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

With little traffic on the road to obscure her path, Misato weaved through the Tokyo-3 streets at a fairly quick but controlled speed. Driving had always been one of her favourite hobbies, and she liked to indulge it whenever possible.

A small snort of laughter caught her attention from the back seat, and she slowed down reflexively, glancing in the mirror.

Shinji didn't appear to be handling her normal driving pace very well – he was rigid, his eyes wide, and his hands securely wrapped around his seatbelt, as if he could somehow pull it tighter around him. Next to the boy, Asuka chuckled.

With her own small grin, Misato continued to wheel through the city, wondering where she and the children could get a quick meal before returning home. Something simple would do – maybe a ramen stand or pizzeria could cater to their needs.

Almost as if on cue, a fast-food restaurant with the word 'PIZZA' flashing through the window via a gratuitous neon sign came into view, and Misato began to slow down.

"Feel like pizza?" The woman called back to the children behind her, who looked forward.

"Feel like fatty cheese, bloated base, and sugary tomato paste, coupled with unhealthy processed toppings?" Shinji said, his voice and expression incredulous, before Asuka leaned over and clapped a hand over his mouth.

With a cheery expression, the redhead turned to face the front.

"He means yes."

Thankfully, there was no queue to speak of, and Misato, Shinji and Asuka found themselves sitting outside, with a steaming, freshly cooked pizza on a table in front of them. Both the redhead and the older woman ate without hesitation, but Shinji seemed to be engaged in a stare-off with his own slice of pizza, almost as if he was trying to figure out some secret hidden in the food.

Misato gave him an odd stare, and the girl beside her leaned in to elaborate quietly.

"Shinji's always stuck to a rigid diet, during his training. Only time he ever really eats stuff like this is on the holidays, and even then he's working it off the next day." Asuka explained. The woman nodded slowly, watching as the boy in front of her finally brought the food to his mouth and took a rather hearty bite.

It wasn't long before he was eating with as much gusto as his two companions, and as the pizza disappeared, slice by slice, Misato found her mind wandering.

They seem to be getting on well enough…they handled their first activation test excellently. And the results were amazing, as well.

But what will happen once they actually go into battle? What will they do when they see an Angel for the first time?

Come to think of it, what will I do? What will any of us do…except pray that we're strong enough to repel whatever these things throw at us?

"You alright?"

Asuka's voice brought Misato out of her somewhat pessimistic train of thought, and she nodded briefly, forcing a small smile as she leaned in to grab her last slice of pizza.

"We'll head home soon…" The woman began, watching as the two children nodded, still occupied with their meal. "I only moved in two weeks ago, so it's still a little…messy. That alright?"

"No problem." Asuka replied.

"Yeah." Shinji mumbled.

"Holy shit!" Asuka cursed, as Misato led them into her apartment. Expansive and modern as it was, it was for all intents and purposes a landfill in a sea of apartments. Tied trashbags, empty cardboard boxes and discarded plastic containers littered the floor, while across the surfaces of tables and shelves, empty cans of Yebisu brand beer and bottles of various liquors sat.

Shinji's eyebrow twitched.

As both of the children stared into the dumpster/apartment hybrid, Misato practicaly danced past them, heading into another room. The woman called back to them as she disappeared into a corridor.

"Sorry about the mess! Make yourselves at home!"

Slowly, Shinji inched closer to Asuka, until he almost appeared to cower behind her.

"Asuka?" His voice came, timid and quiet.

"Yes?"

"I think the Captain is a drunkard and a layabout."

The redhead sighed and rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I guess being all uptight at NERV is a little too much sometimes – wait, what are you doing?"

Shinji had moved past her, walking into the eye of the storm, standing between the mighty messes that dwarfed the furniture and décor of the room. With the speed and dedication of a man possessed, the boy began to clean.

And boy, could he clean.

Ten years of chores around the dojo showed as Shinji quickly made space in half-full bags for the beer cans and discarded boxes, and tossed the items into the bags with formidable precision and speed.

In the midst of it all, Asuka had tiptoed her way past the mess, and was sat on the couch, letting out a brave yawn as her companion continued to clear the disordered apartment. Scratching the back of her neck, the redhead looked over, watching as Shinji hurled a wad of sodden cardboard into a nearby bag.

"Hey, baka."

"Huh?" Shinji murmured, still focused on the task at hand. However, the distraction was enough to cause his fingers to fumble slightly, and a few of the beer cans he had been herding off the shelves began to topple.

