Well, here's the next chapter…I've been busy with my Bleach fanfiction and Evangelion fanfiction, so I guess I haven't been giving my Bleach/Eva crossover enough attention.
Don't fret though, further updates should be faster…
I'm slowly planning and speeding up this story…expect cool stuff, and don't worry, I'm not just taking Bleach and copy and pasting…It's going to significantly diverge in many many points. It should be obvious by now that Shinji Ikari is far different from Ichigo Kurosaki.
As I said before, I'm vaguely disappointed though, lately my updates haven't been garnering many views or reviews. I remember usually for my fanfics I'd at least get six or seven a chapter, but it's down to one or two...I don't really know why, maybe there are less people around...oh well...
Anyway, hope this chapter is entertaining…alright…
Here we go.
Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or its characters. Gainax does, and they rock. Who else could create both Evangelion and FLCL! I don't own any fictional Bleach properties either. What's the need for a disclaimer anyway? This is a freaking Fanfiction site!
Tokyo 3, Japan
Misato slowly made her way down the street, memories of darkness and misery plaguing her with every step.
Lately…she had been dreaming…or perhaps they could be called nightmares…All about him.
It was enough to worry about Shinji Ikari, as the young man had frequently shown erratic behavior after his awakening from the coma. He still muttered madness about Asuka, frequently went out alone at night, and still had a detached relationship at best with his young son Kaworu who was just learning to talk.
But no, her nightmares had been about a more…distant man who plagued her…deep into her scarred past.
Engrossed in these thoughts, Misato barely managed to dodge the speeding jeep that nearly ran her down. It honked as it sped away and as she gave the retreating vehicle the middle finger and cursed, slowly bringing herself back up.
In front of her…about twenty feet away…in the dim darkness…she froze and stared.
A grim human silhouette in the distance. She stared up at it and for a second she thought she could see handsome features, unshaved cheeks, that confident smirk and ponytail.
Maintain…Misato…Maintain…you can't be going crazy right now, not when Shinji needs you so much.
Misato shivered, shaking her head as she continued her way.
Tokyo 3
Shinji Ikari's Apartment
Shinji sighed, having settled down in his old apartment. Kaworu was still…over at Touji's…
Shinji was still having apprehensive feelings about his son…about his responsibility…
He often felt his thoughts absorbed with Asuka, on getting her back…on Rukia and how that tricky Shinigami had said that she might know some things.
Asuka…Asuka…Asuka…if he didn't watch himself, more obsessed with the mother of the son rather than the son, he'd become his father.
That thought shook him at his very core.
"I know sister…everything is hidden in this antique box, right? In this jade box passed down from our mother!"
And...his thoughts of…
"Give me the box, Sister Marianne! No! We musn't open the box Francoise! No don't! Don't open it!"
AND HIS THOUGHTS OF…
"Goddamit, do you have to read that out loud?! Why the hell are you in my apartment anyway?!"
"KYAAAAH!"
Rukia screamed in fright, surprised by Shinji's sudden intervention, having assumed he had fallen asleep on his bunk as she read the spooky horror manga she had found.
Rukia sped backwards, breathing heavily as she tried to get her wits back from the fright.
"Y-Y-You fool! Don't surprise me, I'm studying modern speech!"
Shinji Ikari laughed. It had been the first time he had laughed heartedly in a long while.
"Huh? Studying modern speech? With that book? I'm trying to go to sleep and you're messing around with a horror manga? Where'd you even get that?"
"Hmm…awake are you? Then we can do some training?"
"Training? God…I'd almost forgotten you were still here…I'd almost had a bit of peace…"
"Hurry up then…you won't be getting anywhere without your training…You want to help people don't you? Or at least find…her?"
Shinji stiffened, nodding slowly, his face suddenly grave.
"You play that card a lot…but fine…let's go…"
They turned, leaving in unison from Shinji's once quiet abode.
Tokyo 3
Public Square
"Right…so why am I smacking these balls with a baseball bat?! Balls filled with pepper? Not even Ritsuko made me do stuff this stupid!"
"Are you done smacking them?"
Shinji sighed, responding in a rather whiney tone.
