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

The school day drifted in painfully slowly – between the teacher's dreary, droning lecture and the steadily building throbbing in her cheek, Asuka felt like she might go insane. The laptop in front of her offered little relief or escape from the current situation – there was little else to do other than fire messages back and forth with her classmates on moronic topics, and even if she attempted to start a conversation, she didn't think she'd get many replies.

Asuka looked ahead, to her left, and spied Shinji, who, in contrast was eagerly typing out message after message, a small smile coming to his face every time a new reply popped up on his screen. However, despite the fact that watching her country bumpkin of a friend proved mildly distracting, it wasn't long before that too became dull and repetitive after several minutes, and the redhead groaned quietly, before closing over her laptop and leaning back in her chair.

I'm of half a brain to just get up and leap out the nearest window…hell, I'd take extra sync-testing at this point. At least then I'd be doing something productive.

Finally, mercifully, lunch period arrived, and Asuka bolted out of the classroom all too quickly, Hikari struggling to keep up with her and maintain a measure of poise at the same time.

The two shuffled their way down to the school courtyard, lunches in their hands, moving past groups of giggling girls and dodging out of the way of those eager enough to bolt down the corridor, despite how Hikari shouted after them.

As they moved out into the open air, Asuka sighed in relief, and stretched her arms above her head, before turning to her friend. "Let's go find somewhere to eat." Hikari nodded, and moved beside her, pointing to a bench some ways away. Silently nodding, Asuka headed towards it with Hikari in tow.

Sitting down, Asuka halted in opening up her bento box as the girl beside her produced another, holding it towards the redhead, who quirked an eyebrow in confusion. Hikari smiled, and popped the lid open, revealing a lunch of varied vegetables, sushi, rice and pork.

"I just thought you'd appreciate a little variety in your food for once." Hikari offered, setting the box beside her. "I know Shinji always makes the lunches, but they always seem a little plain. Not that I'm insulting Shinji, or you for liking his cooking, I'm sure It's nice…"

Asuka watched with a measure of amusement as the Class Representative began to stumble over her words, and took the box without a second's thought, her own bento set to the side for now.

"It looks delicious, Hikari." The redhead smiled, and beside her, Hikari quieted, before nodding, grateful for the approval. The two dug into their lunches, passing the time between bites with idle chatter, before a shout from across the schoolyard drew their attention.

Surrounded by a ring of whooping students, two boys hurled themselves at each other, fists flying. As they stumbled around, swinging wildly at each other's face, Hikari shot to her feet, expression tight.

"You can't be serious." She muttered, and stepped forward, to intervene. Behind her, Asuka gazed at the brawl, quiet and pensive.

Six years ago.

Gouken grimaced as another strike connected with Asuka's abdomen, winding the young girl. The entire fight thus far had been like watching a great wave breaking across solid, immovable rock – now that Shinji was fighting differently, fighting smarter and choosing his attacks carefully, he was dominating his opponent, whose hyper-aggressive strategy had, up until now, been dominating every spar between the two children. The boy's expression was calm – completely composed, in contrast to Asuka's.

The girl's face was streaked with dried tracks from frustrated tears, and her mouth was outlined with spots of blood and saliva. It made for a distressing sight – and it was painfully obvious to Gouken that she was going to snap any moment now.

And when she does, Shinji will capitalize on that – and things will only get worse.

A kick to the side of Asuka's leg brought her down to one knee, and the master could almost pinpoint the exact moment that the last of her composure vanished, as her face twisted monstrously and her sapphire eyes blazed with uncontrollable rage. She lashed out with a high roundhouse kick – which, if it had connected, would have no doubt left Shinji with a concussion, and maybe even knocked out a tooth or two. But Asuka's anger was her undoing – she forgot about maintaining technique, and the wind-up to the kick was far too long.

Shinji ducked underneath the leg, and with a firm shout, lunged forward, delivering a powerful straight punch to the side of Asuka's jaw. The girl stumbled back, and then collapsed to the sand, with a low groan of pain.

Gouken stepped forward, moving off the steps as Shinji began to approach his felled opponent. At the same time, both the boy and the master held out a hand – Shinji, offering help to the half-conscious Asuka, and Gouken, to stop Shinji from moving any closer to the girl.

"Shinji, wait –"

Gouken's voice was drowned out by the shrill, feral scream that tore its way out of Asuka's mouth, and he watched as the girl forced herself off the ground, swinging her entire bodyweight into one vicious hook. Caught off guard, Shinji took the attack head on, and he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

Fear flashed across the Ansatsuken master's face as he dashed between the two, and knelt down beside Shinji, gently turning the boy's head to face his.