The boy quickly lashed out, fists and feet whipping around and sending the tin cans into opened bags around the apartment.

"Nice." Asuka murmured, crossing her legs. "Listen, Shinji…when they…activated your EVA, did you feel anything strange?" Even though the test had went flawlessly, a small part of her was still somewhat shaken at the fact that she had actually stepped inside such a machine.

Shinji paused, then turned back to face his friend. "Not really…" He began, frowning slightly. "I think I felt…something…at the back of my mind, like a tickle, but after that…I mean, isn't feeling like you're a giant robot strange enough?" He laughed quietly, and Asuka conceded with a smile and a shrug.

"Guess you're right. Sorry."

"It's alright." The boy replied. Finally finishing up, he tied the last of the bags, and then with almost terrifying strength, lugged no less than all five of the bags over his shoulder. Making a beeline for the door, he pressed the button with his foot, slithering out to dispose of the trash.

Sighing, his companion leaned back against the couch, gazing up at the ceiling. The sound of bare feet on the floor told her Misato was coming back, and she looked towards the corridor, watching as the Captain walked out, her hair tied back and wearing more casual attire – a worn yellow tank top and extremely short shorts.

She stopped short, looking around the now spotless room. There was a strange look on the woman's face – as though she didn't recognise the apartment around her.

"Where…but how…what?" Misato mumbled, her eyes wide.

"Shinji." Asuka replied, half-heartedly.

"What?" The woman murmured, still somewhat confused.

By chance, the boy in question happened to come in at that exact moment, and he rolled his shoulder slightly, wincing imperceptibly. As soon as he looked up, however, Misato was upon him.

Picking up Shinji in a bear hug, Misato grinned, her voice loud and grateful.

"I can't believe you did this! Thank you!"

The boy attempted to reply, but he could not – for his face was pressed to the Captain's ample bosom.

With a small, nervous laugh, she released Shinji, watching as he stumbled back with blinking eyes and reddened cheeks. He slowly moved a hand through his hair, swallowing and attempting to ascertain what exactly had just happened.

"Nice. You broke him."

Asuka's voice came from the couch, and almost machinelike, he turned around, plodding past the table and sitting down beside her, still staring ahead with a dazed expression.

Misato shifted awkwardly on the spot for a moment, before finally speaking again. "Well…now that the mess is taken care of…want to see where you'll be sleeping?"

The two on the couch looked up in some interest, and then nodded together, rising to follow Misato as she walked down the corridor, stopping at the first door to the left.

"Alright, we have two rooms free. First come, first served!" The woman said, cheerily, looking at the two. The children simply glanced at each other quizzically, before Shinji spoke.

"Why do we need two rooms? One'll be fine."

Misato raised her eyebrows at the reply, and then thought for a moment, as if there was something important that she was missing. Then, it hit her, and her eyes widened, before she spoke, her voice high and shocked.

"What? You mean, you two – you – sleep –"

"We sleep together? Yes, why?" Shinji replied, dubious.

Beside him, Asuka groaned, her left palm coming up to hide her face. Meanwhile, Misato's expression grew increasingly incredulous.

"I can't believe – seriously? You're pretty young, I mean…"

The redhead cut off Misato's shocked sputtering, holding up a hand.

"What this baka means to say, is that we've shared a room for a long while. Two separate futons, in case you were wondering." Asuka shot Shinji an exasperated expression, and the woman in front of them watched as the boy drew in on himself slightly, seeming somewhat ashamed at his mistake.

"Oh, well." The Captain let out a breath, and looked back into the room, somewhat empty save for a set of drawers and a futon. "You'll have your own rooms to yourselves, now. How's that?"

Both of the children seemed a little thoughtful at the new prospect, but nodded their heads eventually, Shinji a few moments after Asuka.

"Alright, then. Take your pick!" Misato said, her grin returning.

"I call dibs." The redhead immediately strode into the room in front of them, glancing around.

"Looks like you're down the hall, Shinji." The woman said, to the boy beside him. With a nod, a small bow, and a brief thanks, he disappeared through the door a few meters away from Asuka's newly claimed one.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. The children spent their time unpacking, making themselves feel at home – Misato had peeked into Shinji's room, after noticing the door was ajar, and watched as the boy hung up his well-worn gi with something akin to reverence. His red gloves were placed on the small table next to his bed.

