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

Left to her own devices for the rest of the lunch period, Asuka wandered around, directionless. Upon returning to the schoolyard, she failed to find anybody she recognised, and ended up stalking around the perimeter of the campus, shoulders slumped.

Eventually, she came upon a small, unassuming one-story building nestled at the rear of the school. What windows she could see had been either left to gather dust or had been covered up, and Asuka moved towards the small door at the front with a degree of caution, sliding it open slowly.

School shoes scuffing across the floor, Asuka came into a cramped foyer, lit with nothing but a small, solitary lightbulb. As she stepped onto old, worn tatami, she caught sight of a faded plaque, mounted on the wall to her left, and Asuka moved closer, narrowing her eyes as she reached out, wiping dust away to read the inscription.

"Rindo-kan Karate School…" The redhead mused aloud, and drew back.

If this is a karate school, it looks like it's seen better days.

There was the sound of activity from behind a set of doors at the end of the foyer, and Asuka narrowed her eyes, before approaching with tentative steps. She slid the doors open, and peered in – before squinting and pulling back, as sunlight shining through windows at the back of the room blinded her momentarily. Blinking, the redhead looked back in.

Both Toji and Shinji stood in the centre of the room, in stance. Behind them, Kensuke sat, his video camera recording the two. Slowly, Shinji span on the ball of his foot, and raised his other leg in a perfect spinning hook kick. Toji seemed to scrutinise the movement for a moment, before trying to replicate it – but his kick seemed straighter, and hooked in later than Shinji's had – creating momentum that Toji used to carry himself back to stance quickly.

"I can't understand why you don't hook that kick in sooner." Shinji said, looking at the other boy. "And you're letting the kick guide you instead of the other way around – you won't have much control if your opponent counter-attacks when you're recovering."

"It's always worked just fine for me." Toji shrugged, then looked past the other boy, noticing Asuka standing in the doorway. "Isn't that your friend?" Toji murmured, indicating her with a nod.

Shinji turned, face lighting up as soon as he layed eyes on the redhead. "Asuka!" He chirped, waving over to her for a moment.

"Hey." She replied, toeing off her shoes and kicking them in the direction of the other discarded pairs. "What's up?"

"Just practicing, spending some time comparing styles." Shinji offered, moving closer to Asuka. His sunny expression fell slightly when he caught sight of the red staining her fingers, and he glanced back up at her with concern.

"Whose blood is that?" Shinji asked, slowly.

"Hm?" Asuka glanced down at her hands, eyes widening for a moment. "Oh. Hikari's."

"What?" Toji spluttered, starting.

"Some first-years were fighting. Hikari tried to break it up, got her nose broken for her troubles. I think she's at the nurse's office now." Asuka explained, casual, not missing how the karate fighter's face twisted with anger.

"Little runts!" Toji squawked, clenching his fists. "Think they can beat on their superiors - I'll show them punches!"

"A little late for that. They're already been taken care of by the principal. Probably suspended."

Fuming with impotent rage at Asuka's words, he crossed his arms. Shinji, on the other hand, simply seemed concerned.

"Was it a bad break?" He inquired, tilting his head slightly.

"No – it bled a bit, but it didn't seem like a major fracture. Don't think she'll have anything to worry about in a week or so." Asuka replied, and watched as Kensuke shuffled over, camera discarded.

"You guys seen a lot of blood, then?" The bespectacled boy inquired, a fascinated gleam in his eyes.

"Not that much." Shinji murmured, thoughtful. "We don't really set out to hurt each other when we train."

"If anything, we're looking to not draw blood. Power's great in a fight, but when training, you should be looking for control." Asuka elaborated. "Especially with a partner. Getting overzealous is a one-way ticket to injury, or worse."

Toji, who seemed to have calmed down somewhat in the previous seconds, joined in. "So, how long have you guys been training together? Shinji told us it was a while, but he didn't say how long."

