Homecoming
A Neon Genesis Evangelion one-shot by Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer: Gainax owns it, I don't. I'm not making any money off this story either.
Author's Note: Back from my archaeology fieldtrip. It was quite awesome, and pictures of it will go up on my Devart account soon. Here's another chapter. Be warned! It's very long.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Ugh..."
Shinji felt terrible. Not hangover terrible (Something he'd only experienced once, and had no desire to experience again), but worn down, roughed up. The only comfort he gleaned from his senses was that he was in a bed. A reasonably nice bed... With the smell of anti-septic hanging lightly in the air.
He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling.
Swell... Another hospital, he thought. Do they make all their ceilings look the same or something?
He slowly sat up, eyes sweeping the room out of habit. With a friend like the Doctor, it hadn't taken too long for Shinji to develop a keen bit of situational awareness.
My bag's here... That's something, he thought. But where is everybody?
Shinji rose from the bed, happy to see his Converse trainers were on a nearby chair. Pulling them on, he opened the hospital room door and look around the quiet corridor.
He started a bit when he heard soft snoring, and tracked it's source. Fast asleep on a chair outside his room was Misato, her long purple hair framing her face and giving her an almost child-like appearance. Shinji couldn't help a bit of a smile at this.
Sure, the woman had been willing to toss him up against a giant monster in a giant, purple robot he had no idea how to operate, but... Even so, the fact she had stood guard like this brought a bit of warmth into the boy's chest.
And to a few other parts of his body, given how her current position pushed her cleavage up tantalizingly through an open bit of her top. Shinji's blush burned brightly on his cheeks, and he promptly went back into his room. Gathering up a blanket from his bed, he walked out into the hallway and quickly covered the sleeping woman.
"Hnnn... Penpen... That's my beer," she mumbled. Shinji blinked and stared at her strangely, before shaking his head with a wry smile.
Heading back into his hospital room, he flopped on the bed and rummaged about for a TV remote. Upon locating it, he turned it on, keeping the volume low so he wouldn't disturb Misato.
"NERV's PR department today made the statement that the alien entity, codenamed the 'Third Angel' was defeated with the usage of the advanced biomechanical weapons system known as an 'Evangelion'. While the identity of the pilot has not been released, details of the battle have emerged," the fairly attractive news lady said brightly. "Parental discretion, however, is advised, as the Evangelion suffered severe damage engaging the Angel."
Well, at least now he might be able to find out just what the hell he'd actually done last night.
He watched the footage, grimacing as Unit 01 was kicked around like a soccer ball before finally, something changed, and 'he' began to kick ass.
Was it like those myths of Viking berserkers? Had he gone totally crazy and yet, couldn't remember a damn thing about it?
Still... He had to admit, some of what the Eva did were things he wouldn't have minded doing to the Angel. Or his father, for that matter.
"Shinji?"
The would-be Evangelion pilot looked over at the door. A sleepy-looking Misato stood there, the blanket he'd wrapped around her hanging off her shoulders. Shinji blushed as she looked him over.
"Oh, uh, hey... Morning," Shinji managed as Misato walked up to him. She gave him a warm smile, that made him blush furiously.
"How long have you been up?" She asked.
"Just... Long enough to see how I did," Shinji admitted. Misato frowned.
"You don't remember what happened?"
Shinji shook his head.
"Nothing..." He stared up at the TV screen, then looked over at her. "Though uh... I kind of wish I did, now... That was kind of cool." He looked back at the screen and his eyes widened.
"Holy shit... Did I actually break the sound barrier?"
"Yeah... Rits is still trying to figure that one out," Misato said. She gave him a big smile and rubbed his head. "Shinji, I..."
"It's okay," Shinji cut her off immediately. "I mean... If I hadn't stopped it..." He frowned at the screen as the Angel leaped up on top of him and self-destructed. He winced.
"Ow..."
"Even so," Misato said quietly. "Thank you Shinji. It was really brave what you did... Especially since our only other option might have been to send out Rei."
"Rei?" Shinji asked. Misato nodded.
"The First Child. She was our only other pilot..."
"Can I see her?" Shinji asked. Misato frowned.