"Shinji…" Gouken called, gently slapping Shinji's cheek. "Shinji, can you hear me?"

He was rewarded with a low, pained groan, and watched as the young boy's eyes slowly fluttered open. Gouken turned his head to glare at Asuka, opening his mouth to shout, to berate, to yell that enough was enough – but she cut him off.

"It's not fair!" Asuka screamed, tears leaking from wide and furious eyes. "Baka-Shinji can't be better than me! He doesn't work as hard! He doesn't deserve to beat me!"

"Asuka –" Gouken tried to make his voice heard, but the girl would have none of it.

"Both of you, shut up!" The girl yelled, clamping her hands over her ears. "It's not fair! It's not!"

With that, the girl turned, stumbling slightly, and began to run.

She ran, even when Gouken called after her, and gave chase.

She ran, even when his desperate yells faded into the distance.

She ran, even when her feet began to bleed.

Now.

Blinking, Asuka watched as Hikari scattered the crowd, with threats of detention and reprisal from teachers. However, the two fighters remained, and judging from their angry barks, and twisted, hateful expressions, they weren't too pleased with the girl.

Asuka leaned forward slightly, her lunch forgotten, and watched as Hikari tried to defuse the situation, hands held up as she spoke to the two of them.

Suddenly, one of the two lashed out with a punch – and both Asuka, and any other students watching were stunned to see Hikari dodge it with practiced ease, turning her back towards the boy, before grabbing the attacking arm, and pulling it over her shoulder as she pitched her bodyweight forward.

The boy let out an inelegant yelp as he was hurled to the ground, hard, but that was nothing compared to the shocked shrieks and gasps that came from all around, as the second boy's fist slammed into Hikari's face before she could turn to face him completely. The girl stumbled to the ground, red trickling down her face from her broken nose.

Without a second to lose, Asuka sprang from her seat, sprinting towards the boy with clenched fists and furious eyes.

The attacker turned, spotting her – and as fear flashed across his face, something slammed into him from behind, sending him to the ground before Asuka had a chance to lay a finger on him.

Rei pressed her forearm against the back of the boy's neck, pressing his face into the dirt, and twisted the boy's arm behind his back, drawing a pained cry from him. In front of them, Hikari rose to her feet, somewhat unsteady, and held a hand to her face, wincing. Asuka came beside her, concern evident on her features.

"Hikari…" Gently, she pulled the other girl's hand away from her face, and inspected the damage – already, there were messy smears of red across her lips and chin, and the redhead growled, turning to look at the grounded attacker.

"You little shit…" Asuka began to step towards him, but was stopped by Hikari's hand on her shoulder.

"Ashuka…" The girl said, pinching her nose. "He'sh not a problem now." Sniffing, she looked down at Rei, and bowed awkwardly, whilst trying to keep the blood from running down her face. "Dank you, Rei. Ah apprechiate it."

The albino nodded up at the Class Representative, silent, before hoisting him to his feet by his arm, earning another pained squeak.

"Where would you have me take him, Class Representative?" Rei asked, coolly.

"Jusht the princhipal's offish fuh now, Rei." Hikari replied, and watched, along with Asuka and the schoolyard, as the waifish girl marched the boy away.

"Ashuka." Hikari managed.

"Yeah?"

"C'n you take duh ovver wun to the offish as well?"

"Later." Asuka replied, moving slightly closer. "We need to get you to the nurse."

Hikari looked at the blood smudged on her hands, and the alarming amount staining the shirt of her uniform, but despite the morbid sight, managed a small smile, shaking her head.

"I can go myshelf. Danks."

With a sigh, Asuka nodded, and then moved over to the other boy, who had watched the scene play out from his spot on the ground. Hoisting him up roughly, and shoving him along despite protests, the redhead cast one last glance at her bloodied friend, before she followed Rei into the school building.

Six years ago.

By the time Asuka had begun to consider returning to the dojo, it had been two days, and she had no idea how to. The young girl stumbled over unfamiliar hills and rock faces, glancing about dumbly as she tried to figure out where she was.

A cool wind blew through, rustling the few dying bushes around her, and Asuka shivered, clutching her arms. Her gi and black undershirt weren't exactly suited for keeping the elements away – to say nothing of the lack of shoes. The cuts had begun to scab over some time ago – after she'd fallen asleep underneath a large, old tree, but even though they didn't bleed, they ached all the same.

