Evangelion is property of Studio Khara and GAINAX.

Street Fighter and Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist are property of CAPCOM.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: SENSHI NO MICHI

Ten years ago.

The day was clear, and bright – as were nearly all days in Japan, thanks to Second Impact.

As with every day, since he had begun to train in Ansatsuken, Gouken rose early, at five AM. The dojo's youngest occupant, who had only just arrived, still slept soundly.

Padding through the corridors, towards the small kitchen area near the back of the house, Gouken let out a long-winded yawn, sliding aside the door and stepping in. Breakfast for him was simple – little more than a bowl of rice, and rudimentary sushi. Nothing else was needed, only essential foodstuffs.

Taking his meagre meal out of the kitchen, Gouken made his way towards the front of the house, and after sliding the front doors open, took a seat on the front steps. With only his chopsticks for company, he enjoyed his breakfast, staring out at the expansive plain in front of him.

Occasionally, his gaze would drift towards the training area he had set up for himself – the dummies and exercise equipment. Why there was so much of it, he couldn't say – surely he only needed one dummy, yet he had three dug into the ground.

It could be said that he was simply clinging onto tradition – when he had trained at Gotetsu-sensei's dojo, there had been such an arrangement.

With a noncommittal grunt, he focused on his meal once again. Soon enough, Senzo, the dojo's faithful housekeeper and Gouken's vassal, also awoke, to begin morning chores and duties. The man's experience was evident in how he finished quickly, and, with his own, slightly larger meal, joined Gouken on the porch.

Neither man spoke for the longest period of time, instead choosing to focus on the sights and sounds of nature. However, the silence was eventually broken, by Gouken himself.

"Senzo, my friend…have I done the right thing?"

In response to the master's question, Senzo took a moment to finish his bite, and after swallowing, composed himself. His aged, but strong voice offered a response.

"In taking this boy in? Yes, I believe you have. You offer him what he would miss out on anywhere else."

Gouken only frowned at the housekeeper's response, speaking again soon after.

"But how can I be sure of that? How can I be sure that the home he was originally sent to, wouldn't be enough?"

Senzo spent the new few seconds finishing his meal, before replying.

"Gouken, I have watched you grow from a boy into a man, and in all this time, you have rarely been so unsure of yourself, and of your actions. Only once before, I believe. When the master died."

Gouken's expression fell slightly, but he didn't reply, or give Senzo reason for pause.

"That being said, I do believe you have done the right thing. As for giving this child 'enough', there is no such thing. There is no bare minimum of care to give to a child, no quota of affection to satisfy. And you can tell, Gouken, of how much anyone else cared for him, via one simple reason. In the past month, has anyone deigned to check on the child, other than us? Why else would he be unceremoniously handed over, to two strangers living in the middle of nowhere?"

With a heavy sigh, Gouken nodded, and turned his head towards his vassal. "Of course, you are right, old friend…you are right. Those who abandoned Shinji forsook him, left him to the demons of chance. And now, I have a purpose outside of Ansatsuken, something more to strive for."

"Very good, Shinji!" Gouken said, with a smile. In front of him, Shinji Ikari, age four, was dressed in a child's white gi – which was still too big for him – and performing surprisingly steady punch repetitions. Even though the boy had barely any strength, it was obvious to the master that he was using every ounce of it.

If Gouken had his way, he would not have had Shinji train – but the truth was, he had virtually no experience in fatherhood, or of a so-called normal life. That being said, training Shinji seemed to be the best course of action at the moment.

It was obvious that he'd endured something greatly saddening and traumatic, and giving the boy something to focus on and aspire to was a healthy distraction. However, whatever had befallen the boy remained a mystery – there was something more to it than just parental abandonment, which, to be fair was painful in and of itself.

However, simply daydreaming wouldn't help the boy.

Focusing on his newest pupil, Gouken moved forward and, with gentle words and movements, began to help Shinji straighten up his stance.

Some time later, when the boy had exhausted every drop of energy, he had nestled himself near one of the training dummies, chewing a small sandwich demurely. Shinji didn't speak often – only when he needed to.

However, Gouken had noticed that the boy was willing to talk for at least a small while, following each successful training session.

He made sure that the boy received as much positive reinforcement as possible, always offering a smile, always offering praise. Gouken didn't know if he was doing the right thing – rather, he was doing what he simply felt he could.

It was then that he caught sight of something unusual, something that drew Shinji's gaze and his.

A fairly expensive-looking car, with a gloss black paint job, was making its way up to the dojo. It only took a few seconds, but Gouken recognised the man driving, as the car slowly ground to a halt.

"Shinji, please stay here for a moment…" The master murmured, and then began to head towards the path leading down to the car. Already, the door had swung open, and from the car, out stepped a man.

Tall and slender, with a thin, sharp face, a head of copper hair and piercing blue eyes, Peter Langley ran his eyes over the dojo, and then looked to the approaching master of the house. His mouth curved into a smile, and he stepped forward.