"Well... If you're up to it..." She looked around the hospital room.
"Don't suppose you've seen your friend? The Doc?"
"He comes and goes," Shinji explained, grabbing his backpack and pulling it onto his shoulders.
"Huh... Must be tough," Misato observed. The Third Child shrugged.
"Sometimes, but... I always know he'll be back," Shinji explained quietly. "Or... What he wants of me." Misato nodded slowly, and offered an understanding smile. The implication was clear.
"So, um... Are we going to see Rei now?" Shinji asked. Misato nodded, and walked out the door.
"This way," she said.
The trip didn't take too long, but grew increasingly ominous the further they went. The Intensive Care Ward was their final destination, and after passing a few rooms with surgeons and doctors working, they arrived at a large window looking into Room 203.
Shinji's breath hitched in his throat as he gazed through the glass.
The room was white, plain, and very clean. The bed was large and impressive with advanced medical equipment all over it, monitoring pulse, blood pressure, and things Shinji couldn't quite see. All of this, however, seemed to make the small form in the bed itself appear smaller, more fragile.
"Rei Ayanami... The First Child, designated pilot of Unit 00," Misato said softly. Her words came out as though she were reading an epitaph, and right now, Shinji could hardly blame the Major.
Rei was a mess. One eye was covered in bandages, at least one arm locked in a cast and a leg in the same situation. All over her pale skin, he could see criss-crossing bandages, as though she was a badly damaged doll being held together with tape and stitching. Only the subtle movement of her chest and the monitors surrounding her signaled she was even alive.
Shinji's fists clenched, as a stark, horrible realization hit him:
If I hadn't agreed to pilot... She'd have been sent in my place...
"My father... He... He would have..." Shinji tried, but his rage billowed up inside him and kept him from further speech. Misato sighed and closed her eyes.
"Shinji..." She pursed her lips, searching for some kind of explanation for the young man beside her.
"No, let me guess," Shinji snarled. "No other choice, right?!"
Misato grimaced. "Shinji..." She felt herself wilt under his glare, and sighed. "... It's not fair."
"No. It isn't," Shinji spat. He glared furiously at her, and then back at Rei. Misato nodded slowly, and looked back at Rei with him.
"It isn't fair, but it's all we have," she stated flatly. "You're all we have, Shinji. Because the Angels are back... And they'll keep coming. And this is all we can do to fight them. To stop them."
Shinji's anger didn't abate. Misato sucked in a deep breath.
"Shinji... You need to pilot. For no other reason than if you won't..." God, she felt so horrible saying that, the sick implication hovering in the air.
But that was life. That was war. She needed to do what she had to, in order to defeat the Angels.
Shinji sighed, and closed his eyes.
"... Fine," he said at last. "Just as long as... As the Commander sticks to the deal, then I'll pilot..."
Misato nodded slowly, and reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder. He didn't pull away, at least.
"C'mon... You're probably starving," she murmured, leading him away.
He grunted in acknowledgement, but kept his eyes on the small, blue-haired form in the bed as long as he could until they turned the corner towards the elevators.
- - - - - - - -
It was the day after the Third Angel had been destroyed by Unit 01, and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki was going over the data from the fight the MAGI had recorded, as well as anything that could be dug up on the Doctor himself. His cramped office was small but functional, and with the warm wooden bookcases filled on volumes from multiple areas of study it seemed more like a professor's office than that of the second-in-command of a paramilitary organization. Fuyutsuki had no illusions about who he was, in this respect at least. He was a scientist, and a teacher, and having a reminder of that both comforted and tormented him.
Enough of that, he thought to himself, and resumed his work on the computer screen before him. A few anomalies had popped up in the synch ratio of the Third Child, particularly when the "Doctor" had spoken to him over the radio. Other than that however, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Dr. Akagi was working on the synch ratio readings more extensively, and Fuyutsuki felt it better to leave them in her hands. He instead shifted most of his focus onto the Doctor himself. Gendo wanted answers on this man, and he was due back from the meeting with SEELE soon.