"Sure…took care of all of them…those scary plastic balls…whooo…center target, pull the switch."
"Pepper-filled balls? Those were the bad ones you idiot!"
"Bad ones?"
"Yes!"
Shinji rubbed his chin, staring silently at Rukia in the grim night. He was getting pretty bored and tired from all of this.
"You didn't just hit all of them…did you Shinji?"
"Yeah…perfectly."
Rukia's face twisted with rage.
"You fool! How many times did I tell you to only hit the balls that had a picture of a head on them?! What do you think this training is for? Softball?"
"Shut up! I don't know what it's for, how am I supposed to know? Plus, how the hell am I supposed to know which ball has a picture of a head drawn on it anyway? You draw like a kindergartener!"
Misato sighed, having slowly made her way down the street towards her house…when she heard chatter from the public park close by.
At this time of night…it can't be good…
She glanced around, finally spotting two figures wildly gesticulating at each other.
Err…Shinji? And Asuka's sister? What're they going on about?
Misato smiled, feeling a bit heartened at seeing Shinji active at least. She smirked, creeping up towards them.
"Listen! A Hollow's weakness is its head; if you slice the head you can defeat it in one blow! That's where the core lays…"
"The core, hmmm…this is getting eerily nostalgic…"
"You could slay beasts with your massive machine, once upon a time, now all you need is your own power and your blade…This training was so you could accurately strike them in the head in any situation!"
"I…understand."
Shinji clenched his fists, sweat collecting on his brow.
Rukia's face softened.
"Don't be too disheartened, Shinji Ikari…you've done well before…Just keep in mind there is no code of conduct or chivalry when it comes to Hollows…They are mongrels, inhuman beasts, targets for destruction. Any and all techniques possible must be used to eradicate them."
Shinji glanced away at the tree line for a moment, his eyes pensive as he heard her words.
"Eliminate the target, Shinji!"
"I-I can't!"
"Kill him or you will be killed!"
"I'd rather…die than…kill my friend…"
ELIMINATE THE TARGET.
CENTER TARGET. PULL THE SWITCH.
ELIMINATE THE TARGET.
CENTER TARGET. PULL THE SWITCH.
ELIMINATE THE TARGET.
How had he returned to this war?!
HEEEEEEY SHIN-CHAAAAN!
"Heeeey Shin-chan! Brooding about something?!"
Shinji almost leapt ten feet in the air in surprise as Misato announced her presence not so gracefully right behind him.
"Waaah!"
He stumbled backwards, Rukia smirking in mild bemusement as she watched.
"M-Misato? What're you doing here?"
"Heheh, just a little late night shopping…A better question is what you're doing here alone with Miss Soryu?"
Shinji stiffened, and Misato regretted the playfully suggestive barb. This was Asuka's sister after all.
"Just…walking I guess…"
"Oh…okay Shinji…"
Rukia smiled, nodding politely at Misato, back to her polite relative act.
Shinji noted the sadness in Misato's eyes and cocked his head to the side, curious but mostly tired.
"Are you okay, Misato?"
"Oh…yeah Shinji…just spacing out lately…no biggie…Guess I'm getting old huh?"
Shinji shook his head emphatically.
"No way you're getting old, you're still…umm…and everything…"
Shinji blushed, making Misato smile slightly. It felt like the good old days, for a moment.
Though Misato quickly corrected herself…there was certainly nothing good about those days.
"I guess…I'll be going Shinji…you two keep safe…"
Shinji nodded slowly, feeling a somber sense of loss. Those days in Misato's apartment had gone and disappeared long ago. The Children were mangled, chewed up, and spit out by Life.
"In a rush, Misato? Do you want us to walk you home?"
"Oh no…I'm fine Shinji…"
Misato smiled, slowly walking away into the darkness.
When she was finally gone, Rukia turned to Shinji, her face clouded over with an expression he couldn't exactly read.
"That…Misato…you two are close, huh?"
Shinji blushed.
"Um…I…she's like a mother…I guess…but at the same time, she's something else…Important, I guess…"
"Any family?"
Shinji looked down morosely.
"No…not that I know…I think I remember hearing her dad died in Second Impact…Kaji was the closest thing she ever had to family…He was the closest thing I ever had to a father-figure anyway…"
"Had?"
