Evangelion: You Do (Not) Belong

by Alex The Animator

God. If you can hear me, please answer this prayer. I know I've complained constantly about my time at home. But I never wanted to end up here! I want this all to be a bad dream. I want to see my brother again! So please, send me home! I don't belong here. In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen. (Rated T upon suggestion. Will change it back to M if needed)

27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Let It Burn. Is There Fire In Heaven?

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.

I've always been alone.

From the very beginning. . .I had no one.

Mother was taken from me, Father abandoned me, and in the end. . .nobody wanted me. Everything in life was empty. I just existed day to day, too numb to even bother being angry. I did what I was told without question. If someone yelled at me, I didn't argue back. And if I got into a fight, I made sure to never fight back. I just kept to myself, making sure not to cause anyone trouble.

It wasn't much of a life, but it was something I could live with.

. . .

Then teacher gave me that letter from Father.

That was the first time in a while I became genuinely angry. I tore up the letter and didn't even bother reading it! I didn't care what Father had to say! He left me alone! He made me live with a total stranger who barely even talks to me! Why would I ever care about what Father wrote to me?!

. . .

I should have left that letter torn.

I don't know why, but I taped Father's letter back together, read it, and made the trip to Tokyo-3. Maybe, I thought I would finally get answers. Maybe. . .Father actually needed me for once?

It didn't matter, because the only thing I got in the end, was the pain of being boiled alive in the belly of a beast. With how empty my life was, one would think that death would be a none issue. Honestly, most days. . .I did entertain the idea of just disappearing.

But I never wanted to die! Not really! I just. . .wanted to be needed. I just didn't want to be lonely anymore. But I couldn't even have that! Why was I even born in the first place if all this world was gonna do was beat me, tear me apart, then throw me away?! Like I was nothing but a broken piece of trash!

. . .

I was never a big believer in an afterlife. A paradise where there was no more pain and where everyone was loved, just sounded too good to be true. If anything, the existence of an afterlife just sounded like a continuation of suffering. I always found it more comforting that there was nothing after death. Just pure. . .nonexistence.

So when I died and still had dreams, I was frightened.

I was dead, there was no doubt about that. So how could I dream? Did that mean the afterlife was real? If so, then knowing my luck, I was in hell. It. . .did feel like hell for a bit. I was in constant pain, and I would always get nightmares. I was trapped in this state of never-ending pain and fear until. . .something strange happened.

I dreamed that Mother found me, and I was lying in pieces. She was horrified, and was desperately trying to put me back together. I cried, and begged for someone to help me. Then. . .you appeared. Mother took pieces of my heart, and attached it to yours. After that, I was no longer in pain. . .though the nightmares continued.

I was asleep for such a long time, and I hated it. Every second of every moment was nothing more than an endless sea of dreams and nightmares! I hated that. I hated that I was trapped in a cage, forced into a never-ending cycle of dreams. I hated seeing the world move on as if I never existed. I hated the Eva! I hated Father! I hated Mother for going away! I hated everyone for abandoning me! I wanted them all to burn! I wanted them all to suffer! I-

. . .

Then. . .you brought me back. And for the first time, in such a long time. . .I'm awake.

. . .

The first thing I saw when opening my eyes was darkness.

After my eyes adjusted, I realized that I was in a large, dark area. The walls were made of metal, and the place was flooded with an amber liquid. I think the word was. . .LCL. Resting within the sea of LCL was a metallic platform laying before a giant red cross.

A crimson colored halo floats above my head and. . . I seem to be naked. I only had a moment to process this information before a choir of voices rings within my head! It was like a bomb was set off in my skull! So much noise! It was too much!

I manage to take a deep breath and close my eyes. I attempt to focus on a single voice within the sea of sound. When the voices faded, only one remained. . .and it made me upset.

Opening my eyes again, I find myself standing on the metal platform resting in front of the giant cross. A few steps away from where I'm standing, I see a familiar man lying on the ground. He's missing the entirety of his left arm and is extremely still. The only sign he's even alive is his silent breathing. A scowl digs its claws into my face as my hands turn into fists.

Fath. . .no. . .he doesn't deserve that title.

I slowly approached the fallen man, and when I reached him, I could only look down at him in disgust.

"Shinji," says the man. "I see you have returned. I wonder if this is Rei's doing."

My eyes narrow. "You don't seem surprised."

He hums out a thought. "I suppose I should be, yet after everything that has happened, nothing surprises me anymore." He moves his head slightly, as if something disagreed with him. "That boy enacted Third Impact, and Rei allowed it to happen. With all that power emanating from Unit-01, it shouldn't be so surprising that it would allow me to see my son aga-"

"Shut up!" I scream at the old man! I've only raised my voice at him once, and that was when he forced me into that stupid robot! I'm not going to shrink away this time! I'm not going to run away! "I'm not your son! You lost the right to call me that after you left! All these years, I thought it was my fault! I thought it was my fault you left! I thought it was my fault that Mother died! I thought that if I did what was asked of me, then I wouldn't feel so guilty. That maybe someday. . .I wouldn't feel like I was hated."

A tear rolls down my face and my voice is trembling. "But it was all a lie! No matter what I did, nothing would have changed! I was just a burden to everyone, only useful if I was in a f-fucking Eva! And if the world didn't find me useful, then it would just erase me! That's what you taught me! That's the only thing you ever drilled into my head! So fuck you! I'm not your son! I don't want to hear you call me that!"

My breathing is intense, so I stop momentarily to get it back under control. I tighten my fists, stare deeply into Gendo's eyes, and attempt to fight off the trembling. "I just want to know one thing. Why did you leave?"

There was a long pause before Gendo spoke. "I did it. . .to save Yui. To bring back your mother. I-"

"Stop lying," I growl at him. "I didn't ask you about that! I asked you why you left me behind?! If all you wanted to do was save Mother, then why didn't you take me with you?!"

Another pause.

The man lifts his remaining arm, and slowly removes his amber tinted glasses. For the first time in the entire time I've known him. . .I see emotion. Is he. . .crying?

"I could not be around you," he says, finally breaking the silence. "Everything about you. . .reminded me of Yui. . .and it made me resentful. That resentment made it difficult to be a father, because I believed that the only thing I could offer you was pain. Yui was the only person that made me believe I was capable of love, so when she left, so did my capacity to love. But. . .my resentment was not the reason I abandoned you."

Gendo breathes in deeply, then lets out a shaky exhale. "The truth is. . .I ran away. . .and I did it because I was afraid of you. I believed that if I accepted you, then that meant I was abandoning Yui. You were my key to move on, and I couldn't accept it."

He turns his head, as if he's ashamed. "That is why I left you alone. It is because. . . I am a coward."

I stare at him for a long time, trying to find. . .something. But there's nothing! He's just a sad, pathetic excuse for a human being! I thought his answer would give me some kind of resolution. Some kind of. . .I don't know!

I wanted a father, and all I got was him.

I kneel to his level, lift my left hand, then rest it on the man's forehead. The man is cold to the touch. In response to my action, Gendo closes his eyes.

"I. . .hate you. I hate you so much."

The man hums out a thought. "I know."

Gendo then bursts into red flames. The fire consumes him until all that's left is red ash.

I stare at the ash, get to my feet, then look to the sky. A red spiral tower reaches the heavens, a swirling mass of energy tears the world apart. You are up there. You are the one that woke me up after so long. And, I know what you're going to do. So these words leave my lips.

"Michael. . .you should have gone home."

---

Shit! Shit! SHIT! ! !

Pain! I'm in so much pain! I can't keep my body still! Every time I twitched or even breathed, the spear Shinji stabbed me with would go deeper into my chest, tearing the surrounding tissue! My limbs grow weak as I cough out more blood. Images start crashing against my skull! I see Gendo burning to death and several angelic beings floating around Earth.

Why am I seeing this?! How is Shinji here right now? Is he trying to kill me?!

"Shin. . .ji," I managed to grunt out. "How. . .why are-"

"Part of my soul is within you, remember?" Shinji does something, causing the crimson spear in my chest to glow. "The rest of my soul was in Unit-01. Starting Third Impact brought both parts of my soul together, allowing me to be here."

The part of the spear sticking out of my chest splits and bends itself until it resembles a cross. That action alone made it feel like I was being dipped in lava, causing a scream to tear out of my throat! As my agony continues, once again, visions of angelic beings flood my brain. It was then I realized that these "angels" had Shinji's face!

These "angels" burned brightly, and were slowly approaching people from around the world. Whenever an "angel" touched a person, that person would scream in agony before turning into red ash!

I get knocked out of my vision, and turn my head to Shinji!

"What are you doing?!" I scream at him.

He looks calmly back at me. "What you won't."

I hear and feel hundreds, maybe thousands of people dying on Earth, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it! I try to speak but something feels. . .off. The pain in my chest was slowly disappearing, and everything felt less. . .real. Like I was waking up. Looking around, I see my surroundings fading in and out of reality. Slowly, the environment starts to look familiar. My eyes widen as realization dawns on me.

I'm blinking in and out of this reality! He's trying to send me home. . .but if he does that then-

"Stop it," I continued screaming at him! "You can't do this!"