Hours later, and Fuyutsuki had nothing that would answer Gendo's questions. The Doctor's background was perfect-That of an eccentric scientist who had popped up in more than a few universities and places around the world, with a few witnesses testifying about the good things "Doctor Syffer" had done for them, from providing medical assistance to saving people from natural disasters following Second Impact.
Fuyutsuki couldn't help his snort at how perfect the situation was. With all the records lost after Second Impact, the Doctor could claim anything and not have a soul be able to contradict him. What little information was publicly available showed nothing sinister: Only a brilliant, traveling human who had shown up in more than a few odd situations over the past decade and a half, offering help and aid and then quietly vanishing.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
Fuyutsuki looked up from his computer screen.
Speak of the devil…
He repressed a snort at that, and studied the man before him. He had left his trenchcoat somewhere, left in his dark pinstripe suit. He casually flipped a coin up and down as he leaned against the side of the door.
The Doctor caught the coin between his fingers, allow Fuyutsuki to get a look at it. His trained eyes immediately identified it as an Obolus, a coin for Charon.
"I'd ask if that was an original, but... Pointless question, isn't it?" Fuyutsuki asked quietly. The Doctor grinned.
"Quite." He flipped the coin to Fuyutsuki, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Oh, the years have not been kind to you, Professor."
Fuyutsuki caught the relic, and examined it out of habit, resting his elbows upon the desk.
"They weigh upon us all... In different ways."
There was silence for a moment, before Fuyutsuki set the coin down on the desk and looked back up at the Doctor.
"So, what brings you here?"
"I've come to see how you've carried that weight," the Doctor replied.
"And Shinji is merely... What? A ticket?"
"No, Shinji is something special," the Doctor said, looking hurt. "Honestly, you of all people shouldn't accuse me of taking advantage of anyone."
"That was a low blow," Fuyutsuki grumbled. He sighed and looked at the coin again. "I imagine I deserve it though..."
"You deserve a good many things, that coin one of them. But that doesn't mean you'll get them, and that can be both a good and bad thing."
"That you say that with such eyes is incredible," Fuyutsuki said. "I saw your look when the Angel self-destructed..."
He slowly looked up at the Doctor. "I couldn't quite place it, until I looked in the mirror." A sad smile. "A man with countless deaths on his conscience, yet he can do nothing about it."
"Shame we share so much in common," the Doctor replied quietly. "I remember when your conscience was so much cleaner."
"I would hope... Someone could..." Fuyutsuki murmured.
- - - - - - - - -
Christmas Eve, 1997... He'd just received his coffee from his favorite cafe, and with a kind smile he'd thanked the woman and turned to leave, headed for the door that would lead out into the snowy night. The university was near, and he had hopes of retiring to his apartment with a minimum of distraction.
In particular, a distraction named Yui Ikari…
It was then he had run into another man coming out of the bathroom.
"Oof!"
"Quite sorry for that," the man replied. Fuyutsuki looked down upon the man's trenchcoat, and grimaced at the large stain decorating it.
"My mistake... Sorry about that…"
"No, it's quite alright." The man pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began to clean it off.
"Even so," Fuyutsuki tried, but the man interrupted with a warm smile.
"No hard feelings. Here. Let's get you a new cup there, shall we?"
"Well, I... Thank you." A bit surprised, Fuyutsuki smiled at him back "Well... only if I can buy you one as well. Only fair."
"Seems fair to me."
After procuring new coffee, both men staked out a table by the window and sat down.
"Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Fuyutsuki. Doctor Kozou Fuyutsuki," Fuyutsuki said. The man smiled back.
"You may call me the Doctor."
With a wry smirk, Fuyutsuki replied, "Which one?"
"Ah, no fun. No fun," the Doctor chided with a grin.
" Well, you can't go around just like that without inviting some references, can you?" Fuyutsuki pointed out. The Doctor just grinned, and the Professor chuckled.
"But very well... Doctor... What brings you to Japan?"
"Oh, I've been around the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by to see how things have changed."
Fuyutsuki shrugged, sipped his coffee and looked out at the crowds outside. "Anything catch your eye?"
"An interesting young lady with a few… Interesting theories," the Doctor replied.
"Yui Ikari?" Fuyutsuki asked with a raised brow." You have an interest in her work?"