"Yeah…He died…a while ago…or more or less disappeared, but one night Misato came home in tears…I didn't go to her, didn't know what to do…Kaji's dead, alright…I remember that night, I was such a coward…Asuka was a mess too…I…I figure my dad probably did it…or someone in NERV…Kaji was a spy, after all, from what I heard…he taught me a lot though…"
"Shinji…never look away...find the truth, whatever it takes…and protect those around you…that's all that matters…"
"K-Kaji?"
"I've seen how you glance at Asuka sometimes…It's obvious…just…be gentle with her…be patient…she may have thorns, but there's a girl in there waiting to be loved and saved from her demons, just like the soul inside you is waiting to be loved and protected. Find solace in each other…"
Shinji trembled, covering his face with his hands.
"That's it…that's all…Why are you asking me though…Are you interested in Misato for some reason?"
I was never the man who could shield her from her demons, Kaji…now…now she's gone…she's gone…I was never good enough…no matter what she said…Asuka…
Noting Shinji's increasing emotion, Rukia continued in a calming measured tone, shrugging.
"Nope…not interested…just wondering."
Shinji arched an eyebrow, rather annoyed.
"What the hell kind of answer is that?"
"Sorry, were you drowning in your own emotion? Did you want something more dramatic?"
"Oh shut up!"
"Now! Let's go home, Shinji!"
Gah…always so damn domineering…sort of like…no…
"Home?! Huuhhh…you're already settled in, I guess…I won't be getting any sleep tonight…"
Tokyo 3
Shinji's Apartment
Presently it was morning, and he had gotten up to cook their breakfast and prepare their lunch as he often did. Inside himself he heard voices telling him to abandon the Second Child, to stop being so nice to her when she was so awful to him. Yet these voices were few and far between and always clouded by his fear, timidity, and guilt.
As the rice began to steam, he turned around and gazed at Asuka's room.
She still hadn't come out, it seemed. Misato had long left, early in the morning, as she had been forced to these days, because of the huge amount of work at NERV.
Shinji nervously stepped towards Asuka's door, unsure of what to do. If they didn't leave soon, they would most certainly be late for school.
The Third Child tentatively rapped his fist against the door of his roommate's room, and then slowly put his ear to the door, to listen in.
He heard quiet sobbing mingled with choking noises and words he could not understand, perhaps in German.
Shinji froze, unsure of what to do. He could confront the Second Child and attempt to comfort her, at the same time putting himself in great physical danger, or he could run away as he always did, leaving his problems behind.
Shinji clenched his fist, leaving his other hand hanging to the side and began to whisper to himself.
"No...I won't leave her, I've got to do something...I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run-"
"SHINJI!"
"ASUKA!"
Shinji sat up straight on his bed, gasping for air as he awoke from his sleep.
"SHINJI!"
"W-What?!"
Rukia stood dressed in her pajamas before him, her eyes wild but alert.
"No time for dreaming! I just received an order from Soul Society!"
"Wha wha wha? Order? Meaning a Hollow will appear here?"
"The time and place are both…HERE AND NOW!"
She rushed straight at him with her special glove, slamming into his forehead and sending his spirit out of his mortal body.
He landed backwards in spirit form in his black Shinigami robes just as a massive clawed fist slammed out of the ground into his bed.
"Wha?!"
The fist was followed by the rest of the beast, straight through the wall. It was very humanoid, a giant creature with clawed hands and feet, a red orb in the center of its chest, and a skull-like mask with long black hair coming out the back. It had to be like twenty times larger than Shinji.
Shinji leapt backwards as Rukia screamed.
"GO FOR THE HEAD!"
"I KNOW!"
Rushing forward without any hesitation, he felt himself encumbered by the same feelings he had often felt inside the Evangelion.
As if there was…someone else alongside him…
He felt a familiar presence, though it felt different from the one he had felt inside Eva. With a confident snarl that would be unheard of with normal Shinji, he slashed his sword down at the Hollow's face.
The Hollow screamed in rage and pain, falling backwards outside and away from Shinji's apartment, though Rukia shook her head.
"Not deep enough, dammit!"