"They left me to die!" He screamed right back. "Nobody even cared that I was gone!"

"That's not true!"

"Shut up!" I feel a wave of power emanating from his shout. "I was nothing but a tool to everyone around me! As soon as I was no longer useful, they threw me away like I was nothing!"

He calms back down, a cold rage emanating from his form. "I can hear everyone's thoughts. I can feel how cruel and spiteful everybody is on this stupid planet! These people were never worth fighting for! They were never worth all the pain and suffering. . .so they can all just die."

I feel more people dying as their screams reach a crescendo! I see people running away from Shinji's angels or attempting to fight back. But their efforts are in vain. No matter how far they ran, or how hard they fought, the angels always got them!

I grab the spear sticking out of my chest. I try pulling it out, but it won't budge!

"R-Rei," I call out, feeling myself growing weaker. "Help."

"There's no point in trying to stop this," Shinji says in a measured tone. "She gave you full control over Third Impact, and right now, I'm controlling your body. She can't help you."

I feel myself fading. Any minute now, I'll be back in my world. That should be a good thing, however, I'm not willing to let these people die! But there's nothing I can do! How am I supposed to-

My eyes widen in horror.

The angels are surrounding Asuka, somehow phasing through Unit-02 and its entry plug. They reach out to the girl, preparing to take her life.

"No."

I feel fire rushing under my skin.

"STOP IT! ! ! !"

I let out a cry as my entire form becomes engulfed in red flames! The flames expand with such force that it pushes Shinji away from me, causing him to let go of the spear!

Gritting my teeth, I once again attempt to pull the crimson spear out of my chest! Every time I moved the weapon more blood would pool out of the wound. Sickening squelches could be heard as the weapon stirred, biting at my insides. But I didn't stop! I continued pulling at the spear until I finally pulled it out of my chest!

The moment that happened, I found myself back in Unit-01's entry plug.

Everything was quiet as tears and sweat floated around the surrounding LCL. I look at my hands, prepared to see a crimson red spear resting in them. That's not the case apparently. The only thing I see are scars both old and new, as well as burns on my hand. I can feel open sores all over my body, yet for some reason, I'm not bleeding.

Slowly, I look outside of Unit-01 and. . .am I in space?!

Planet Earth rests below my Eva. A red spiraling structure stretches from the surface of the planet, all the way to where I am. Unit-01 must have been encased in that structure, because broken pieces of it float around my Eva, drifting off into the emptiness of space.

After a moment of wonder, I finally noticed that resting in my Eva's hands, is the spear Shinji stabbed me with. Almost instinctively, I command Unit-01 to break the weapon in two! As soon as it did that, I felt a "connection" was lost. I could literally feel all of Shinji's angels fading into nothing.

Holding the now broken spear, I command Unit-01 to throw half of the spear deep into space, and with great effort, it does exactly that! I'm about to command Unit-01 to throw the other half in the opposite direction, but it freezes, causing the broken spear to fall to Earth!

"What?" I attempt to use the controls to move Unit-01, but nothing happens! No matter what I did, Unit-01 remained frozen! Why?

"She won't listen to you anymore," says a voice in my head.

Before I could respond, a familiar pressure sat on my chest as I felt my entry plug fly out of Unit-01!

What just happened?! Did. . .did Shinji just forcefully eject my entry plug!?

I feel my entry plug spin uncontrollably as it leaves Unit-01! I get thrown around the spinning capsule, crashing against its many controls until I finally grab onto something! My heart climbs up my throat as I feel the entry plug starting to heat up!

Being in space and having been forcefully ejected from Unit-01, I thought I was either gonna freeze or suffocate to death. But, judging from the heat, I'm falling to Earth! I feel the pressure in my chest increase as the LCL starts to boil around me! My mind runs a million miles an hour as I attempt to rationalize how I'm gonna survive this! The entry plug could survive the heat upon reentering Earth's atmosphere. . .maybe. But how about the impact? Will the capsule shatter upon hitting the ground?! How am I gonna-

My limbs become numb as my sight becomes blurry. The speed at which my entry plug is traveling is forcing all the blood to leave my brain. It's also crushing my lungs, shit, I can barely breathe! Any moment now, I'm gonna pass out. Well. . .at least I won't be conscious when I either boil to death, or die by crashing.

Fuck! Shinji's going to kill everyone! I wish there was something I could do about it but. . .shit.

The world fades away as one thought rings through my head.

"I'm. . .sorry everyone."

---

Pain. . .irritation. . . annoyance.

. . .

Wait. . .I'm in pain. That means. . . I'm still alive.

A grunt escapes my lips as every cell in my body screams at me. Every muscle and tendon must have turned to lead because it's difficult to move. With great effort, I manage to open my eyes and am greeted with darkness. Looking harder into the darkness, I can see that I'm still in the entry plug. There's no power, so that explains why everything's pitch black. Most of the LCL seemed to have either been drained from the entry plug or evaporated. I'm leaning toward the latter because sticky strands hang from all angles, like a spider web.

More of the fog clears from my mind as I fully absorb the situation I'm in.

I somehow survived falling from orbit! How?! I can't be that lucky?! Shit, I would have laughed if I wasn't in so much pain!

Scanning my body, I can see I wasn't too badly damaged. Parts of my clothes were shredded and patches of my skin were burnt. Reaching for my neck, I immediately pulled back, realizing that too was burned. Hopefully, the burns aren't as bad as they feel.

Loud banging snatches me out of my thoughts. Grunting and what I assume to be cursing comes from outside of my entry plug. Eventually, the entrance to the metallic capsule opens, crimson light slowly pouring into the area. Then, a person enters the capsule. My eyes take a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness, but my ears are working just fine when she speaks.

"You're alive," Asuka says, voice filled with relief.

The girl crawls further into the entry plug, then grabs me. My body starts to sting due to the sudden contact, but I make sure to not show I was in pain. With strength impressive for a girl her size, Asuka pulls me out the metallic capsule, and into the outside world. My eyes finally adjusted, and what I saw brought me dread.

I must have landed in the middle of the city, because Asuka and I are surrounded by what's left of the buildings. The entire city is in shambles, every building, every structure, seemed to have flattened. It was like someone dropped a giant meteor on Tokyo-3! Any structure that did remain standing was nothing more than a skeleton of its former self. But what brought great fear in me. . .was the sky.

The sky is blood red.

The sky shined with such brilliant crimson that its light stained every surface, making reality a nightmare. The moon is bleeding, and the surrounding air is ice cold! Most of the clouds had vanished, and what little remained swirled and danced around a tall scarlet tower. This structure stretched to the heavens like the Tower of Babel, and was slowly falling to pieces. The sea could be seen for some reason, and it was angry! It slammed and bit at whatever was left of the city, which probably meant that the place was flooded.

Did Shinji do this, or. . .did I cause this when-

Asuka starts shaking me.

"Snap out of it!"

In response, I gave Asuka a dazed look. She's covered in cuts and bruises. Was this caused by her fight with the MP Evas, or did I do this to her?

"I'm sorry." Those were the first words to pop out of my mouth. "Because of me. . .we're all gonna die."

"Michael," Asuka says sternly. "We can do this later. We need to know what's happening now."

I stare at her, breath in deeply, then shake myself out of my daze. She's right. If I just sit here feeling sorry for myself, then everyone really will die.

"I caused Third Impact." I start. "I. . .I tried to stop it but. . .Shinji took control of Unit-01, and is attempting to kill everyone on the planet."

Asuka's eyes widened. "Shinji? The third Child? But he's. . .how did-"

"It's complicated." With great effort, I managed to get to my feet. Standing fully, I take notice of Unit-02 lying a few yards away from me and Asuka. That doesn't surprise me, but what catches me off guard was Unit-00 lying on the ground, holding my entry plug. How did that happen?

"Long story short, I was carrying a part of Shinji's soul. The other part was in Unit-01, so when I caused Third Impact, it basically brought Shinji back to life."

I look back at Asuka, who's still sitting on the ground. She's looking at me as if I had grown horns. I guess telling someone a person was brought back to life will do that.

"Yeah. . .I know it's a lot." I reach my hand out to her, and she stares at the appendage. After a few seconds of thinking, she grabs my hand, and I pull her to her feet. "There's. . .so much I want to tell you. *Sigh* But I can't right now. But, I promise you, when this is all over, I'll tell you everything from start to finish. No secrets, no double talk. Just. . .the truth."

She stares at me, frowns, then shakes her head. After breathing for a few rounds, she smiles. "Okay."

I smile back at her, then look back at Unit-00. "Not that I'm not grateful or anything but. . .how am I still alive?"

Her frown returns. "I don't know how to explain this. . .but somehow, I was able to feel that you were in trouble. I knew you were hurt, and knew you were falling, so I forced Unit-02 to run toward that thing." She points to the red tower piercing the sky. "As I was doing that, Unit-00 came out of nowhere, sprouted wings made of light, and flew to the sky! When the Eva landed, it was carrying your entry plug."

I continue staring at Unit-00. "Was anyone inside?"

"According to Misato, no." Asuka crosses her arms. "It apparently moved on its own."

I grow quiet, then slightly chuckle.

Guess she's still looking out for me.