"Ah, that's her name," the Doctor confirmed. "Yes, you could say I have a specially vested interest in her work."
"You are a meta-biologist?"
"Not precisely. I'm more impressed that she's gotten everything so right."
"So right?" Fuyutsuki asked, bemused. "Granted, her theories on human evolution and possible divergent paths are fascinating, groundbreaking, but... To describe it as "right"...?"
"They're almost absolutely correct," the Doctor said. "Naturally there are some educated guesses and a few conclusions that can lead to some very poor rationalizations, but otherwise..."
"Excuse me, but... On what basis do you make that assessment? Absolutely correct?" Fuyutsuki was a scientist, and he couldn't help feeling... Irritated at this man's statements.
"On the basis that I'm living proof."
"Just what are you getting at?" Fuyutsuki asked flatly.
The Doctor broke into explanation, going over several key, revealing facts to the Professor. Fuyutsuki blinked, sitting in silence as he listened for untold minutes. This man... He knew his stuff, that was for sure. He wasn't some arrogant blowhard. Hell, he'd come to a number of conclusions he himself had never even thought of, yet tracing the reasoning made perfect sense
Though there was one thing that bothered him...
"You don't believe humanity is in the twilight of it's evolution?"
"Not in the least. Why, I could show you many worlds, countless worlds much like this one. Where Lillim have evolved to your point, and even beyond."
"Lillim? Countless worlds?" The Professor shook his head and chuckled. "An interesting tale... You're well learned, I'll give you that much. Are you an author of some sort?"
"I am a child of Adam."
"Really."
"Of course. I could explain it to you, but you'd need definitive proof. You are a Scientist, after all. But beyond a scientist you are still a man, and man requires an explanation for all things, for their world and their place in it."
The Doctor paused, and studied Fuyutsuki intently. "Of course, man does not hesitate to manufacture their place, nor do they pause in making their place the center of all things. However for you, my particular Lillim, there is something other than yourself that lies in the center of all things."
"And that would be, 'Doctor'?" Fuyutsuki asked dryly.
"A young woman named Yui Ikari."
The kitsune smile on the Doctor's face seemed to cut right to his heart.
"... Just who are you? Really? What is this all about?"
"It is just as I said. I was in the neighborhood, and I decided to pay a visit."
" ..." Fuyutsuki sighed and stood up. "Thank you for the coffee, but I really must be going..." This man was so strange, so disconcerting... What did he want?
"What do you believe, Kozo?" The Doctor asked as Fuyutsuki turned to go.
The Professor stopped at the man's tone. "... What?"
"Tell me… What do you believe?"
"… I believe that... We spend our whole lives feeling as though we're missing something, and sometimes... Sometimes we find out it's always been with us. And other times, it's found far too late." He shrugged. "And that... There's something much bigger than we could ever hope to describe, yet we keep trying to box that whatever it is with whatever we have at hand. Religion, philosophy..." He snorted.
"Even science..."
He turned back to look at the Doctor.
"And... I suppose, part of me believes that there is no time left for man... This is as far as we can go. This is it. I'm standing in a world with the clock nearing midnight. And nothing to truly show for it, as a man... As a human..."
There was silence for a few moments, neither man saying anything, before Fuyutsuki broke with a snort.
"Well... Was it what you were expecting, Doctor?" He asked flatly. God, he had never felt so old before. Letting all of this out on this irritating, strange man... It was as if he had met Fuyutsuki at his weakest, when his attraction to Yui had reared it's head, only for Gendo Rokubungi to emerge into the picture...
"Fairly," the Doctor replied at last. "You're afraid to lose her."
"Doesn't matter how I feel... I can't offer her anything... Just a... An old man's last dying flame," Fuyutsuki murmured.
"Then why not let her go… and see for yourself that Midnight is further off than you believe?" The Doctor asked. Fuyutsuki snorted.
"What could you show me that might make me do that?"
"Well, I have a spaceship, for one," the Doctor said with a grin.
"Let me guess, it's a blue police phonebox?" Fuyutsuki asked dryly.
"I wish it were something as fantastic."
