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

Slowly, Shinji opened his eyes, and stared at a familiar ceiling.

The dojo.

Dressed in his white gi and headband, his red gloves fastened around his hands, the boy pushed himself up into a sitting position, gazing around the silent, empty room. The setting sun painted the dojo in dusky, warm colours as its light shone in through the semi-transparent panelling of the doors and windows.

Standing up, Shinji blinked in confusion, beginning to walk down the length of the dojo.

Am I dreaming? I must be – wasn't I in the EVA?

At the end of the dojo, there was a small table, with a set of drawers underneath. On top of the table, lay a framed picture – him, Gouken-sensei, and Asuka, all liberally bruised and sporting wide grins after an intense training session.

Senzo had taken that picture, he remembered, and had then dashed off into town to purchase a liberal amount of painkillers when muscles swelled and sprains became evident. But despite the pain, it was a good memory – the day he had finally become proficient with the Shoryuken.

"You can't keep clinging to the past, Shinji."

The boy whirled around, and met the eyes of Asuka. Also dressed in her gi and gloves, she made her way towards him, the boards creaking underneath her bare feet. Her voice was eerily toneless, her eyes empty of emotion. Shinji backed up slightly as his friend drew closer.

He blinked, and suddenly, Asuka was garbed in her scarlet plugsuit.

"Just like you can't deny that things are going to change between us." The girl whispered, now only a few feet away from him.

Wordlessly, Shinji glanced away, only for the redhead to grasp his chin and force him to look at her.

"Your time with Sensei is finished – and there's nothing keeping us apart any longer." Asuka murmured, and then began to tug the boy's chin closer, insistent. Her eyes began to drift shut, her lips puckered slightly, and Shinji closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable contact.

It never came.

Shinji fell back on his rear, and stared down at the floor in front of him. The girl was gone, and he stood up, staring at the spot where Asuka had once stood.

"You have tasted true battle for the first time, and learned much. Gouken teaches you no longer."

Eyes darting upward again at the sound of a heavily distorted male voice, Shinji's eyes widened as he saw another figure – this time, standing just out of the path of the light, hiding in the shadows. He could tell that the figure was built similar to him, and that he wore a gi, headband and gloves – but little else in the low light.

"The fight only begins when you wager everything – even your life – on the outcome. True challenge will only find you when there is blood waiting to be spilled."

There was something familiar about the voice, Shinji realised – but he couldn't quite place it.

"Only when your foe's absolute destruction is your objective, are you truly whole. You wished for nothing else save the death of the Angel, and have set yourself on the path to completion." The figure growled, and the boy across from him swallowed, speaking for the first time since he had awoken in the dojo.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked.

Without reply, the mysterious presence moved forward, letting the light fall across it, and Shinji stared at himself – but at the same time, he was staring at something else entirely.

What was once a white gi was darkened with soot, dirt and dried blood – his red gloves had been burnt black, the leather split and revealing stuffing – and the boy's mouth fell open as he gazed at the other's features.

Soft brown hair had been replaced by unruly tufts of blood red, and lips pulled back into a feral snarl revealed sharpened, elongated canines. The other Shinji's skin was darker, duskier, and his eyes with glowing scarlet malice.

However, those weren't the most jarring qualities the strange doppelganger possessed – in the centre of his upper torso, there was a strange, circular scar – like a depression that had been slowly burnt into the flesh. Veins circled the scar, and snaked outwards from it, glowing with what could only be described as lava.

"I am your future, Shinji Ikari."

Scarlet flames flashed across his bizarre clone, and suddenly it was inches away from him.

"…I was only trying to survive. That creature would have killed me and everyone else –"

A brutally strong hand seized him by the neck, cutting his speech off and hefting him up into the air. Shinji tried to smash the hand away, tried to escape its grip, but already his vision was beginning to darken.

"Do not try to deny me! Simply accept me for what I am – part of you. Undeniably so." The Not-Shinji hissed, his eyes flashing red once more as Shinji's windpipe began to deform beneath his grasp.

"Or else you will face torture. Of your soul and your body. Gouken, Asuka, Misato, everything you care for will burn to ash unless you embrace the Satsui no Hado – the Surge of Murderous Intent!"

Shinji's eyes rolled back into his head as the berserk doppelganger choked the life from him – and loud voices echoed from somewhere beyond the dojo, as the room began to quake wildly.

"Wake up, Shinji!"

Eyes wide with alarm, Asuka shook Shinji's shoulder firmly as the boy thrashed on the stretcher, gasping for breath and reaching his arms out blindly.

"What's wrong with him?" The redhead asked, her voice agitated as she looked up at Misato and the two medics who were attending to him.

"It must be some kind of nightmare." Misato murmured, remaining stoic and watching as the boy convulsed without any obvious reason.

"Did the EVA do something to him?" Asuka asked, fearful as Shinji's writhing became more and more violent.

"We don't think so." One of the medics replied, then started whenever Misato grabbed Shinji's face roughly. "Captain, what are you –"

Misato reached back, and then gave Shinji a powerful, painful slap, one that almost knocked his upper body off the stretcher. Immediately, he awoke, sucking in air and sitting up straight. Asuka was at his side in an instant, her hand on his back as she knelt down beside him.