"Peter…what are you doing here?" Gouken asked, surprised, watching as the man approached him. In response, he shrugged, offering an affable smile.

"Can't a guy come visit his old friend?" Langley offered, and then turned around to look at the car. "Asuka. Out of the car." His tone was sharp.

Slowly but surely, the back door swung open, and Gouken watched as a girl, no more than four years old, swung her legs out of the car, then with surprising deftness, hopped out onto the sandy ground.

She wore a black dress, and shared her father's red locks – but she wore it longer, and in twin pigtails held with bows of red ribbon. Wordlessly, she walked beside her father, and stopped, almost statue-like.

After a moment of silence, Gouken let out a breath, then offered a small smile to the two. "Well, would you like to come up?"

Peter offered a nod, and a grin, and as Gouken led them up the path to the house, Peter tugged Asuka along insistently.

As the group approached, Shinji straightened up, giving off waves of apprehension and discomfort. Instinctively, Gouken moved forward, and when he was close enough, Shinji moved behind him, peeking out from behind the master's legs.

As Langley and his daughter approached, Gouken looked back at the boy clinging to him. "Don't worry, Shinji. They're just friends." He made sure his tone was as gentle as possible, but even so, that didn't move him.

Langley paused, stopping a few paces away from Gouken. "Isn't that…isn't that the Ikari boy?" He asked, surprise tinted with shock in his tone.

The master looked back at his newest charge, then nodded.

Langley visibly frowned, eyes narrowing, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he changed the subject. "Is there somewhere private we could speak, old friend?"

At this, Gouken's own eyes narrowed, and he struggled to make a choice that had Shinji in mind. Eventually, the man in front of him took charge instead.

"You don't need to worry about the boy. Asuka can keep him occupied."

Grimacing internally at the man's casual tone and language, Gouken eventually gave in, letting out a sigh. "Very well. Follow me." He began to turn around, and move backwards, but Shinji began to tug insistently on his gi pants.

Making sure to keep his voice soft, he bent down.

"Shinji…I'll only be a few minutes, alright? I'll be back soon."

The boy didn't reply, instead looking down at the ground, and eventually nodding once. As Gouken stepped away from him, Langley moved to follow the other man, and once he passed Shinji, spoke.

"Don't worry, Ikari-kun. Asuka doesn't bite." His voice was overly loud, and the boy flinched, face screwing up slightly.

Little by little, Gouken's irritation with his so-called friend was growing, but he didn't let it show, and instead gestured for Langley to follow him into the house.

As they disappeared into the dojo, Shinji bit his lip, and then looked up to find that Asuka had moved closer. Her eyes gazed into his with a fire unbecoming of her age, and the boy couldn't help but stumble back. Nonetheless, he didn't break eye contact, and the two stared at each other.

Kneeling across from Gouken, Langley let out a yawn, scratching the back of his head. "Apologies, old friend. It was a long drive."

"I can imagine…" The other man replied, a small edge to his tone. "Peter, why are you here?"

Langley straightened up, and seemed to hesitate for a moment, before speaking, tone devoid of the usual volume and energy.

"Kyoko's getting worse."

At this, the master of the dojo frowned slightly, nodding once in understanding. Peter Langley was a secretive man, and thus the nature of his work was kept under wraps. However, his friend had told him that Kyoko, his wife and Asuka's mother, had been severely injured in some kind of lab accident, and moved into an institution.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Peter…but why did you come here, instead of calling to tell me? Why bring your daughter along?" Gouken asked, gaze piercing and tone questioning.

Langley sighed, before letting a small, broken smile stretch across his lips. "Direct as always, friend. The doctors say that if Kyoko snaps, she'll snap bad – and I want Asuka to be away from her when that happens. If anything happens to Kyoko, I can't tell how my daughter will react."

"And?" Gouken asked, arcing one eyebrow.

"And I believe, it's for the best that she spend some time away from Germany, while this affair is sorted out. Much of Kyoko's work was sensitive and delicate – it needs to be transferred to someone else, and I won't have much time for her while I'm working." Langley paused, then looked away for a moment, at the closed doors leading out of the house.

"That's why I think she'd be better off spending a month or two with you." The man continued.

At this, Gouken's jaw dropped.

"I – I'm sorry, Peter, but I don't think I can. I'm barely managing to take care of Shinji…" The master spluttered, taken aback, but his friend simply shook his head.

"Let me tell you something – you're doing something right with the Ikari boy. He looks far more active than the last time I saw him." Langley retorted. "I think you can handle Asuka."

Gouken slumped forward slightly, exhaling. "I'll consider it."

"Don't worry, friend. I'll call to collect her whenever I'm ready." The man across from him replied, with a small smile that had no place on a father's face in a situation like this.

"…Just a month or two?" Gouken finally said, looking back up at Langley, who nodded.

When the two men finally finished speaking, and ironing out the more delicate details of Asuka's temporary lodgings, they headed outside, and stopped short at the sight before them.