"Well then..." The Professor shook his head and sighed. Why not entertain some madness tonight? He had nothing better to do, save avoid his… Student. "Lead on..."
The Doctor, coffee in hand, lead him to where he parked his vessel, on a dark alley some distance from the hubbub and noise of the Christmas shoppers. Fuyutsuki couldn't help his snort of disbelief when he saw the Doctor's ride.
"... You're joking, right?" He began to laugh at the sight of the tiny, plain Yugo parked before him. "This... This is your spaceship? Ahahahahahahaha!"
"Not at all. It's much roomier on the inside," the Doctor replied with a grin.
"Of-Of course! Hahahahahahahaha! Oh, Doctor..." Fuyutsuki grinned and shook his head. "Why not? I could use a good laugh after today! Hahahahahahaha!"
The Doctor snapped his fingers, and the tiny vehicle lets off a pulse of energy that caused the surrounding street-lights and the lights of buildings to flicker.
Fuyutsuki's laughter slowed. "Hahaha... Haha... Ha... Ah... Um... Eheh..."
"How's that crow, by the way?" The Doctor asked pleasantly.
"Um... Wh-What?" Fuyutsuki asked, all his attention on the otherwise plain-looking Yugo.
"Fantastic, isn't it?" The Doctor asked, as the doors open automatically
Fuyutsuki slowly, cautiously approached the car, and looked inside
"Oh my..."
Fuyutsuki stood up, and looked around the outside of the car, before looking back inside.
"Don't be afraid to give the tires a small kick too. I just had them rotated. She's pretty good running, only has forty million lightyears," the Doctor went on.
Fuyutsuki took a deep breath "Um... So... " He looked over at the Doctor "...Where are we going?"
"Where do you want to go? A brief hop to the Moon? Maybe Mars? I don't recall you Lillim making it that far," the Doctor replied.
"..." The professor shook his head and laughed quietly, his tone that of a man presented with the impossible, yet feeling giddy about it. "Well... Why not Mars?"
"Why then, hop in," the Doctor said. He jumped into the Driver's seat.
Fuyutsuki chuckled again, and slid into the passenger seat. He buckled up out of habit.
"Good idea. She tends to get a bit of speed out of the gate." The Doctor floored it, the car going straight for a moment, before taking off and going skyward. Up, up, and ever higher.
"She? ... She's not named the TARDIS, by any chance, is she?"
"Ah, I wish. I prefer the name Romana."
Fuyutsuki shook his head and laughed out loud. And I thought Yui's obsession with that show wouldn't do a damn thing for me...
The trip was frighteningly quick. Earth, the Moon, the near endless void of stars, then the red planet, a descent through the Martian Clouds and finally a four point landing, skidding to a halt on the vast, alien landscape. Fuyutsuki was left gaping, staring in wide-eyed, innocent wonder.
"Welcome to Mars, population, zero," the Doctor said.
"... Can we get out?:
"Why of course, though you'd probably die."
Fuyutsuki chuckled. "The BBC will be crushed to learn the real Doctor's ship can't protect it's passengers when they open a door..."
"Witty. Sadly I can't hold a candle to the human imagination." The Doctor reached into the glovebox and tossed a wrist-band device to Fuyutsuki. "Put this on, and then you can go."
"All right..." He took a deep breath as his slid the device on, and made sure it was secure. He then glanced out at the landscape again, hand resting on the door handle.
"... You haven't... Taken anyone else with you to Mars, have you?"
"Oh no! Not at all! You're the first," the Doctor assured him.
"... I'm trying to think of something..." Fuyutsuki chuckled. "Profound to say..."
"Then don't let me spoil you."
"Oh, you can travel through time then? Do you know what I'm going to say?" Fuyutsuki asked. The Doctor just grinned back, and the Professor sighed.
"What the hell... Banzai!" He kicked open the door and stepped out, kicking up a fair amount of dust as he did.
The Doctor chuckled.
"The only fitting thing."
Fuyutsuki looked around, and jumped up. In the lower gravity, he sails high, higher.... He lands softly, knees bending. His grin widens, and with the light in his eyes you could swear he had lost ten years in age.