"Wondering when you were going to wake up, baka." The girl murmured, slapping his back lightly. She furrowed her brow slightly as Shinji pulled away blindly, awkwardly scrambling off the stretcher and onto the concrete of the street.

"Wha – What happened?" The boy asked, his hands coming up to unconsciously trace around the muscles of his neck.

"You destroyed the Angel." Asuka replied, somewhat bemused. "They pulled you out of the Entry Plug, but you were unconscious – you started thrashing whenever we tried to revive you."

In front of her, Shinji nodded slowly, his hands leaving his neck, and looked up, past his friend and his commander. Some ways behind the two, the gargantuan form of Unit One lay, limp across the ground from where it had collapsed when he fainted.

Misato glanced back at Asuka, speaking quietly.

"Me and Shinji need to talk for a bit."

"Oh." The girl replied, slowly drifting away. Her concern for Shinji was etched onto her face, and she kept looking back even as she distanced herself from the pair.

Shinji flinched as Misato's hand came down on his shoulder, gripping it firmly.

"Shinji. What is your duty?" The woman asked, voice icy.

"My duty? To – to pilot EVA. Right?" His tone was unsure, but he was certain of one thing – he was about to be lectured.

"Yes. It is to pilot EVA. But also to obey any and all orders given to you by me, your commanding officer. Which you did not do." Misato elaborated.

"But I destroyed the Angel! Nobody had to die!" Shinji burst out, taken aback, but was quieted whenever the grip on his shoulder tightened exponentially.

"Everyone recognises that you alone destroyed the Angel – so do I. But in doing so, you risked yourself, and the lives of everyone else. If your plan hadn't worked, if you had been killed – we would have nothing left to stand against the Angel except Unit Two – and it's still being repaired from the last time – when Asuka disobeyed orders."

As Misato presented her case – which, Shinji admitted to himself, carried a very legitimate point – Asuka, and a few of the attending personnel had gathered to watch from a distance.

"Now, you have destroyed the Angel, but what are the consequences? EVA Unit One," - she gestured to her left, indicating the sprawled mass of cybernetic limbs only a few hundred meters away – "will need to undergo extensive repair because of the damage to its arms and hands. What if an Angel attacks during that time, Shinji?"

Shinji didn't say anything, but still met Misato's gaze, beaten but unflinching.

Finally, Misato let out a heavy sigh, and let go of the boy's shoulder, to rub at the bridge of her nose. "Alright, lecture over. Go…do something." She murmured, turning away as Shinji began to drift back over to Asuka.

These kids are going to be the death of me.

It had been…something of a challenge, explaining how on the way to the bathroom, she had gotten lost and drawn right into the middle of a battle between a giant robot and a bizarre kaiju, but Hikari Horaki did not pass up challenges – she rose to them.

Thus she had weaved a thrilling tale of near-death and spectacle to her classmates, and indeed, to the entirety of the shelter as they were escorted back out into the supposedly safe city, all the while skipping over why her shoes and socks were perfectly clean when everything else was dirty, or torn.

And when school was over for the day, and Hikari was walking down the street – albeit in a condition that drew more than a few curious stares – all that was on her mind was how good it would feel to climb into the bath and get all this damned dirt off her.

However, as soon as she opened the door, the girl realised that was not to be the case.

Her father wasn't overly muscular, or even that tall – he was only a few inches taller than her, but despite that, he radiated presence and authority, and Hikari found herself glancing down to the ground more than once underneath his piercing gaze.

"You're filthy." He mused, standing wide in the doorway, preventing her from walking into the house.

"Respectfully – I noticed. Father." Hikari said, slowly and carefully. Still, her father remained in her way, and she finally took the hint.

At least, she hoped she did.

Reaching down into her sock, and into the anklewrap beneath, she withdrew the memory card she had pilfered from Kensuke's camera, and held it up for inspection. It was curtly plucked from her, and as her father stared at it, she chewed her lip in anticipation, before he spoke again.

"I am pleased – and surprised – that you succeeded. Go and have a bath."

Hikari sighed in sweet relief, and moved past her father, toeing out of her shoes and beginning to drag herself up the stairs.

"And come back down afterwards – clan business."

She was thankful her father couldn't see her frightful expression from this angle – she'd have probably received a kunai to the face for her troubles.

Padding down the corridor towards Shinji's room, dressed in khaki shorts and a red tanktop, Asuka paused outside her friend's door. She knocked once, out of curiosity, and listened – there was no answer. It had been hours since the two had returned to the apartment with Misato, and a tension hung in the air.

Whether or not it stemmed from Misato and Shinji's confrontation, she couldn't say – it had been impossible to find him all night. He'd only emerged for a few minutes to struggle through a TV dinner – and then had retreated back to his room.

Finally, Asuka decided that enough was enough, and slowly slid the door of his room open, peering in. The room was almost completely darkened, save for the moonlight shining in through the window. The inquisitive redhead spied a head of brown hair resting against the other side of the bed, and she called out softly.