"He's getting away! We're going to have to go after him, Rukia!"
Tokyo 3, Japan
Misato's legs teetered drunkenly as she made her way to her front door after a stop in to the local bar.
She shouldn't have…she knew…but…there were things missing in her life…things missing that she couldn't expect Shinji to give her.
The liquor satiated these urges, for now.
In the distance there was something, she blinked, coughing roughly.
A grim human silhouette in the distance. She stared up at it and for a second she thought she could see handsome features, unshaved cheeks, that confident smirk and ponytail.
Maintain…don't go schizo yet Misato honey!
Tokyo 3
Shinji's Apartment
"Wait!"
Rukia grabbed him firmly by the shoulder before he could chase the fleeing beast, looking him in the eyes with her concerned and rather big eyes. It had been the closest contact they'd had, and it made him feel awkward.
"W-What is it Rukia?!"
"I have to tell you the truth…Shinji…this Hollow battle…it…well…I told you that sneaking up from behind and killing a Hollow was one of the basics of battle to prevent injury to yourself…But there's also one more important reason…"
Shinji's eyes widened.
"To kill them in one hit and avoid glimpsing the Hollow's identity! I told you, these are spirits of the dead! All of them are souls of former human beings! Glimpsing their true identity could stay your sword or put doubt in your fighting ability…You cannot hesitate!"
"Eliminate the target, Shinji!"
"I-I can't!"
"Kill him or you will be killed!"
"I'd rather…die than…kill my friend…"
ELIMINATE THE TARGET.
CENTER TARGET. PULL THE SWITCH.
ELIMINATE THE TARGET.
CENTER TARGET. PULL THE SWITCH.
ELIMINATE THE TARGET.
"Cannot…hesitate…"
"Just now, you probably only cleaved open its mask…you didn't kill it or fully damage its core…Be careful, Shinji…"
"B-But they're evil monsters, aren't they?! Things that must be defeated!"
Kaworu stared at him with peaceful eyes as Shinji held him within the massive fist of the Evangelion.
"It matters but little to me if I live or die, Shinji Ikari…Man does not realize that death is the only true liberation there is in this world. If you truly ever loved me, kill me…now."
KILLING AGAIN KILLING
CENTER TARGET. PULL THE SWITCH.
CENTER TARGET. PULL THE SWITCH.
CENTER TARGET. PULL THE SWITCH.
Rukia gasped as he spoke wildly, grabbing her by the shirt, trying to push him away and respond…
"Y-Yes., yes Shinji…they're evil monsters…things that must be defeated…You've known this from the beginning. It's kill or be killed!"
Shinji trembled, his eyes wild and confused.
"Now? So then…killing…what have I been…Angels? Killing…how can I…Killing…Center target…"
Rukia shoved him roughly into the wall, staring into his eyes with her own fierce blinking orbs.
"THERE ISN'T ANY TIME TO START DEBATING THE MORALITY OF THIS, YOU PATHETIC IDIOT! IF YOU DON'T MOVE, THAT WOMAN YOU VALUE WILL DIE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
"W-Woman?"
"Misato…it's…I can sense it…it's heading towards Misato…"
Tokyo 3, Japan
Misato blinked away the tears.
I'm seeing things again, I guess…I need to calm down, maintain…It's this goddamn liquor…What's wrong with you Misato?! Maintain!
She sighed, reaching for her front door knob.
Suddenly, something shook the ground around her, and her eyes widened.
"W-What…was that?"
Maintain…
Evil
I am an evil man, can't you see?
I lie, I cheat, I steal, shamelessly
I lust, I sneer, I hate, I feel
The son of Loki, Iago's brother
Cold and cruel, Persephone's lover
All things looked down on from above
But most of all I scorn your love
Can't you see I'm in control?
So my sanity is a fable
Wait until I'm not myself
Then you will meet someone loving and stable.
Copyright Sanbud Tehrani
Hope ya'll enjoyed that chapter…I do appreciate it when you guys review, it really revs up authors when you do that and gets them hyped for quickly updating.
I plan to update this soon though, maybe by Monday….Enjoy yourself and do check out my many other updated fanfics!
See you next chapter, soon I hope.