The pain, the cold, the gnawing hunger in her stomach, everything tried to draw cries from the girl, but none came.

I'm not gonna cry. I've cried enough.

But even if Asuka refused to cry, it wouldn't change anything. She was still lost, still without food or shelter. She'd been able to drink from a river that seemed clean enough some hours ago, but it seemed unlikely that she'd find it again.

A fresh wave of vicious hunger pangs drew her back to reality, and with far too much difficulty, Asuka began to move forward again. Slowly, the ground underneath her feet changed from dirt and grass to rocks and pebbles, and the girl gasped in pain as she moved across them. Suddenly, there was the sensation of moisture on her cheek, and she rubbed at her eyes – until she realized she wasn't crying.

Asuka looked up towards the rapidly darkening sky, and whined, before glancing around for some kind of shelter she could hide in to wait the storm out. She looked in vain for several moments, but by the time the rain had begun, she was lucky enough to find a cave – massive, and empty. The girl immediately made for the entrance, but before she could enter, her foot caught on an outcropping.

She landed hard on the rocks beneath her, but suddenly found she couldn't muster the strength to cry out in pain, to move, to do anything at all. Exhaustion seemed to permeate every fiber of her being, and Asuka was all too happy to rest, even as the rainstorm began to batter her and everything around.

I'm sorry, Mama. I wasn't good enough for you.

Can I just…rest here for a moment? I promise I'll get up. I promise…

Gradually, her eyes drifted shut, slowly enough to catch a glimpse of the tall, wide figure emerging from inside the cave.

When Asuka became aware again, she felt warm – comfortable. She could hear the storm raging in the distance, the rain unable to reach her, and a fire crackled beside her,

Wha…

With a groan, the girl tried to sit up, but only succeeded in flopping onto her side, limp. There was movement to her left – the shifting of fabric, the slap of bare feet against stone. Her eyes were difficult to keep open for more than a few seconds, and they closed again as she felt a massive hand cradle the back of her head, tilting her upper body up effortlessly.

Something was held near her – warm, with a rich aroma. For a brief moment, she could glimpse a bowl of some kind – filled with rich, chunky soup.

"Child. Drink."

Asuka obeyed the firm, echoing voice without protest, opening her mouth slightly as the bowl was brought to her lips. It warmed her instantly, rushing down her throat and into her stomach, bringing sweet relief from the aching hunger. When the bowl left her lips, she groaned, trying to move forward, but was kept in place by an immovable grip, which released her seconds later. She lay back on the hard ground – but found something soft and cushioning underneath her head.

"Rest now."

Making a small, childish noise of acknowledgement, Asuka curled up, and within moments fell back into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Now.

Leaning against the wall facing the office door, Asuka allowed herself a tight, vindictive smile as the boys were subjected to the almost-deafening wrath of the principal. Beside her, Rei stood, ramrod straight, gazing straight ahead.

"That was a pretty nice hold you had back there." The redhead offered, hoping to get anything out of the silent girl. "And you took that guy down like he weighed nothing."

"I have been trained in unarmed combat by Mr. Hibiki." Rei replied, icy, and Asuka nodded slowly, finding it difficult to comprehend that the goofball of a Security Head actually had something useful to offer.

"Oh. Is he any good? As a sensei, I mean."

"He is satisfactory. Fragile, but satisfactory."

"…Fragile?" Asuka chuckled quietly. "Doesn't sound like much-"

The words died in the redhead's throat as Rei rounded on her, crimson eyes boring into sapphire. Asuka couldn't help but shrink away somewhat, even as the albino spoke.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Rei asked, frowning.

"What?"

"Talking. Conversing with me about trivial subjects."

Puzzled, Asuka struggled to form a reply. "Just to…just to get to know each other. Why wouldn't I?"

"And why would you wish to 'get to know me'?" Rei inquired, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Because we're…pilots. It would help…synergy. Team performance." The words came out stilted, awkward as Asuka improvised on the spot. However stunted her performance was, it seemed to register with the mysterious girl, who seemed to give the words some thought, before nodding.

"Unit Zero's activation test will be taking place after school today. If you wish to 'get to know me', perhaps you will attend." Rei said, succinctly, before turning on her heel and walking down the corridor, leaving a slightly bemused redhead in her wake.

Six years ago.

"Sir, I'm very sorry – but our officers alone are not enough to comb the forests completely. We'll need to wait two more days for more men to arrive, so we can carry out the search –"

"She doesn't have two more days!" Gouken roared, and across from him, the poor secretary nearly jumped out of her seat. The master's powerful voice brought deathly silence to the hustle and bustle of the small police station, and kept the small, reedy officer a few meters away from him standing up straight, with a tight expression.