"Shinji? Alright if I come in?"

Shinji's head appeared to nod, and she closed the door behind her, slowly shuffling over so she could see behind the right side of the bed.

Her friend sat against the bed, staring up at the window blankly. Asuka hesitated, concern flashing over her features at the strange sight, but quickly sat down beside her friend regardless. She opened her mouth to speak, but broke off, and then tried again.

"You alright, baka?"

The boy remained silent, and the redhead ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Look – Shinji. You have to talk to someone. If not to me, then Misato."

Nothing.

"Verdammt, Shinji – " Asuka whisper-yelled, reaching out and grasping him by the collar. Abruptly, he turned to face her, and she quailed in her aggressive approach when she saw the tear tracks on his cheeks shine in the moonlight.

"Asuka…" Shinji mumbled, eyes still blank, "Do you think I'm a monster?"

Utterly bemused at her friend's first words in hours, Asuka narrowed her eyes, and gave a stunted, awkward reply.

"What – where's this coming from? Of course not. Now get up, you need to –"

"When I was in the EVA – fighting that Angel – I wanted nothing more than for it to die." Shinji said, and his eyes focused in on his friend at last.

"I've never wanted anyone to die in my entire life."

Asuka's lips pursed with the dawn of understanding.

"I was on top of it – ripping and tearing and –"The boy broke off, hugging his knees to his chest.

Beside him, Asuka shuffled closer, and gently wrapped her arms around him.

"It's changing me. The EVA." Shinji mumbled, nearly inaudible. "I don't know how, or why, but I never thought I'd –"

"Listen, baka." The redhead pulled back, and placed her hands on his shoulders, gazing into his eyes.

"I'm only going to say this once – so you better pay attention. You are not a monster. Those things that we fight, they are the monsters. What you are is a hero."

Asuka stopped abruptly, and it was only because meaningful things like this were difficult to think up – definitely not because seeing her best friend like this killed her inside, and she had to swallow a lump in her throat. She spoke again, with a hint of a rasp.

"And you didn't destroy that thing out of savagery or hatred, you did it because lives were at stake. That's the reason you wanted it to die – so it couldn't hurt anybody else."

Shinji looked down at the ground, as if contemplating this new theory, then looked back up into the redhead's eyes. "You think so?"

"Absolutely." Asuka responded, with a vigorous nod. "You're not a monster, Shinji – you just don't have it in you to be one."

Towelling her dripping hair, and dressed in a fluffy, pink robe, Hikari let out a pleasant sigh as she moved down the upstairs corridor of her home. Words couldn't describe how good it felt to get all that damned mud off of her.

Hopefully, whatever 'clan business' needs attending downstairs isn't too long-winded.

I need to sleep.

I need to eat.

I need to –

In front of Hikari, a human form dropped down, previously unseen, from the ceiling, and she let out a shrill scream, stepping back.

"How ninja of you, sis." The form muttered, dryly, and stood up to its full height.

Kodama Horaki was a tall woman – taller than her father, easily – and although her jet-black mop of hair was a departure from the typical Horaki brown, her blue-grey eyes and freckled cheeks marked her as one of the family without doubt. Dressed in tight workout pants and a sports bra, over which a beige zip-up sweatshirt was worn, her athletic figure was obvious.

"I thought I told you to stop doing that!" Hikari hissed, moving aside to let her sister past her.

"You did. I decided to keep doing it." Kodama supplied, heading for the stairs. "Dad's waiting for us. Come on."

"In this?" Hikari gestured to her rather sugary choice of post-bath wear. Without offering a reply, her sister clasped a hand around the younger girl's wrist, and began to drag her down the stairs, despite her protests.

Pulled into the family room, Hikari tried to contain an indignant flush as over fifteen people, all of varying ages, gender and builds stared at her. In the centre of the room, her father sat, and motioned for Kodama to close the door again.

After she had done so, she had Hikari and herself sit behind the bulk of the gathering, as the Horaki patriarch began to speak.

"As I was saying – this new benefactor is promising us impossible sums of money and resources, if we can achieve our goal."

A man in his early thirties, with tired eyes and a receding hairline, held up a hand. With a nod, he was given permission to speak, and he glanced around at the group as he did.

"This man chooses to remain anonymous – are you certain he can deliver?"

Hikari's father nodded. "This man is clearly aware of the skill and power of the Horaki Clan – and he knows that to cross us would be to invite death. He is no fool."

He stood up, and looked around the assembled gathering.

"We have been given a singular task. After my daughter was able to deliver on our previous contract," Hikari's father indicated her, and gave a small, proud smile, to which she responded with a demure bow, "our benefactor saw proof of our capabilities. Enough proof to promise us wealth beyond all measure. Brothers and sisters…"

The man reached into his pocket, and produced a photo, which depicted a man in his late forties, with sharp features, a full, trimmed beard, and distinctive tinted glasses.

"We are going to kill Gendo Ikari."

Dun dun dun. For the next week I'll be shifting focus away from my Arrow crossover and onto this - hopefully I can get this episode wrapped up and move onto Episode 5!

Read and review!