"Hahahahaha!" He ran and leaped all over the ground, giddy as a child, while the Doctor leaned against the Yugo and watched him go.
"Hahahaahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!" He grinned and bended down, feeling the Martian soil and letting it fall through his fingers, tracing the trails the grains made back down into the earth below. Or rather, mars below.
" Oh... This is... This is fantastic... Incredible..."
"Ah, but this… It's only one world. And a dead world at that," the Doctor said. "Frankly, there are many more worlds beyond this one. Living worlds, with life, sentience, culture..."
Fuyutsuki chuckled. "You of all people, so cynical? I'm doing something no one has ever done before!" He threw his arms out. "This! This is..." He trailed off, looking around, before his gaze slowly met the star twinkling above.
"... This is just one small step, isn't it? One step... Just one out of the cradle..."
"...That's quite a profound way of putting it," the Doctor said after a bit of silence.
"Is this why you chose me? Yui... Yui would love this... Despite her theories and beliefs, there's a part of her with hope for the future... An eye on distant stars..."
" It'd be a waste...to let a bright girl like Yui convince the world that this is their limit," the Doctor said quietly.
"... Then... Why show me? Why not her?"
"Because it's not my place to give you all of the answers," the Doctor said quietly. "Whatever happens after this, it's up to you. Yui needs that hope for the future. But it's not my place to give it to her. That girl is the center of your world, not mine."
The silence stretched on again for a time, before Fuyutsuki looked directly into the eyes of the Doctor. It was hard not to gasp at what he saw, what he finally saw after all this time: Age. Such a deep ancientness in those eyes…
" ... Just... Who are you, really? What are you?" He walked up to the car and leaned against it, staring at the other man. The Doctor sighed and smiled wryly, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"There are a lot of names I go by. But mentioning them sends the wrong message. It evokes the wrong thoughts or emotions."
"So... You go by Doctor... A person who makes other people better..." Fuyutsuki murmured.
The Doctor took a brief breath of the Martian air, and glanced up at the sky.
"It's a much better title than Star of the Morning, don't you agree?"
"Star of...?" His eyes widened in shock, and he stared at the Doctor. Really, truly looked at him, and somehow, deep within him, he saw. "You...?"
The Doctor merely nodded.
"..." Fuyutsuki opened his mouth, then closed it again. He sighd and looked over the Martian landscape ... And finally, he chuckled.
"You're... Not what I expected then..."
At the Doctor's look, Fuyutsuki grinned.
"What else does one say when they meet Satan? And he drives a Yugo and shows you the stars?"
"Like I said, reality is no match for the human imagination."
"And that reality is?"
The Doctor shrugged again.
"I'm actually a pretty nice guy who likes you Lillim."
"Why? I'm guessing you've got a whole universe out there to explore... Beings far older, far more... Understanding than us must exist. More powerful, more learned..."
"Yes, but fundamentally no different. And I suppose that's why I like you all. You're the same, but you Lillim are always so different. You even have a catchy name. Your counterparts are merely 'Children of Adam'. Nothing poetic."
"What's the difference besides that?"
"The Children of Adam have everything they need to survive," the Doctor explained. "In short, they're boring, they need nothing else, they know what they need, and they exist accordingly. All of the Lillim I've seen, however, no two worlds are alike."
"Your... The others of your kind... What do they think about your... Ideas?" Fuyutsuki ventured.
"Some go with them, some reject them, I've been chased from my fair share of worlds...However, what they do with them is subject to their discretion. And they're only privy to them if they're willing to hear them."
Fuyutsuki shook his head, sighed, and looked up at the stars again. "... I feel... Like I've just been born again... Looking up at the universe with new eyes... Everything... Nothing could ever look the same after this..."
"No person who's had such an epoch changing experience can claim otherwise," the Doctor replied.
Fuyutsuki snorted. "So, you... Travel the stars... Take any passengers?"
"On occasion… Interested?" The Doctor asked.
"More than I could put into words..." With a grin, Fuyutsuki looked back up at the stars. It was almost as though he could hear them calling him...
His eyes settled upon a small blue star, twinkling ever so slightly above
Yui...