"RAAAAAAHHHHHH! ! ! !"

Asuka and I cover our ears at the sound of that roar! It shakes the ground and shatters what little buildings remain in the city!

Shit! It's like the planet is screaming!

Looking to the sky, I see a bright star, slowly descending from the red tower. Looking closely, I realize it's Unit-01!

"I'm guessing that's Shinji," asks Asuka.

My heart drops. "Yeah. . .that's him."

While I'm dreading the encounter, Asuka stands fearless, preparing herself for a fight. "So, what's the plan?"

I look at her. She stands rooted to the ground, hand resting on her hip, and no sign of fear in her eyes. She never ceases to amaze me how brave she is when it comes to this kind of stuff. Yet, despite that bravery, I. . .

"You still have enough power to talk to Misato?"

Asuka nods in response.

"Good." Letting out a sigh, I look Asuka in the eyes. "Get in contact with the Command Center, and tell them to get everyone to safety. If you can, use your Eva to help anyone still trapped in the city."

I look back to the sky. "Meanwhile, I'll take care of Shinji."

"That's not happening."

I let out an annoyed grunt. "Asuka, this is no time to argue."

"Then don't." She grabs my shoulder and forces me to look at her. "I'm not leaving you out here alone. Besides, you don't get to tell me if I should fight or not!"

I grumble a little, then sigh. "Well. . .it was worth a shot. If you can get Unit-02 to move, then get ready to fight."

She smirks, and is about to head to her Eva before stopping.

"What about you," Asuka questions. "You don't have an Eva."

I actually scoff. Despite the impending battle, all of my worrying and shame was receding. "Wrong. I do have an Eva." I then point a thumb toward the collapsed Unit-00.

"Hopefully, that will be enough." I mutter.

She seems to understand, and starts running to Unit-02. I stared at her for a moment, and thought about what to do next. I remain stuck in my thoughts for eternity, hesitating for some reason. Inhaling deeply, then letting out a quick exhale, I finally come to a conclusion.

"Fuck it."

I sprint after Asuka, grab her shoulder, and force her to face me. She looked like she was gonna tell me off, but I shut her up by laying my lips on hers. We stayed in that embrace for a few seconds, before I decided to break the kiss. My cheeks were red hot with embarrassment which I attempted to cover up with a shaky smile. She stares at me wide-eyed, then attempts to shake off her shock. She slowly revealed a smirk, and in response, I breathed out a chuckle. We nod toward one another, before going our separate ways.

This is our last chance to stop Shinji. Hopefully, we're not too late.

---

Upon entering Unit-00's entry plug, I finally confirmed what everyone already knew, that it was empty. No one was in the pilot's seat. Hell, the capsule was completely dry, showing no signs that it was filled with LCL.

I close the entry plug's entrance behind me and quickly get comfortable in the pilot's seat. I press a few buttons, and the entry plug lights up as the Eva gains power. Static flares up on the radio as the device comes to life. Slowly, voices can be heard at the other end.

"Hey," I start. "Can anyone at the Command Center hear me?"

Static continues to buzz over the radio until a voice breaks through the noise.

"I'm glad you're okay."

I pause for a moment at the familiar voice, then reveal a slight smile.

"Glad you made it back in one piece, Misato."

"Yeah. . .me two."

Silence once again fills the area, but only for two seconds.

"Asuka managed to get me up to date with what's happening." I can hear the trepidation in Misato's voice. "Is it true. . .that Shinji's in Unit-01."

My lips press themselves into a thin line. "Yeah, it's true. And right now, it looks like he wants to destroy everything."

"I see." She grows silent for exactly one second. "Help him if you can. . .if you can't. . .well. . ."

"I got it," I responded. "Asuka and I will do our best."

Misato lets out a sound of acknowledgement. "There's nothing much we can do on our end, but we can at least try to help any survivors left in the city." There's a pause, then she speaks again. "Other than that, good luck. Humanity's fate rests in both of your hands."

Heh. . .I can almost hear the smile in her voice.

With that being said, I press a few more buttons within the entry plug, and somehow manage to get the capsule to fill with LCL. As this happens, I close my eyes and hope that Unit-00 works for me.

Becoming completely submerged in the LCL, I breathe it in and concentrate, attempting to open my mind to Unit-00. A few seconds pass, and I don't feel anything knocking against my mind. So I concentrate harder, if that's even possible. I call out to Unit-00 in my mind, begging for its help. It saved me, so it must mean something. It must mean that we have some kind of connection to each other. That has to be what it means, because without Unit-00, it's all over.

"Rei," I whisper. "Please, help me."

Blue flames burst around me, crawling across every inch of my body! I panic for a moment, only to realize that I'm not in pain. The flames feel cool to the touch, and. . .it's an almost comforting feeling. A presence knocks against my skull, as I feel Unit-00 rise to its feet. I feel Unit-00's fingers grow longer and its muscles change shape. It felt like the Devil Berserker transformation only, it didn't hurt. I didn't feel overwhelming rage or sadness, only a sense of calm.

"Our minds and hearts are now one."

A voice, a familiar one, echoes across my mind.

"Rei," I question. I then reveal a toothy grin. "So, you were controlling Unit-00."

I feel a nod in my head as Rei responds. "I will always be with you, as long as you have the will to fight."

I command Unit-00 to look up, and see Unit-01 continuing to float down from the sky. This time the Eva is even closer, so I can see it's carrying something in its right hand.

"Ikari carries one half of the Lance of Longinus," Rei explains. "He seeks the other half. If he is able to reunite both halves, then his rage and anger will burn the world into nothingness. We have the power to stop this destruction. . .if you still wish to do so."

In the corner of my eye, I spot Unit-02 slowly rising to its feet. Asuka seems to be able to move it, but I don't think the Eva will last much longer. Despite these factors, I can tell Asuka isn't the least bit concerned.

I close my eyes, nod, then open them again. "Alright, let's end this."

Just as I said that, the blue flames surround my Eva, then spread to Unit-02. In response, Unit-02 lets out a roar, but not due to being in pain. It lets out a roar of power! I can hear Asuka laughing over the radio as if she had got the highest highs!

"Michael," I hear Misato say over the radio. "I don't know what you did, but Unit-02's batteries are completely full!"

Huh. Well that's useful.

As this happens, Unit-00 raises its left hand. And at a speed which seemed impossible, a red object landed in its outstretched hand. It took a moment for me to recognize the object. It was the second half of the red spear I broke.

The blue flames consume the broken spear, causing it to twist and elongate into something else. The object now lying in my hand is some kind of two pronged polearm, and it had some words written on the shaft that I couldn't quite read. What once was a broken spear now resembled a. . .pitchfork.

The ground in front of Asuka and I explodes as Unit-01 finally lands. When the dust that was kicked up clears, Asuka and I beheld a hellish yet angelic creature, staring at the both of us. Unit-01 had six wings of light and glowing amber eyes. Parts of its armor were missing, revealing an amber glow underneath. A white halo hangs over Unit-01's head, and two bullet shaped objects orbit around the Eva's form. But what stuck out at the moment, was the fleshy growth expanding out of the core in Unit-01's chest.

Unit-02 and I get into a fighting position, preparing ourselves for the worst. Meanwhile, Unit-01 continues to stare at the both of us. Slowly, it looks at the broken spear in its right hand, then to the crimson pitchfork I'm carrying.

"Hand it over." Shinji's voice rumbles out of Unit-01's form.

I look at my weapon, then slowly back at Shinji.

"No."

I feel the air around my Eva grow cold as Shinji lets out a barely audible grunt.

"Don't be dumb." The broken spear Unit-01 carries, twists and morphs into a spiral shaped sword. Though calling it a "sword" was being too kind. It looked more like a twisted, gnarled thorn. "You don't want to die for them."

I was about to say something before Asuka cut me off.

"How about this," she starts, voice filled with bravado. "You back down, and we don't kick your butt."

Unit-01 pauses, then clinches its left hand.

"Fine," says Shinji, commanding his Eva to raise its sword. "Let's get this over with."

I felt a pressure in my chest before Asuka and I got thrown by an invisible force! Twisting my Eva's body mid-air, I manage to get the machine to land on its feet. Unit-02 gracefully lands next to me, and gets into a fighting stance. At a speed nearly imperceptible, two blurs crash into Unit-02, causing Asuka to fend for herself. As I'm about to jump into the fight, Unit-01 suddenly appears in front of me!

"Shit!"

Quickly, I raise my weapon, blocking Shinji's impossibly fast sword strike! He once again gets Unit-01 to strike me multiple times, and I try my best to block every single attack thrown my way! Every time I block a strike, I feel the impact rattle every bone, every cell in my body! If he keeps this up, I think I'll die due to the impact alone!

Shinji delivers a kick to my mid section as I feel several things snap within both my Eva and my body! The impact of the kick sends me flying as I crash into what was left of a building. As I recover, Unit-01 just. . .appears! The opposing Eva prepares to plunge its sword into my chest before a red blur crashes into it, sending Unit-01 flying a short distance.