"Ten years together." The redhead said, nonchalant.

"You make it sound like you're married or something." Toji replied. Both Asuka and Shinji wrinkled their nose slightly, and then looked at the other, expressions inscrutable.

"I make it sound like we've been training for ten years." Asuka finally said, words carrying a grain of confusion. "We're friends."

"Yeah, friends." Shinji parroted. Beside him, the redhead nodded.

"Companions." She mused.

"Confidantes?" He murmured, scratching his chin.

"Hombres?" Asuka replied, questioning.

"Comrades?"

"Amigos?"

"Chums?"

"Compadres?"

"Okay, this is just getting annoying. We get it, you're just friends." Toji grumbled, looking between the two.

"What about you?" Asuka asked, curious. "Got any training partners? What about Kensuke?"

Toji glanced at the fair-haired boy in question. "Are you kidding? He'd snap in half if I got a good punch in."

"Besides, I'm more of a runner." Kensuke interjected.

"Yeah. Whatever." Toji mumbled, and then looked around the expanse of the dojo. "No, it's been just me."

"Just you?" Shinji asked, puzzled.

"I'm Rindo-sensei's only student. Been like that for as long as I've been learning the art."

"Why's that?"

"I don't bother to ask. He's a quiet guy – prefers to keep things simple."

"Oh…" Shinji glanced away, nodding, and then looked to Asuka, presumably seeking some way to restart the conversation. The girl shrugged, then indicated the boy in front of them.

"Just…keep doing what you're doing. I'm gonna have a look around." She murmured, clapping Shinji on the shoulder, and then turned, heading away from the two boys as they lapsed back into a discussion about the merits of spinning heels against spinning hooks.

The more she explored the tiny dojo, the more it became obvious that whoever this Rindo-sensei was, he had fallen on hard times. Most of the training equipment she could find had fallen into disrepair, either out of neglect or overuse.

After several more minutes of uneventful searching, she finally decided to investigate the only room that remained unexplored – hiding behind a door at the back of a tiny broom closet.

The door slid open with a rough, wooden scraping noise, exposing a dark expanse beyond. Blindly, Asuka reached in, fumbling along the nearest wall for anything that could be considered a light switch. Her fingers passed over such a switch, and a small lightbulb flickered into life, seeming like it might fuse at any second.

The room was even more cramped than the closet she had just came through – and most of the floorspace was occupied by a futon and blanket. At the foot of the bed, however, was something that drew her attention – a small, makeshift butsudan was mounted on the wall, doors opened.

Inside of the compact cabinet, lay several objects; a minute Buddhist statue, polished to the point where its gold finish had begun to rub off, a string of prayer beads, and two photo frames. Leaning in to get a better look, Asuka examined the faces inside the frames.

Inside the first and largest frame, was the image of a woman, in her mid-thirties, with raven black hair cut into a bob. Her features were sharp, her eyes tired – but she wore a smile regardless. To the right of that picture, was a smaller frame – one that held the face of a child, no more than three years old, with that same dark hair, albeit sticking up in wild tufts. The picture was somewhat damaged – but from the dress the child was wearing, Asuka assumed it was a girl.

Are these…relatives of Rindo-sensei? Maybe even his wife and child?

Stepping back with a small frown, Asuka stared at the cabinet for a moment, before bowing in respect, and then straightened up, resolving to leave this room before she disturbed anything else.

"Asuka? We need to go soon, lunch is almost over…" Shinji's voice came, faint from the main room.

"Got it!" She called back, sliding the door shut behind her as she left.

Eyes on the road ahead, Misato drove through the streets of Tokyo-3, with two teenagers in tow. Shinji seemed fairly content today, a small smile playing across his lips as he ruminated on a productive training session. However, Asuka was uncharacteristically quiet – she stared out of the window, sapphire eyes clouded in thought.