With a small smile, Misato moved away, leaving him to his own devices. The hours went by, and after a small supper cobbled together from whatever she had in the fridge, the trio all retired to their separate rooms.

The rain was warm and refreshing, and Shinji basked in it, despite the fact that it plastered his white gi and brown hair to his skin. He exhaled, slowly, looking at the wooded lands around him.

There was a snap of twigs, a rustle of leaves, and he spun on the spot, searching for the source of the sound. He found it in front of him – a form that seemed human, felt human.

Even though he was several metres away, Shinji could feel the warmth and love that emanated from the person, and instinctively, he gravitated towards it. As he approached, the form seemed to define itself. He noticed how it seemed to be feminine, with a somewhat narrow waist, and wider hips.

He stopped, only a few metres away from the figure now, noticing the soft brown hair, cut into a bob, and the greyish blue of their eyes.

Shinji reached out, then flinched as the figure before him seemed to contort. The height of the form decreased, and the eyes and hair changed, the blue turning to crimson, and the brown hair bleaching to an unnatural, washed out colour, almost blue.

With smooth, practiced motions, the figure drew its hands to its side, a ball of golden light bursting into life between the palms. Before Shinji could do anything, the Hadoken was in flight, aimed for him. His years of training taking over, he quickly summoned one of his own, and blasted the orb of blue ki forward.

"Hadoken!"

The two bursts of hado met in the middle between them, and Shinji covered his face with his arms as a wave of warm, almost scalding energy washed over him. His eyes flickering open again, he looked around – he was no longer in the wood.

All around him, was darkness – an abyss, save for a circle of light, of which he stood in the middle.

Around Shinji, a tiger paced, the lone source of light sending a gleam through its strange, silver fur. It began to approach him, and the boy noticed that the beast was missing its right eye – only one eye, the same bright crimson as the eyes he'd seen before, stared back at him.

The beast paused a few feet away from him.

Curiously, Shinji moved closer to the animal, extending a hand towards it. He watched as it moved closer, began to lick at it and nuzzle in supplication. With a soft smile, he moved closer to the tiger – then let out a yell as it tackled him to the ground, its claws sinking into his chest, shredding the cloth of his gi and the muscle of his chest.

Gazing up at the beast with pained eyes, Shinji could only close them again as it moved for his head, its teeth aiming to finish the job.

Shinji awoke with a start, clutching his chest. His breathing was fast, and heavy, and, almost panicked, he stood up, the blanket falling off of him.

Unfamiliar ceiling. Again.

Slowly, his breathing slowed, and he let out a sigh, glancing down at his watch. With a start, he realised it was almost nine AM – Gouken-sensei wouldn't like that he'd slept in –

Except he wasn't at the dojo, anymore. It was still something of a difficult concept to get used to.

He shook his head for a moment, as if he could force the strange dream from his mind, and then moved for the window, pulling the curtains open. The morning light shone into the room, illuminating it, and he blinked repeatedly as his eyes adjusted.

Scratching his bare chest, Shinji moved to find a shirt – he felt a little exposed in simple cotton shorts, and after plucking out a simple white vest, slipped into it and stepped out into the hall. As he moved into the main room and kitchen, he spotted Misato sitting at the table, still dressed in her casual clothes, and was about to speak, to say good morning, but her cellphone rang.

Drawing back slightly, he watched as the woman plucked it from the table, and held it to her ear.

"This is Katsuragi."

"Captain? It's Hyuga. We have something on the radar."

Misato frowned, and replied. "Something's a little vague, Makoto. Care to elaborate?"

The voice on the other end quickly responded, seeming a little rushed and agitated. "I wish I could. We do know one thing though – whatever it is, it's Pattern Blue."

The woman's eyes widened, the colour seeming to drain from her face in an instant.

Misato is a child again, and the Antarctic is turning to hell on earth around her.

She watches as her father places her into an escape capsule, watches the hatch seal shut.

She feels the wound on her torso scream, feels the shockwave that slams into the pod and sends it into the chilling waters.

Misato stood up in a flash, the chair falling back onto the floor with a loud clack. After a moment, she responded, her voice perfectly level.

"Roger. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

And, after more than a few chapters, we're finally back on track with the episodes! For those of you wondering, this is when the real meat of the story will begin, so hopefully you can sit back, and enjoy yourself, in the chapters to come.

Thanks for reading! Please review!