There, standing in front of me protectively, is Unit-02. In the red Eva's hands lies a large metallic structure it was using as a makeshift spear. Not even a second passes before two bullet shaped objects fly at Unit-02, but this time Asuka's ready. She masterfully uses the makeshift spear to knock away the offending objects and dances around every counter attack. Now having enough time to breathe, I get to my feet and prepare for a fight.

I spot Unit-01 slowly approaching Asuka and I, as the two bullet shaped objects that attacked Asuka moments ago, orbit around the Eva. Unit-01 lets out a roar as the orbiting objects glow crimson, allowing several beams of energy to exit their forms! As these beams of light tear through the air, I instinctively throw myself in front of Asuka, allowing the beams to hit my Eva! The pain only lasted for a second before I realized that my Eva was absorbing the attacks! With the energy now stored in my body, I cry out and throw Shinji's attack right back at him!

Shinji dodges the reflected attack, though the bullet shaped objects that surrounded his Eva become vaporized as the entire area becomes engulfed in an explosion. Shinji quickly recovers as he commands his Eva to jam his gnarled sword into the ground, causing a cascade of black thorns to break through the surface! I swing my right arm, spreading my blue flames and burning most of the thorns. Asuka, meanwhile, runs toward Unit-01, dodging most of the thorns rising out of the ground. Her Eva leaps in the air, preparing to jam its makeshift spear into Unit-01's chest! In response, Shinji blocks the attack with his A.T. Field, shattering Asuka's weapon. Quickly abandoning the object, Asuka pulls out her Prog. knife and slices through Shinji's field, cutting his arm!

Shinji hisses in pain as he tries to escape, but Asuka follows it up with a quick kick, causing Shinji to be knocked back. Before Shinji could make his Eva twitch, Asuka jumped on Unit-01's back, and began stabbing the machine.

Shinji let out a scream mixed with pain and rage, causing Asuka's Eva to fly off. Then, with a look, Shinji caused Unit-02 to collapse to the ground, as if being crushed by a massive weight!

I jump in, preparing to stab at Unit-01 with my pitchfork! Shinji takes notice and swings his sword, and it collides with my weapon! The clash causes me to go flying! I quickly recover and once again charge at the Eva! Shinji simply commands Unit-01 to take to the air to escape my attack, breaking his hold on Asuka. A moment later, pillars of light surround Asuka and I before catching us both in a brilliant explosion!

I feel myself absorb every bit of energy in that attack, saving Asuka and I from taking any damage. My eyes widen as I feel my chest burst into flames! I let out a scream, and in response, my Eva fires several missiles of energy back at Shinji! Shinji, still in the air, dodges the majority of the attack, but one energy missile makes a direct hit, causing him to crash into the ground!

Before Asuka and I could do a follow up attack, we felt ourselves being lifted by an invisible force, before being slammed to the ground! We were lifted up again, then slammed to the ground multiple times before, being thrown several miles away from the battle! When we made contact with the ground, we destroyed the surrounding area, creating a crater. I'm the first to get to my feet as a ball of crimson energy appears in front of me! I grabbed the attack with my left hand, quickly absorbed it, then threw the attack back where I thought it came from. Evidently, it didn't hit anything.

Where is he?

Looking down, I see Unit-02 still hasn't gotten to its feet. Is Asuka knocked out? My right hand tightly grips my pitchfork as I wonder what to do next.

I feel the air around me grow colder as something inside of me says to run! I quickly grab Unit-02 and jump, just in time to see the ground behind me get torn up! It was like an invisible force cut through it!

I trip over a piece of a building, causing me to drop Asuka and fall on my face! I attempt to get back on my feet, but feel an invisible force wrap around my neck! I then get lifted to the air by that same force and see Unit-01, its left hand making a strangling gesture. In response, I make sure to keep my grip tight on my weapon.

Is this his A.T. Field? How the hell is he doing that?!

A knife flies and lunges itself dead center into Unit-01's head, causing it to let me go!

I cough up a storm while attempting to regain my breath. Meanwhile, I feel Unit-02 grab me, and drag me behind a piece of a building.

"Shit," I managed to cough out. I then turn my head to Unit-02. "Nice shot."

"Thanks," responds Asuka, crouched right next to me. "But I doubt that did anything to him."

I sigh and manage to pull out my own Progressive knife then hand it to Asuka. It's not like I'll need it.

As Asuka grabs the knife, the wrecked building we were hiding behind disintegrates, causing Asuka and I to jump back and get into fighting positions. Unit-01 bursts through the smoke and takes a slash at me with its sword! I defend myself with my pitchfork, and manage to trap Shinji's sword between my weapon's twin prongs! In response, Shinji slams his Eva's foot against the ground, causing the ground to collapse, knocking me off balance! Shinji then knocked me with the hilt of his sword before following it up with a stab. However, before the sword could pierce my Eva, Asuka appeared, then knocked the weapon off its intended course! Shinji, frustrated, threw his arm at Unit-02, grabbing it by the neck! Unit-02, without hesitation, wrapped its legs around Unit-01's neck and swung its body in order to throw Unit-01 to the ground!

Asuka got Unit-01 in some kind of arm lock, and is nearly breaking the limb, causing Shinji to scream out in pain. I jump in and restrain Unit-01's other arm by stepping on it, pointing my weapon at the Eva's back. I should have stabbed him but. . .for some reason that I couldn't do that.

"Shinji," I scream at him. "You need to stop!"

Shinji continues to struggle, until Unit-02 decides to twist Unit-01's arm even more.

"I'd take the hint," Asuka says. "Unless you want to know what a broken arm feels like."

Shinji lets out a grunt, then turns Unit-01's head toward me. I can feel his glare through the Eva's eyes.

"You should have left," Shinji growls out. "You should have gone home! This world was never your responsibility, so why do you care what happens to it? ! ? !"

I pause for a moment. "Because. . .I found something worth protecting."

There was a long pause, before Unit-01 started shaking. "Bullshit."

Unit-01 glows a blazing crimson as the wind starts kicking up.

"Shit," I jumped back! "Asuka get away from him!"

Unit-02 immediately releases Unit-01 and follows after me. Not even a second later, Unit-01 bursts into a pillar of light, burning everything in the surrounding area.

When the light cleared, I could see Unit-01 floating above a crater, filled with molten rock. It points its crimson sword at both Asuka and I.

"It's all BULLSHIT! ! !"

Shinji's Eva charges at Asuka and I within a fraction of a second! Unit-02 dodges a slash which would have cut it in two! But Unit-01 uses its A.T. Field to grab Asuka mid dodge and pull it back toward its sword! I jump in and knock the offending weapon away from Unit-02, causing Unit-01 to have its full attention on me. We both take turns slashing and stabbing at one another, each attack either blocked or dodged. But with each strike, I could feel Shinji's power reverberate throughout my form.

This isn't good. If this keeps up, he could actually kill me!

"There's nothing here on this planet worth protecting," Shinji yells between each attack.

He delivers a punch that shatters every bone in my Eva's chest, then grabs me by the neck.

"You saw it yourself," Shinji continues, pointing his sword toward my head. "That everyone here on this pathetic planet are nothing more than heartless monsters! You should know that better than anyone!"

Unit-02 appears and delivers a kick to Unit-01's face, but the attack only manages to scratch its A.T. Field. However, the attack did manage to knock Unit-01 away, causing it to release its grip on me.

Unit-01 prepares to retaliate.

"Stop!" I scream at Shinji. Surprisingly, Shinji stops where he is. "Just. . .just listen."

I lower my weapon, but am careful to not let my grip waver. I look at Unit-02, mentally telling Asuka to hold off on attacking. Reluctantly, Unit-02 relaxes slightly.

"Look, I get it." I start. "The world is shitty, and is filled with equally shitty people. What was done to you was horrible. You were left to die after coming here looking for answers. You wanted some kind of resolution, some kind of connection! But all you got. . .was him."

I breathe in deeply, then exhale. "But. . .that doesn't mean you get to destroy everything! You don't get to take everyone's happiness just because yours was stolen!"

"Why not?!" Shinji questions. "That's what everyone else does! They lie, cheat, and steal from one another and don't even think twice about who they're hurting, just as long as they get what they want! It doesn't matter if you try to help others, it doesn't matter if you fall in line, it doesn't matter if you keep to yourself, because no matter what, these people will eat you from the inside out! So why is it wrong for me to kill them all? ! ? ! Why is it wrong for me to do exactly what everyone else is doing! ? !"

"Because you don't get to decide how things end! ! !"

Unit-01 takes a step back, seemingly stunned at what I said.

"I don't care about the world," I admit. "I don't care about anyone that I don't see right in front of me. I know that makes me a shitty person, but it's the truth. Unless I know you, or am friends with you, then I couldn't give a shit if you died. However, I know how fucked up that line of thinking is, which is why I want to change."

I take a step forward. "And I know I'm not the only person who thinks like that. I know that there's a countless number of people who are fucked up like me, and deep down want to change. They just need the chance to be put in the right situation in order to change. But if you kill them all, then they'll never get that chance! If I was never sent here, if I had stayed in that house and continued to let my rage fester then. . .I would have done something I would quickly regret."