"You two alright? You haven't said a word." Misato said, chancing a glance up at the rear-view mirror. Both Shinji and Asuka looked up, and then at each other, expecting the other to explain why the captain had called them out.

"Nothing, really. Just a long day." The redhead finally murmured, and to her right, Shinji quirked an eyebrow at her dreary expression.

"Well, it's about to get a little longer. I'm stopping by Rei's to drop off new documentation and ID for her – could you take it up to the apartment?" Misato asked, watching as the two children straightened up in their seats, and nodded.

"Doesn't she have an activation experiment or something today?" Asuka inquired, crossing her arms.

"Yeah…it'll be the first time they activate Unit Zero in two months." The captain replied, turning the car into a smaller, narrower street. "I'm going to drive Rei down to NERV before we head home, alright?"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind watching."

"The experiment?" Misato queried, eyes flitting up to the rear-view mirror, watching the redhead and her companion.

"Yeah. That alright with you?" Asuka asked the boy beside her, who seemed thoughtful for a moment, before nodding.

"Are you sure this is the right apartment?" Shinji asked, watching as Asuka knocked on the door in front of them.

"I'm not even sure this is the right building." The redhead retorted, and looked around. When Misato had driven into the parking lot of the building minutes prior, the two assumed she had gotten lost, and driven into some kind of construction site or condemned area by mistake – but apparently, this was where Rei made her home, much to the surprise of the two children.

"I don't want to spend any longer than I have to here – this place is creeping me out." Asuka mumbled, and gave a discarded drinks bottle a small kick for emphasis. Shinji watched as it skittered away, and impacted a small box – a rat skittered out of it, and he cringed. Asuka knocked again, and then cursed, before raising her voice.

"Rei? Ayanami? It's us, we're coming in."

Opening the door, Asuka stepped into a darkened, dreary apartment, leaving it open for Shinji to follow. She cast bemused glances around the room, and her face twisted with disgust as she noticed an overflowing bin in one corner – as well as the bloodied bandages covering the bed.

"What the hell?" Asuka whispered, stepping closer to the bed and leaning in.

Behind her, Shinji moved around, gaze flitting from the bed to the chest of drawers resting beside it. On top, lay a small case, which revealed a pair of glasses when opened.

"Rei doesn't wear glasses, does she?" Shinji asked, quiet, as he picked the frames out of the case for inspection. The lenses were cracked, and the frames were bent.

"Don't think so." The redhead replied, stepping over beside her friend to look at the glasses as well.

There was the sound of metal rungs scraping across a bar, and the swish of fabric – both of the children turned, and paled as Rei stepped into the room, from behind what must have been the bathroom curtain. She was bare, save for a towel that hung across her neck and preserved some of her modesty.

Rei stared at the two with muted surprise, before her eyes locked on the glasses in Shinji's hands. Eyes narrowing, she advanced, shoulders squared.

"Um…well…" Shinji started, words dying in his throat.

"We were just…" Asuka attempted to explain, but the sight of an approaching, naked albino seemed to strangle any attempt at coherent conversation.

"ID!" Shinji exclaimed, face red, and plucked the envelope that his friend was holding, levelling it at Rei like some sort of weapon. "You need a new ID!"

"A little quieter, Shinji?" Asuka murmured, sheepish.

Rei stopped, only a few feet away from the two, as she looked between the envelope and the pair of glasses in Shinji's hands. Finally, she plucked both from him, and set them on the chest of drawers.

Both Asuka and Shinji watched in bizarre curiosity as she placed the glasses back in their case, gentle, before closing it over. The two gave her wide berth as she strode past them again, and Shinji glanced away, embarrassed, as Rei discarded the towel to the bed, beginning to slide into fresh underwear.

"Is there anything else?"

"Hm?" Asuka appeared confused for a moment, before she realised Rei was asking her. "N – no, that's all."

If the albino had heard her, she didn't give any indication, instead dressing quickly and methodically. When she was fully clothed, Asuka tapped Shinji's shoulder, and the boy turned around, letting out a small sigh of relief when he looked upon the now clothed girl across from him.

