It was so like Asuka, for all her femininity, she really never did have a knack for cleaning up after herself. Then again, that was just part of Asuka being Asuka. With a grin, he stepped into the entryway to the washroom, finding the fiery redhead combing her hair and humming softly.

The brown haired boy arched an eyebrow, stepping behind Asuka, suddenly wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him, which of course, having taken the young girl by surprise, caused her to jump a bit and panic before relaxing into her boyfriends embrace. However, not before elbowing him in the ribs rather harshly. "Dummkopf, don't sneak up on me like that!" She glared, though playfully as he released her and stepped back into the main room.

"Yeah, duly noted Red." Shinji muttered, rubbing his side with a cringe, despite her petite frame, the girl hit hard. "I think you bruised my rib, that's the thanks I get for buying you an expensive, beautiful kimono, last time I buy you anything!" He joked, sitting on the edge of the dresser and grinning.

Asuka merely rolled her eyes at Shinji's antics, swishing her hips in a seductive manner as she approached, an innocent, and alluring bat of her eyes as she leaned down and kissed her boyfriends neck, biting him just in spite. "You should be honored to buy something beautiful for a beautiful woman... and if that's not reward enough, you know when wearing the ceremonial kimono's a girl is supposed to be naked underneath, and who's to say the slit won't just happen to open up when we're alone during the festival." Her tone was low and seductive, a light purr in her voice as she pulled away, throwing a wink in his direction before sliding open one of the drawers from her dresser and withdrawing two different sets of lingerie.

"Which one do you think I should wear today?" The dazzling, cerulean eyed young woman asked, pouting her lip as she held up a pair of yellow, transparent panties in one hand, and in the other a delectable, red g-string thong.

'Damn you Asuka.' Seemed to be the only thing going through Shinji's mind as he sat, baffled at his girlfriends mysterious ability to render him speechless. "Does it really matter, it's not like anyone else is going to be seeing it when the class goes sightseeing today." He replied cooly, not letting her see just how much she affected him when she pulled her little stunts.

Slowly, mesmerizingly, the fiery red head licked her lips, leaving a glossy, wet shine on them as she spoke, cupping her hands together in front of her lap and causing her breasts to press together through the thin white shirt she had worn to bed last night. "Oh but they are important. I have to go tell Shizune-sensei how I'm suddenly feeling under the weather, and unfortunately have to stay here and rest..." Asuka grinned, a mischievous, and devilish look on her face that made her oh so sexy as she once more pressed her lips to Shinji's, pulling away a moment later. "And not so luckily, you've caught what I have too..."

A deep, amused, and joyful chuckle, emit from the young teens throat as he worked over Asuka's plan in his head. After a moment, he shrugged and threw her a wink as well, speaking only two simple words before lifting the dazzling beauty up off the ground and ravishing her up against the wall.

"The red."

AN: There you have it, I kind of like how it turned out. This chapter was written, deleted, and rewritten numerous times before I settled on this version. Shinji's become a bit more cheerful, but hey, if you had Asuka for a girlfriend you would be too. Well until next time. READ AND REVIEW!

Here's a special note, this fanfiction now has an AMV that is dedicated about it. On youtube, go to my account Kentoushi87 and check out the video.