I take another step forward, which causes Shinji to take a step back. "Being sent here gave me the chance to change. I was able to reach out to others instead of pushing them away. I was able to let my thoughts be known instead of leaving them to eat away at me. That's why I'm protecting this world! Because I want everyone to get the same chance that I got! The chance to be better!"

Shinji goes quiet for a long while, allowing the silence to pierce through any thought.

"I thought you would understand," I hear Shinji say under his breath. "I thought you would be so fed up with this world, that you wouldn't care about what happened to it. I guess I was wrong."

I scowl. "So what? Did you plan for me to get so mad that I would destroy everything?"

Shinji let out a short laugh. Though, the laugh somehow sounded like he was offended.

"You think I planned for any of this?" Shinji asks in disbelief. "You think I planned for you to experience my pain? You think I planned to have my soul ripped apart?! I didn't plan for any of this!"

"But. . ." I can hear the sadness in his tone. "I thought you would understand. I thought. . .after everything you went through. . .you would choose home over them!" Shinji raises his voice, then his sword. "Fine! If you care about them so much, then you can die with them! ! !"

Unit-01's mouth opens, releasing a particle beam!

I jump in front of the beam, fully intending to absorb it. But, at the last second, the beam made a right angle into the ground, creating an explosion which blocked my vision! Before I could question what was going on, I felt Asuka shove me out of the way followed by the sound of thunder!

"Move now!"

Without thinking, I did as Asuka told me, and forced Unit-00 into a run as sounds of thunder reverberated behind me. It's only when I took a glance behind me that I saw why Asuka was panicking.

Every time I heard thunder, the ground behind Asuka and I would develop a nasty gash, filled with molten rock! It was like Shinji was carving the ground with his sword, the problem was I couldn't see him anywhere!

What's happening?! Is he invisible, or is he moving that fast?!

All of a sudden, I couldn't move! Every time I tried to get my Eva to twitch, nothing would happen! Glancing at Unit-02, I see Asuka's stuck in the same situation.

The sound of thunder rings across the horizon, and for a split second, I see Unit-01. It raises its sword and prepares to split me in two! Using the strength left in my body, I manage to break free of Shinji's invisible hold, and dodge his attack!

My Eva's chest splits open.

Pain ripples throughout my entire form as I wonder what the hell just happened! He missed me, so how did I get hit?!

"Hart," I hear a voice, Rei's voice, resonate in my mind. "Soryu is in danger! You need to push forward."

Everything slows to a crawl. This time, I'm able to see Shinji clearly. He's preparing to strike an immobilized Asuka. Ignoring the pain, I regain my footing and jump toward Shinji, raising my pitchfork to intercept the attack. As soon as our weapons clashed, it created a shockwave that blew Asuka and I away! We both landed on the ground, hard. But, at least we've gained some distance.

"Bastard," curses Asuka, slowly getting to her feet. "When did he get so fast?"

"Wish I knew," I responded, looking at the deep gash in Unit-00's chest. Much to my surprise, it's starting to heal. "He also did something weird. I was sure I dodged his attack, yet it still hit me."

Unit-02 stretches, as if this entire battle was just a warm up. "Must've been the same trick he used to carve up the ground behind us. *Sigh* Either he used his A.T. Field to extend his reach, or he's moving so fast that he's creating blades of wind."

Asuka lets out another curse. "How annoying. We need to come up with a plan."

A voice whispers in my mind. "A direct hit with your weapon should be enough to disable Unit-01."

My eyes widened. "Rei?"

Unit-02 looks in my direction. "Rei? What are you-"

"Shush, give me a moment." I then look up, ask if I could physically see Rei. "What do you mean by that?

"Your weapon is one half of the Lance of Longinus," Rei explains. "The Lance is capable of deactivating anything created from the flesh of Adam and Lilith. So, it stands to reason that the weapon you're currently carrying is the only thing capable of stopping Unit-01."

"But. . ."

Rei hums out a thought. "The weapon is incomplete, so it will only stop Ikari for a few seconds. You will only have a moment to end Ikari. Do you understand?"

I nod. "Yeah. I think I got it."

"Are you done having your little talk," Asuka asks, partially in annoyance, partially in concern. "Who are you even talking to?"

"Doesn't matter right now." I responded. "Anyway, I think if I can get a direct hit with my pitchfork, I can deactivate Unit-01, but only for a few seconds. So, we'll need to sync up our attacks, like we did with the seventh Angel. Got that?"

She stares at me then lets out a sigh. "Alright." I can hear the smile in her voice. "Make sure you keep up."

A flash of light appears, and out of it appears Unit-01, raising its gnarled thorn of a sword toward Asuka and I. Unit-01's bright amber eyes glowers at the both of us, hate radiating from the Eva's entire form.

"What's the matter," Asuka mocks while getting into a fighting stance. "Not happy to see us?"

Unit-01 lets out a growl.

"Shut up," Shinji grunted. He then commands Unit-01 to lower its stance, preparing for a lunge. "Just die already!"

Before he could make a move, Asuka and I immediately jumped at him! Without hesitation, I prepare to stab Unit-01 with my weapon! He uses his sword to parry my attack, but it is caught by surprise when Asuka knees him in the face.

Briefly retreating, he plunges his sword into the ground, as a wave of thorny crosses sprout from the earth, intending to impale us! But we're prepared this time.

Asuka and I dance through the attack effortlessly, relentless in our goal to take out Unit-01.

"Don't let him gain distance!" I yell.

"Got it!"

Unit-01 attempts to take to the sky, but using my pitchfork, I stab at one of his wings, causing the Eva to scream in pain!

Now grounded, Unit-02 charges at Shinji, progressive knife in hand. Unit-01 raises its hand, probably attempting to to paralyze Asuka's Eva, but I take that chance to once again stab at Shinji! Panicking, Shinji dodges my attack, but loses his footing, causing him to fall directly on Asuka's knife!

Clearly in pain, Shinji wildly swings his sword, to keep us away.

It doesn't work.

Asuka and I, in perfect sync, dance around Shinji's flailing. While I never made a direct hit on him with my weapon, I did manage to constantly make him lose his footing. Meanwhile, Asuka would constantly cut chunks of metal and flesh off of a distracted Unit-01. The onslaught was brutal, and there was literally nothing Shinji could do to stop us!

Despite Shinji's weapon being a sword, his strengths lie in fighting at a distance. That's why he keeps destroying us every time he takes to the air or uses energy based attacks. However, if we keep forcing him to fight at close range, then he's finished!

This fight is ours!

I deliver an elbow toward Unit-01's head, causing it to stumble into Unit-02's right cross! Being stunned by the attack, Unit-02 follows it up by delivering a kick to the offending Eva's right leg, shattering the knee! This causes both Shinji and Unit-01 to let out an inhuman scream. Seeing an obvious opening, I jump in, preparing to ram my weapon through Unit-01's chest!

"Stop it! Stop it! ! ! STOP IT! ! !"

A red hue covers the area as I freeze in mid air!

Shinji screams, which creates an explosion encompassing my entire vision!

I black out.

---

I don't know how long I was unconscious. The only thing I know for sure is that I am in extreme pain. Opening my eyes reveals nothing but fire and molten earth. The smoke billows and obscures most of the surrounding landscape. I attempt to move my Eva, but I can't. It feels like a great weight was put on me. That's when I realized why.

At a distance, slowly approaching, is a heavily damaged Unit-01. It raises its hand, using its A.T. Field to keep me immobilized. It takes everything I have attempting to break from his hold, but no matter what I did, I was still trapped.

I don't understand! How is Shinji able to keep me immobilized with his A.T. Field? Don't I have the ability to absorb A.T. Fields? I mean, I was able to get Unit-00 to absorb some of Shinji's attacks, so why is he still able to keep me in place with his field?! Shit! I need to find a solution quick or else me and Asuka will-

Wait. . . where is Asuka?

Using every bit of strength I have, I manage to get Unit-00 to quickly scan the surrounding area. At first, I didn't see anything, but when the smoke started to clear, I saw a red figure in the distance.

My heart gets caught in my throat.

Unit-02 was burnt to a crisp. All of its armor was either melted or disintegrated, revealing black, charred flesh. Its jaw was missing and its left leg was completely severed! The most concerning part was that. . .Unit-02 wasn't moving.

"Asuka!" I called out. No response. I called her name again, desperate to get any kind of response from the girl! But the radio remained silent.

All feeling left my body.

"Asuka?"

"She won't be waking up." A cold voice breaks through my radio. Recognizing the voice, I look at Unit-01.

"No," I say barely above a whisper. I refuse to believe anything Shinji had to say. "You're wrong. She's. . . she's not. . ."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Shinji responds, cutting me off. Unit-01 then shakes its head as all the wounds it had received up until this point, disappeared. That action alone caused an odd, numbing feeling to sink its fangs into my heart. Unit-01 is looming over my Eva's immobilized body. It raises its gnarled sword, preparing to deliver the final blow.

"You shouldn't have stayed."

My blood comes to a boil.

Bearing my teeth, and using every fiber of my being, I rage! I feel something inside me tear, as the blue flames surround me, shattering the ground beneath me! Breaking out of Shinji's A.T. Field, I charge blindly at him, fully intending to kill him!

Shinji didn't even seem surprised.