Behind it all, Shinji sat, curled up on a plastic chair, wearing a heavy raincoat. He hadn't removed his headband since two days ago – ever since Asuka had run away, he couldn't seem to think clearly – and he'd barely gotten any sleep.

Despite this, the child fought to remain awake, remaining silent as Gouken led him out of the police station, and back to the battered old pickup truck that had taken them into town.

"It's my fault." Shinji murmured, as he clambered into the passenger side seat, and began to fumble with the seatbelt.

"Shinji – it's not. You need to stop blaming yourself." Gouken replied, voice tired as he turned the key in the ignition, the truck rumbling to life.

"But it is, sensei. If I had just let Asuka win –" Shinji's voice drifted off, thick with unshed tears, and the master found it difficult to reply as he wheeled out of the parking space, and onto the main road.

"Shinji…we'll find her. It'll be alright." Gouken's flimsy reassurance didn't receive a reply, and he decided to simply focus on the road ahead. Before long, his thoughts drifted to the contact information hidden at the back of one of the kitchen cabinets – and the possible salvation it could offer.

If I call Ikari…would he even bother to help?

There's a chance they might – but there's also a chance they might take them away from me as well.

I won't let that happen. It would break Shinji, I know it would.

And it would break me.

The debate raged inside Gouken's head for the entirety of the ride back home, and when the truck was parked in the sandy driveway, he let himself loll forward, resting his forearms against the wheel.

Beside him, Shinji was fast asleep, and Gouken looked at him. He smiled softly, sadly, before looking ahead again and letting out a shaking sigh as he rubbed at his face for a brief moment, before unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car.

After lifting Shinji out of the passenger seat, and gently kicking the door closed behind them, Gouken carried Shinji up the path to the dojo, slowly as so to not wake him. When they were close enough to the dojo, he frowned. The light in the main room was still on – and he could swear he had turned it off before he and Shinji had left for the police station.

And Senzo should still be in town…

Gently, he shook Shinji awake, and let him down onto the ground, as he approached the front doors. He hesitantly slid the doors open, peering around, before his eyes widened.

"Asuka!" Gouken gasped, dashing through the doorway, followed by Shinji. The girl was fast asleep, resting beside the table in the center of the room. Kneeling down beside the sleeping girl, he took in the sight of her – dirty, bedraggled, and scratched.

"Asuka!" Shinji yelled, shuffling past his master and beginning to shake her shoulders. "Asuka, are you okay?"

In front of them, the girl stirred, groaning, before her eyes snapped open. She sat up, shuffling back from the two, and kept her gaze leveled at the floor.

"Asuka, where –" Shinji blurted out, but Gouken held a hand out to silence him, before moving closer to the silent girl.

"Asuka…" Gouken began, softly, and watched as the girl flinched slightly at the sound of his voice. She looked up gradually, her eyes shining with tears, before she lurched forward against his chest, and began to weep.

"S – sensei – I'm so – so sorry…" The redhead sobbed, her hands clutching feebly at his coat. "I didn't…realize, I –" She broke off, trembling and in tears. To her side, Shinji began to sniff, reaching out and grabbing her hand. This seemed to quiet the girl somewhat, who hiccuped slightly, burying her face in Gouken's chest.

"It's…I just didn't want you to ignore me. I wanted to be good." Asuka breathed, pulling back, looking between her master and her friend as she scrubbed at her eyes. "I thought that if I wasn't good, I wouldn't matter to you – to anyone. But the man in the cave…he didn't care about any of that, he just helped. And I've been such a dummkopf, and I hurt Shinji, and I –"

"Shh…" Gouken murmured, running a hand up and down her back. "You're home now. You're alright." His voice was heavy with emotion, with relief, and the trio remained there for several more minutes. Now was no time to talk of anything like punishment, or consequences – they could take solace in the simple joy that Asuka was alive.

This is probably one of the chapters that I'm most apprehensive about - obviously because of how I've portrayed the younger Asuka, and how neatly, I believe, things have been kinda-sorta wrapped up, or at least how I've explained things were wrapped up.

I could cite any number of reasons to myself, like pacing, for example, or not being able to spend forever in flashbacks, but in the end, I'm at a loss. If you could read, review, and maybe tell me how I can, in your opinion, improve on this, I would really appreciate it. There's two more chapters to go in this episode, and there'll be a few more flashbacks to iron everything out - maybe things will seem clearer then.

Thanks for reading!