"…Did something happen up there?" Misato asked, narrowing her eyes at the rear view mirror.

In the backseat, Asuka, Rei, and Shinji sat, silent. To either side of Rei, the redhead and her companion seemed awkward, almost uncomfortable, as if they wanted to avoid looking at the albino. Asuka's eyes widened at the question, seeming like a deer caught in headlights, and she shook her head in fierce denial, before chancing a glance at Shinji, who seemed to be equally mortified.

Misato nodded slowly, but frowned.

Leaning back in her seat, Asuka gazed out of the window, the darkness of the transit tunnel hiding her own sheepish expression.

I could have happily gone about the day without finding out that Rei doesn't actually dye her hair that weird colour.

"Rei, can you hear me?" Gendo's voice broke through the silence of the Entry Plug, and Rei's eyes flitted towards the chat window that had opened up to her side.

"Yes." She replied, clipped.

"We will now begin Unit Zero's activation experiment. Initiate primary connection." The man commanded, tone heavy with the weight of authority.

"Connecting main power supply." Ritsuko's voice came, and Rei's eyes flitted over to the pair of cracked lenses tucked in near the controls in front of her.

"Voltage has exceeded critical point." Maya said, and the Entry Plug's controls illuminated. Rei's hands curled around the yokes. The voices of the Project-E staff began to merge into one, as she focused entirely on the task ahead of her.

"Roger. Move the format to Phase II."

"Connecting pilot to Unit Zero."

"Opening the circuits. Pulses and Harmonics conditions nominal."

"No problems with synchronisation. All nerve links completed. Nerve centre devices operational."

From a corridor, Asuka and Shinji watched through a small window, Misato behind them.

The two glanced at each other, expressions a mix of anticipation and apprehension, then back towards the sight of the EVA in the room beyond.

The pilot was suddenly aware of the phantom sensation of being clamped to the massive wall behind her, and her fingers flexed in response.

"Recalculation shows no error modifications."

"Checked. Conditions up until number twenty-five ninety cleared. Approaching absolute borderline."

Rei's eyes narrowed, but only just.

"Two point five, one point seven, one point two, one point zero, zero point eight, zero point six…"

Around the controls, her grip tightened, the heavy plastics creaking slightly. She felt a familiar prickling at the back of her neck, a silent whisper.

"Zero point five, zero point four, zero point three, zero point two, zero point one…borderline cleared. Unit Zero has successfully activated."

"Roger. Beginning interlock test." Rei said, fingers beginning to flit over the finer controls.

"Ikari…" Fuyutsuki set the phone back down on its cradle, and looked over at his superior. "An unidentified object is approaching. It could very well be the fifth Angel."

"Abort the test." Gendo said, turning on the spot to face him. "All hands on first class alert."

Numerous staff nodded, some moving out of their seats and filing towards the door, to head towards their battle stations.

"What of EVA Unit Zero?" Fuyutsuki inquired, and the Commander shook his head, glancing back at the orange titan through the safety glass.

"It's not nearly ready for combat as of yet. Doctor Akagi?"

The bottle-blonde looked up from a monitor, towards the two men.

"What's the current status of Units One and Two?"

"Both pilots are ready. Unit One can be ready in three-hundred and eighty seconds, Unit Two in two-hundred and fifty." The doctor replied, watching as Gendo nodded, looking back out at Unit Zero.

"Scramble Unit Two immediately. Have Unit One on standby."

"Understood, sir." Ritsuko nodded.

"Rei?" Gendo's voice came through again. "The test has been aborted for now."

"Understood." She replied, as the plug darkened around her.

For a moment, she didn't move, but it was only until the final flickers of feeling from Unit Zero had left her, that she finally let out a breath of relief, one that bubbled away into the LCL around her.

Apologies for the long wait. Please read and review.