Unit-01 raises his sword, and causally parries every attack I throw his way! Every attempt to slash or stab him with my weapon was pointless. It didn't matter how fast I was, or how much rage was building inside, I couldn't even touch Shinji!

In a flash, I feel my skull cave in! Moments later, I see blood slowly encompass Unit-00's vision.

I don't know how or when, but Shinji somehow hit my Eva so hard that its skull shattered. I don't even feel pain as I collapse to the ground. It takes everything in my power to not pass out. If I pass out this time, Shinji will win.

Unit-01 stares at my collapsed form, then points its sword at my chest. The weapon hovers there for a few seconds, before the offending Eva decides to lower its sword. Instead, Unit-01 grabs my pitchfork, and attempts to take it away.

No!

My grip tightens around the weapon, as I use my other hand to grab Unit-01's leg. Shinji both attempts to shake me off as well as pull the weapon away from me, but I won't let go! Shinji then commands his Eva to lift his foot, then stomp it against my head!

He does this multiple times until I see more blood fill my Eva's vision. Until I feel the blood within my body rise out of my throat, and into the surrounding LCL. Until I hear several cracks reverberate through my form. Until. . .all the strength in my arms faded away.

I let go, and now, Shinji carries my weapon. He now has both pieces of the Lance of Longinus.

Shinji slowly walks away, apparently having gotten what he wanted. It was at this moment, everything freezes.

If Shinji combines those two weapons, then nothing will be able to stop him. I have to end this, but how?

I feel the rage once again bubble to the surface. The rage made me realize something. The "Devil Berserker" isn't as strong as it should be. Somehow, I'm not at full power. Maybe it has something to do with me not being in Unit-01? Though, I don't think that's the case, at least not fully.

"Rei." The thought echoes in my mind in an attempt to call out to her. "Why. . . are you holding me back?"

Silence fills my mind for exactly three seconds. After that, Rei responds to my thoughts. "Hart. . .this is the only way you can fight, without perishing."

I grit my teeth as I watch Shinji preparing to fuse both of our weapons. "Let me loose!"

"But. . .you'll di-"

"I don't care!" I scream out loud. "I don't care what happens to me!"

Slowly but surely, my Eva rises to its feet.

A tired breath exits my form. "I finally understand why I'm here. The only way for others to reach paradise. . .is if a single person decides to go to hell. I can do that. After all, I am a nobody."

I tighten my grip on the controls as I prepare to attack Unit-01. Can't help but notice how bright Shinji's halo is. "Besides. . .only a demon can kill an angel."

I feel Rei trying to say something, but I block her out. I block out everything around me and attempt to focus only on the pain. Focus on the anger, the rage, all the hurt that I had experienced up until this moment. Swimming through this sea of wrath conjures up an image, more precisely, a person. The perfect representative and source of all my rage.

My mom.

The very thought of that woman sets everything ablaze! My breath becomes fire as my soul turns to cinder! When I open my eyes, I'm in immediate pain! Red flames burn around me as they quickly spread to the rest of my Eva. I cry out in agony, creating a shockwave of power knocking Shinji's Eva off balance, causing him to lose his grip on both sword and pitchfork.

Shinji immediately tries to reach for his sword, but I won't let him! The metal that usually covers my Eva's mouth shatters, revealing rows of teeth. I pounce on Unit-01, and sink my teeth into its right hand! Shinji and his Eva let out a scream of pain!

Unit-01 manages to shake me off, and raises its hand. At that moment, I feel a crushing weight slam itself against my shoulders. But, unlike the other times Shinji used his A.T. Field to immobilize me, I manage to absorb the field energy into me!

"What," Shinji questions.

I roar, allowing all the field energy that I absorb to leave my body, creating an intense crimson explosion! When the dust settles, Unit-01's armor has melted!

My skin is burning.

Tears roll down my face as I scream in both pain and rage! I push through it all, and once again charge toward Shinji, tackling him to the ground! My twisted, claw-like fingers swipe and dig into Unit-01's flesh, scraping it to the bone! Shinji continues to cry out as I continue my vicious onslaught against him. I no longer see a scared child taking vengeance against the world. The only thing I see is complete, perfect, hatred!

Subconsciously, my left hand grabs my cross as blood fills my vision. The object somehow feels like a red hot iron! Tightening my grip around the object, I feel it sear its way into my flesh! I don't even bother questioning what was happening, as my attention quickly returns back to Unit-01.

In a flash, the offending Eva grabs both my arms, and breaks them! I reel back due to the pain, allowing Unit-01 to grab my head and slam it to the ground. Quickly recovering, I see Unit-01's eyes nearly bulge out of its head as they turn into a bright crimson.

The now berserk Eva made sure to pay me back for tearing it apart, by slamming its fists against my face and ribs! The red flames surrounding me burn brighter, searing the flesh off of Unit-01's bones, giving me enough time to slip out and get to my feet.

I feel Unit-00's bones twist and rearrange themselves until both of my Eva's arms are fully healed. Meanwhile, Shinji's Eva gets to its feet. Any damage Unit-01 had received slowly fades away.

Shinji and I stare at each other for a long time, instinctually studying one another. After what seemed to be an eternity, in a flash, we charged at each other!

We each strike at each other, with no regard to strategy or any form of higher thought. We scratched, bit, tackled and grabbed like wild animals as our surroundings turned into more of a wasteland! Each strike I received or returned, every roar I let out, I felt bits of my skin peel off my body. Bloody tears exit my eyes as the cross in my hand continues to burn! But I pay attention to none of that. I keep focused on my rage and direct it all to my opponent. It's the only way I can win! It's. . .the only way I know how to win.

One final punch from the both of us creates a shockwave, tossing us away from each other. When we both recovered, we noticed our respective weapons, the two halves of the Lance of Longinus, lying in the rubble, just out of reach.

I immediately jumped for my pitchfork as Shinji reached for his sword! Weapon in hand, I take a stab at Shinji, and in that exact moment, he takes a stab at me!

Shinji's jagged blade tears through my gut, while at the same time, my pitchfork impales Shinji's stomach! It was at that moment my Eva shuts down, and so did Shinji's.

Everything in my entry plug becomes quiet as I go into a daze. Any pain I felt up until that moment disappears. The world just. . .stops. The heavy winds that were once blowing through the wasteland fades into nothing. The crimson red sky dims, turning into a dark-purplish color. Looking at Unit-01, I see its wings of light have disappeared. Its grip on its sword is lax, no longer having the power to have a good grip on the weapon.

Everything is so. . . still.

"RAHHHHHH! ! ! ! !"

Unit-01 lets out a painful wail as it glows a bright crimson! Power returns to my Eva and I'm in immediate pain, causing me to cry out! Everything in my Eva begins glowing a crimson red as the sky splits open! Both of our Evas float off the ground and toward the tear in the sky! Seven orbs of pure energy orbits around the two of us and trumpet-like sounds echo across the horizon.

The light becomes brighter and brighter, causing me to shut my eyes!

. . .

When I open my eyes, I'm no longer inside Unit-00. The only thing I see is a white horizon.

Huh? I'm. . .I'm back here again? Did I get knocked out, or am I somehow back in the tree of life?

I scan my surroundings, looking for anyone familiar. When I look behind, I see a person. When I finally realized who that person was, I went into shock.

It wasn't Rei, Asuka, Shinji, or even Kaworu.

Standing a few feet behind me, is a tall woman wearing a long dress, spotted with hues of black, white and orange. She wears an equally colorful cloth wrapped around her hair. Lastly, was her cold, brown eyes that were so dark, they seemed like black pits.

It. . .was my mom.

What once was shock now morphs into cold hatred.

What is she doing here?!

I fully turn toward the woman, and feel my hands ball themselves into fists. I send a glare at her, yet all she does is stare at me with those cold eyes. A frown is permanently etched into her face as she radiates disgust directly toward me! She doesn't say a thing. Not. A Single. Word. All she does, all she ever does, is look down on me, as if I was nothing. As if I was this horrible creature!

This is her in all her "glory". All she ever does is cause me pain. No. . .I let her cause me pain. I let her hit me. I let her words infect me! I let her hurt Shane! ! ! I shouldn't have let her get away with any of that shit she did!

I should have ran from her. I should have stopped her. I should have hurt her!

I should have killed her!

But what did I do?

Nothing.

Silence and a few steps. That's the only thing separating me from her.

The silence builds up until it finally. . .breaks.

I ran toward the woman, and with all my strength, managed to tackle her to the ground! Hesitating only for a second, I wrap my hands around her neck, and start squeezing! I squeeze and squeeze, eventually getting the desired reaction from her.

Fear.

This is the first time in my entire life that I've ever seen fear in those black pits she calls eyes! She starts gasping for air, and kicking her feet! She attempted to pry my hands off her neck, but with strength I didn't know I even had, I kept my grip.

I started crying. Then. . .I started to smile. Eventually, laughter tore itself out of my throat.

"This is what you wanted, right?!" I scream at the woman. "You finally get to see the demon you call a son! Are you happy now?! ARE YOU FINALLY FUCKING HAPPY? ! ? !"