He shook his head. What was he doing thinking about her all of a sudden? This man, this Doctor was offering him the universe, and all he could think about was his... Student.
No... He supposed he should be honest, she was much more than that. So vibrant, so brilliant, so caring... She was like fire. She made everything around her seem so cool, so dull, and he needed that. Needed her.
"…" He laughed grimly "Here I am... On the brink of something no human has ever done... Something I want, and all I can think about is..."
At the Doctor's calm expression, he shrugged helplessly. "Her..."
Why? Why did he hold on? She was with Rokubungi... That was it. That was the end. He sighed and reached up, rubbing his face.
"... I don't know why I can't let her go. Why she's making me... Hesitate."
" Because love is the most powerful force in the universe," the Doctor said quietly.
"... " He looked at the Doctor oddly.
"More powerful than any weapon, or any other emotion for that matter," the Doctor continued. "In many ways and in many forms, it all comes to Love."
"… I suppose... It would be foolish to argue the point..." Fuyutsuki said. He looked up at the stars with a sad smile. He slowly nodded, and headed back to the passenger side.
The Doctor slipped back into the driver's seat. The trip home was short and silent, and soon they were back on the same street they'd started from
"I'll likely be off for a time after this," the Doctor warned as Fuyutsuki got out. "Next time you see me, you may not recognize me."
"You regenerate too?" Fuyutsuki shook his head. "Is the whole of that show just... Did you make it?"
"I may have served some...basis," the Doctor said with a chuckle.
"Sensei~!"
Fuyutsuki started, and turned to look at his student, heading down the street towards him.
"Y-Yui? What are you doing here?"
"I was out to get dinner," Yui replied with a wide smile.
He shot a suspicious look at the Doctor, who was leaning against his car. The entity just smiled innocently.
"I see..." He turned back to Yui and gave her a big smile. "What're you having?"
"Haven't decided yet," she replied. She smiled back.
As the Doctor climbed back into his car, he honked the horn. Both Fuyutsuki and Yui looked back at him.
"Remember what we talked about, Fuyutsuki."
The Professor stared, and then slowly nodded.
"Of course... Take care, Doctor. And... Thank you."
"Doctor?" Yui asked. "Doctor Who?"
The Doctor laughed immediately at that, and Fuyutsuki joined him. He started the car, and drove away into the night. Fuyutsuki turned and smiled at Yui.
"Yui... Would you mind some company for dinner tonight?"
"Not at all, Sensei," Yui replied.
Fuyutsuki led Yui off, an arm around her shoulders as he looked up at the stars…
- - - - - - - - - - -
In the present... Fuyutsuki could only stare at the coin in his hand.
" ..." He looked back up at the Doctor. "You knew this would happen..."
"Not every specific, but…" The Doctor shrugged, suddenly looking tired. "It happens to all races. When confronted with their origins, they decide what to do with it." A dark expression came over his face, and he glared at the NERV seal on the wall nearby. "I've seen more of the wrong choices than I like."
"... And Shinji?" Fuyutsuki asked at last. "What choice are you offering him?"
"To choose what he wants, or what he needs." The Doctor offered Fuyutsuki a small smile, with the hint of danger in his tone. "I trust you will provide the means for that?"
"… I'll see what I can do," Fuyutsuki said quietly. The Doctor nodded, turned and held up a hand to wave in farewell. The Professor slid back in his chair, and gazed down upon the coin. He reached down and picked up the Obulus, and held it up, comparing it to the entity walking away.
With a quiet sigh, he glanced down back at the coin.
Which face will you show here? He wondered. Doctor, or…?
He flipped the coin.
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Hope this was worth the wait, guys. Trust me, I have been writing like crazy to get this out, but it just kept getting longer and longer the more I added onto it, until I got this monster flashback with Fuyutsuki and the Doctor on Mars! However, as I can sense I'm entering dangerous territory with the Doctor, future chapters will give more attention to the other characters in this changed universe. Most of this is just to set up stuff for the Doctor and Fuyutsuki in the future. With that done, let the new Shinji wreak some chaos and havoc of his own! As always, please review. I don't know what you think of my writing if you don't!