On either side of the porch, Shinji and Asuka stared at each other, both sitting down.

Asuka seemed to have mellowed somewhat in the minutes that had passed – her back was relaxed, and she was leaning forward somewhat, in interest. Conversely, Shinji had also relaxed.

It was a strange sight, but somehow, Gouken had the feeling that two months with another child wouldn't be so bad.

Then two months turned into five.

Five turned into eight, then a year.

Langley didn't call for his daughter after that.

Soon after, Gouken realised there was a reason he had chosen to have three training dummies, not one, even if he had been unaware of it at the time.

Now.

Slowly, Asuka's eyes fluttered open, and she glanced around unfamiliar surroundings for a moment, before realising she was still in Captain Katsuragi's car, which was still driving. It was night –or early morning, she couldn't tell. A quick glance at the digital clock above the car's radio revealed that it was three AM.

Ahead of the car, though, could be seen what appeared to be a city, the massive conglomeration of steel, glass and concrete illuminated by a hundred thousand lights.

Instinctively, she sought out Shinji, but calmed when she saw that her companion was sleeping calmly, across from her, nuzzled into his duffle bag.

"Oh, you're awake…" A voice came from the front of the car, and Asuka turned towards it, narrowing her eyes.

Captain Katsuragi glanced back at her, before focusing on the road ahead. "We're almost at Tokyo-3. You might want to wake your friend up, we'll be stopping soon and you both have some walking to do."

Asuka remained silent, but nodded. Evidently, Katsuragi had seen, because she didn't say anything else and instead focused on driving.

Reaching across, Asuka gently shook Shinji's shoulder, and after a few seconds of nothing, followed up by a few seconds of softly slapping him with the back of her gloved hand, he jerked awake, mumbling slightly.

"Wake up, baka." The girl's words were soft, and a little tired, and what would have been an insult to most instead seemed to be spoken with tenderness, and familiarity.

Shinji slowly straightened in his seat, rubbing at his eyes.

For the first time, Misato heard Shinji speak – and was surprised at how gentle his voice was. Maybe it was because he had just woken up, but it was abnormally soft, quiet and composed for a boy his age.

"Mm…Asuka? Where are – oh, sorry. Nevermind."

The boy looked towards the Captain sitting in front of him, who glanced in the rear view mirror, before speaking.

"We just have to show you two a few things before you can get a decent night's sleep. Sorry." Misato said, shuffling in her seat as she slowed down and took a turn. The car was moving through the suburban areas at the moment, and would soon enter the city.

"A few things?" Asuka said, tone questioning, but firm.

The captain paused, before nodding. "Just a few things at NERV. I haven't been told yet, we'll find out when we get there. Don't worry, it's nothing bad, or strange…"

"I never said that it might be." The girl retorted, looking back over at Shinji for a moment, who had seemed to draw in on himself slightly. Meanwhile, Misato's face twisted slightly at Asuka's abrasive manner, but she said nothing.

Once again, a terse silence reigned over the car. Before long, they were in the thick of the city, and Misato was heading towards the nearest NERV entrance – one of the few she actually remembered the location of.

As the Captain wheeled the car into the darkened loading dock, and signalled for the operators to lock the clamps in place, she turned back to the children.

"I take it this is the first time you've been to Tokyo-3?" Misato asked, tilting her head slightly.

Both nodded, Shinji somewhat slower than Asuka, as if he was unsure.

"Then this will be something of a surprise for you." Misato said, with a small smile. Even if the atmosphere had been downcast so far, hopefully what came next would lift the children's spirits, if only for a moment.

The transport elevator hummed into life, and slowly, began to lower the car down the illuminated shaft.

After a half-minute of watching the light swipe over and off the dashboard of the car, Misato let out a sigh of relief as the car left the darkened shaft, and almost instantly, the previously withdrawn children sprung into life, looking out of the windows in awe at the view before them.

"I don't believe it…" Asuka gasped, turning to Misato, who nodded.

Below them, was an impossibility of nature, made possible by man's ingenuity. In effect, a massively large cave, refurbished and turned into a fully functioning and habitable refuge for humanity, indistinguishable from anything up above. Where there should have been ceiling, there was sky - and where there was once cave floor, there was ocean, forest and road.

"Yes. Welcome to the Geo-Front – NERV's headquarters."

"Amazing…" Shinji murmured, gazing out at the gleaming sea and expansive woodlands below them.

Leaning back in her chair, Misato allowed herself an honest, easy smile for the first time in what felt like a small eternity, thoughts of relief and satisfaction joining apprehension and worry, if only for a few moments.

Finally, those kids are smiling. Hopefully, they can stay like that for a little while longer.

And that's another part finished! I don't think I've ever updated so fast, or written so much. Hopefully I can keep this pace up!

Again, reviews are like nectar to me. Even a short one will make my day, so if you like what I'm doing, please take some time to leave one.