Her response was to wrap her hands around my neck, and squeeze. The vice grip she had almost immediately crushed my throat! I can feel my heartbeat behind my eyes as everything grows blurry. I can no longer breathe, and I can feel myself fading away. Yet despite that fact, I'm still smiling!

I'm gonna kill her. I'm gonna kill her right fucking now! I don't care what happens to me! All that matters is that she has to die! She has to die!

SHE HAS TO DI-

Someone pulls me off, stopping me and her from killing each other.

Still hot with rage, I turn to the person who stopped me! Before I could throw a punch, the person grabs my arm. I struggle for a moment before stopping, recognizing the person in front of me.

"Let it go," says my little brother, now standing in front of me. He lets go of my arm and lays a hand on my shoulder. "And let her go too."

My eyes widen, then I look behind me, seeing mom gradually getting to her feet. Bits of her body cracks and falls to the ground, as if made of glass. My fists tighten.

"I. . .I don't-"

"You're stronger than you know," Shane says, getting me to look back at him. "And you're stronger than her. You don't have to let her drag you down."

He grabs both of my shoulders and forces me to look him in the eyes. "Let her go."

I stare at him for a moment, shake my head, then let out a false laugh.

"Shit." I inhale deeply, then exhale through my nose. "I don't know if I can. After all this time. . .I still feel so-"

He laughs, catching me off guard.

"Aren't you tired of being angry all the time?"

My eyes widened at his response. I don't know what to say which causes him to laugh a bit more. He then tightens his grip on my shoulders, displaying a wide smile.

"It's just something to think about." He then lets go, standing to his full height. "Now get off your ass. You're supposed to be saving the world, right?"

Suddenly, as if being jolted awake, I find myself back inside my entry plug, unable to breathe!

Quickly gaining awareness of my situation, I see Unit-01 has its hands wrapped around my Eva's neck, causing me to choke. My Eva, in turn, has its hands wrapped around Unit-01's neck, squeezing with its entire being! Quickly looking around, I'm shocked to find that Shinji and I are above the clouds! Crimson energy surrounds both of our Evas, forming itself into a red sun which floats meters above us!

I have to stop it.

That's the only thought that rang through my head. Somehow, I knew the "red sun" floating above would explode. I don't even want to imagine what will happen if that's allowed to occur. But. . .how can I stop it?

Shinji wills his Eva to squeeze even harder, causing me to feel like my windpipe has been crushed! I can barely move a muscle. I don't think I have any strength left. I couldn't stop Shinji from killing me if I tried.

However. . .I think I can still do one more thing.

I will Unit-00 to let go of the offending Eva's neck. I then raise its right arm, and point it toward the sky. Sight becoming blurry, I will all of the energy in the surrounding area to come into me. The red sun starts to collapse into itself as I begin absorbing all of its energy into my right arm.

It burns! My arm burns! But despite the pain, I continue absorbing the energy until the red sun disappears. Both my Eva's right arm and my real arm are glowing a blazing crimson.

Unit-01 pauses for a moment, reason slowly returning to its berserker eyes. The look the offending Eva gave was one of confusion.

In return, I only smile.

Crimson light filled my vision as my arm shreds into nothing, creating a concentrated explosion!

Light is the only thing I can see as my thoughts fade away.

---

Where am I? It feels like I'm. . .floating? No. . . that doesn't seem like the right word. It's. . .like I'm weightless. Something's tickling my face and. . .I feel so warm. This. . .blanket of warmth encompasses my entire form, making it feel like I'm in a deep sleep.

Something happened before? I was doing something, and it was very important. What was it?

. . .

Am I dead?

My eyes feel heavy, and it takes more effort than needed to open them. The first thing I see is a blurry void. Eventually, the void morphed into a clear blue sky. I realized the thing tickling my face was tall grass. Sitting upright, I see hills upon hills of grassy fields stretching across the horizon. Sweet aromas tickle my nose as a gentle breeze dances past me. At a distance, I spot a wooden dock hanging over a bright, sparking blue lake.

I feel compelled to walk to the lake, so I get to my feet, and make the journey. Slowly approaching the dock, I notice a few things. One, there's a tree providing shade to the dock. And two, leaning against the tree, was an acoustic guitar.

Why would someone leave a guitar here?

Briefly ignoring the instrument, I walk onto the dock, then look at my reflection in the lake. I look. . .normal.

No scars or scabs, or eyes pooling out blood. I just look. . . completely fine.

Why is that odd? Did I expect something else to look back at me?

After staring at my reflection for a few more seconds, I look back at the tree with the guitar. Making up my mind, I walk to the tree, grab the instrument, then take a seat at the dock. Don't have a guitar pick, but I can still play pretty well without one.

One strum revealed the instrument was completely out of tune. Frowning, I spent the next minute adjusting the tuning pegs until the guitar sounded just right. My right hand hovers above the guitar strings, trying to conjure up a note. A feeling whispers in my ear and guides my hand, allowing me to strum out a tune as my left hand tickles the guitar's neck.

"I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel."

I continue singing as the guitar's notes come to life. I keep my eyes closed, remembering how that song in particular always stuck with me. Remembering how its sadness and feeling of loss was something I found refuge in. As I continue playing, a single tear rolls down my face. For some reason, I couldn't exactly tell why I was crying. Was it because of the song, or something else?

My strumming slows as I enter the second verse. I'm about to open my mouth to sing again, when the snapping of a twig causes me to stop.

Turning my head, I see a boy my age, hiding behind a tree, shyly staring at me.

Shinji?

. . .

Ahh. . .okay. It's all coming back to me now. Shinji and I had fought to the death just moments ago.

Does that mean. . .I really am dead?

Shinji continues staring at me, so I stare right back. This staring contest lasted a few more seconds before I hung my head, chuckling to myself. I then gesture for Shinji to come over to where I am. He shrinks back a bit, and it looks like he's shaking his head. I once again let out a chuckle, then once again insist he comes over here. He stands still for a moment, then slowly walks out of his hiding spot. He was very cautious when approaching me, every step was calculated, as if he was afraid he'd set off a landmine.

I guess the caution was warranted. We did try to kill each other moments ago.

When he's close, I pat the ground next to me. After a few moments of staring, he obliges and takes a seat next to me, though at arm's length. His legs loosely hang over the dock's edge as he plays with his fingers. He's looking at anything other than me, and it looks as if a breeze would be enough to knock him into the lake.

Without saying a word, I hand him the guitar, getting an amusing expression. He stares at the instrument, as if it was a foreign object, then looks back at me. I nod, urging him to take it. His eyes widen for a moment, then he lowers his head and starts playing with his fingers again.

"I. . .I don't know how to-"

"You'll learn," I responded. I practically toss the guitar at the guy, nearly causing him to fall into the lake. After taking a moment to make sure he was alright, I spoke again. "Just. . .play what feels right. We'll worry about chords later."

He once again stares at me, as if he was a lost puppy. Closing his eyes, then letting out a sigh, he lightly strums the guitar's strings, creating a barely audible, disjointed melody. He does this for about ten seconds, before becoming embarrassed. He tries to give me back the guitar, but I only laugh in response. It took a bit of prodding, but I was able to get the guy playing again.

We spent the next few minutes just sitting on the dock, taking turns messing around with the guitar. I taught Shinji a few chords I knew, then encouraged him to play whatever was on his mind. After all, that's how I learned how to play guitar. The more he played, the more confident became. You can practically see him beaming every time he managed to create a melody that was pleasing to the ear. In turn, that caused me to feel. . .content I guess. I don't know. . .I guess it's the right word.

. . .

I let out a sigh, shook my head, and revealed a smirk.

I guess I'm just happy that he's happy.

Shinji plays a bit more, and as he does, I once again scan the surrounding area. All I see is this lake, some trees, and hills upon hills of grass. Letting out a grunt, I get to my feet, getting Shinji's attention.

"Well, we spent enough time messing around." I look at Shinji then offer my hand. "Let's see where we are."

The guy looks at my hand, hesitates, then grabs onto the appendage. I pull him to his feet, then choose a random direction to walk in. We leave the guitar behind, then set off on a little adventure.

We must have been walking for about thirty minutes. During that entire time, we haven't said a word to one another. The reason I didn't say anything was because I was too busy trying to find any form of civilization. I'm willing to bet the reason Shinji isn't talking is because he's still cautious around me.

Some more time passes before the silence is broken.

"Don't you hate me?"

I stop walking and give Shinji my full attention. Shinji is rubbing his left arm and is looking at the ground. I think long and hard about what he had asked before giving an answer.

"No."

That caught him off guard.

"But. . .that doesn't make sense," he insists. "I. . .I tried to kill you not even an hour ago! I tried to kill everyone you were trying to protect! It was my fault that you're even stuck in this reality in the first place! ! ! How. . .How can you not. . ."

"I don't know," is my response, stopping him dead in his tracks. I frown, trying to conjure up a proper explanation. "I guess. . .I understand why you hated everyone, trust me. . .I felt that same kind of rage. You died, believing everyone had abandoned you. So yeah, I get it."

I put a hand on my hip and look in a random direction. "Despite all that, you're right, I should hate you. You threatened not only my life, but the lives of everyone I cared about. I should be at least a little upset with you. . .but I'm just not."

I chuckle, then smile at Shinji while shrugging. "I guess. . .I'm just tired of feeling angry."

Shinji is stumped. It's like his entire understanding of reality had been shattered. That look alone turned my small chuckle into full-blown laughter. The look on his fucking face was so fucking hilarious! I mean, I never saw anyone look like that!

His cheeks turn a bright red as he becomes heated.

"H-Hey! Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

"Yes it is," I insist. Oh God, my stomach hurts! "You should see the look on your face!"

"O-Oh yeah?!" Shinji meekly points his finger at me. "Well. . .at least I'm not shorter than my little brother!"

"You don't even have a little brother!"

"W-Well if I did, I definitely would be taller!"

"Well at least I don't have a bowl-cut!"

Shinji's eyes widened in horror. "I don't have a bowl-cut! ! !"

I laugh even harder at how offended Shinji sounded. Shinji seethes a bit, before eventually joining in on the laughter. We continue this laughing fit for a good minute before calming down. Wiping the tears away from my face, I take a look at the horizon and see a hill slightly larger than the ones in the surrounding area. But. . .that's not what catches my attention.

I squint my eyes. "Hey, you see that hill over there?"

Shinji raised an eyebrow, so I decided to point to the hill I was talking about. Looking in that direction, he squints his eyes as well.

"Do you see that too," I ask.

Shinji remains quiet for a moment, then his jaw drops a little. "I think. . .are there people on that hill?!"

With Shinji confirming my suspicions, I immediately ran toward that hill!

"H-Hey," I hear Shinji yell. "Wait up!"

I briefly look behind, and see Shinji struggling to keep up.

"Come on slowpoke!" I let out a short laugh.

I can practically feel Shinji rolling his eyes as he picks up the pace.

As we race toward our destination, I'm able to tell that there's at least three people on that hill. At this distance, I can't make out any faces, but one thing does stand out.

One of them has blue hair.

When we make it to the top of the hill, we both stop in our tracks when he witnesses the three new people. Standing in front of us was Rei and Kaworu, each wearing a school uniform. Then there's the third person, someone I'm unfamiliar with. She looks a lot like Rei, only she was an adult and a brunette. She wears a white lab coat, and underneath the lab coat was a pink blouse and a long bluish skirt.

Glancing at Shinji, I see he's frozen in. . .confusion? Disbelieve maybe?

He mouths a few unheard words before swallowing down whatever emotion he was feeling at the moment.

"Mother?"

Mother? I look back at the woman in question. It then clicked. She's Yui, Shinji's mom, aka, Unit-01!

I want to ask her a bunch of questions, but before I can do that, Shinji runs past me and towards Yui! He practically tackles her as he wraps his arms around the woman! Yui seemed shocked at first, doing nothing but stare at Shinji in disbelief for a few seconds. She then tentatively wrapped her arms around Shinji, gently stroking his hair.

"Yes," she finally replies. Shit, she even sounds like Rei. "I'm. . .happy to see you too."

A sad smile paints Yui's lips as her eyes start to water.

Yui takes in a shaky breath, probably attempting to keep the tears at bay. "Shinji. . .do you not hate me?"

Shinji's head snaps up to look at Yui. He's in complete shock.

"Of course I don't hate you!" Shinji shakes his head. "Why would I? How could I?!"

There was a long pause. Yui then looks in the direction of Kaworu and Rei, who were silent this entire exchange. Rei nods slowly, answering Yui's unasked question. In response, Yui sighs, briefly separates herself from Shinji, then kneels to his level. She grabs her son by the shoulders and stares into his eyes.

"I left you alone," Yui says. Shinji's about to protest, but she cuts him off. "No, it is the truth. I. . .allowed myself to be absorbed into Unit-01, allowed you to see it happened, and allowed you to become an Eva pilot."

She lowers her head. "At the time. . .I justified it, saying it was to 'create a better world for you'. That. . .I was somehow protecting you and humanity by putting you through all this pain. But I was wrong. In reality, my goals were mostly selfish."

"All I cared about was the Evangelion, and how it could be immortal proof of humanity's existence. It was my life's work, and I was proud to put everything on the line in order to see Evangelion reach its full potential." She chokes on her words. "But, when you were torn apart because of the Eva. . .all of that pride, all of that wonder, turned to horror. I tried to fix my mistake, doing whatever I could to put you back together, but you still died because of me! At that moment, I no longer cared about what happened to the world or to humanity. At that moment. . .I just wanted my son back. I could never forgive myself. . .which is why I shut myself away."

She once again looks Shinji in the eyes. "You. . .may have seen your father as a monster for abandoning you. But the truth is. . .I am no better."

The area once again returns to silence. I feel like I should say something, but this isn't about me. I shouldn't butt in. . .at least not yet.

"You're wrong."

Yui looks at Shinji, confused.

"Fath. . .Gendo. . . he was a coward." You can practically feel Shinji seething. "He couldn't bring himself to face me unless I was dead!" He calms down slowly, shoulder slumping. "Perhaps I should hate you. You said it yourself, you abandoned me for selfish reasons. But. . .I just can't bring myself to hate you. I think because, in the end, you were there for me. Even when I thought I would die alone, you were there, trying to put me back together. At this moment, the only thing I care about is that I can see you again."

He closes his eyes and once again hugs Yui, holding her tight. In response, tears roll down the woman's face, as she returns her son's embrace.

I feel a soft smile mold itself onto my lips at the sight. Despite everything those two went through, they still love each other. I'm still not entirely sure what Yui's goal was in the end, but I guess that's not important. At least, not now.

"It is time."

Looking to my left, I see it was Kaworu who spoke. He approaches both Shinji and his mother. Yui looks at Shinji, and reluctantly releases him. Shinji gradually gets to his feet and stares at Kaworu.

"W-What do you mean?"

Kaworu frowns, pity radiating from his form.

"I believe, you already know."

There was a pause, before Shinji's eyes widened. "B-But. . .I don't want to go! I never got to do anything in life! I don't want to die yet!"

He puts his hands over his eyes, his voice shaking. "Besides. . .if there really is an afterlife. . .then surely I'm going to hell. I. . .hurt so many people. I killed so many! How can. . .I . . ."

Without saying a word, I walk toward Shinji. I stared at him for a long moment, thought hard about what to do next. . .then flicked his forehead.

"Hey!" Shinji snaps, putting his hand on the stinging area.

"Enough of that," I state. "You're not going to hell."

He stares at me for a second. "You don't know that. I hurt people, you were there! I-"

I flick his forehead again, stopping him mid rant.

"You're not going to hell," I repeat. "I know from experience what being in an Eva does to people. Trust me. . .the afterlife will be kind to you."

I look deep into his eyes and reveal a smile. "As for you not getting to experience life. . . well, you're wrong about that too."

He's puzzled, which is understandable. I'm not entirely sure what I'm saying. It's as if. . .some deep instinct in me is guiding my words. That same instinct instructed me to take his hands, which I did, further confusing the boy. I then closed my eyes.

"Remember in fourth grade, when you went on a field trip to an observatory." I smile at the memory. "It was the only time you saw the night sky with so many stars. Heh, you were so excited to look at the surrounding telescopes outside, and you were so proud when you found the little star that was Mars."

My smile widens as the warmth in my chest spread through my entire form

"How about that time you befriended Rei, or those times Toji and Kensuke would always tease you whenever you hung out around her?"

I open my eyes and look to the sky. "Or that time you shared your first kiss with Asuka, and how it was so unbelievable and magical. . .it felt like a dream."

I can feel Shinji staring at me, so I return his glance.

"But. . .all of those things never happened to me," Shinji responds. He looks like he's gonna say more, but a surge of emotion runs through him. He's freezing up, as if struck by a bolt of lighting. Tears roll down his face as his knees become weak, causing me to catch him.

"What? What is happening to me?" The boy grabs his head. "Why am I seeing. . .?"

"All of that time, a part of you was connected to me, remember?" I remind the boy, gradually helping him to get to his feet. "All of my pain, suffering, and anger was shared with you. But, that also means all of my joy, love, and happiness was also shared with you too." I put a hand on his shoulder, feeling resolute in my conclusion.

"You were me, and I was you," I tell him. "That connection we shared, meant that whatever good was done to me, was also done to you. My life. . .was also your life. Understand?"

His jaw is hanging. "But. . .that's still your memories. None of those things actually happened to me. It isn't real."

I point to his chest. "Close your eyes, look really deep in your heart, and tell me that what you're feeling right now isn't real."

He blinks a few times, then closes his eyes. His expression is that of focus and conflict. A frown deeply carves into his face as his hand shakes a little. Eventually, his frown morphs into a slight smile as a soft laugh leaves his lips. He then pulls me into a hug, catching me off guard. I quickly get over myself, and decide to return the action.

"Thank you." He sounds like he's on the verge of tears. "I don't deserve this but. . .thank you anyway."

"Stop saying shit like that," I responded, feeling tears well up. "You deserve this. It's the least I could do."

We break from our embrace as Shinji glances at his mother. Yui grabs his hand, and both mother and child look at Kaworu.

"I. . .I think I'm ready," Shinji says.

All Kaworu does is nod, grabs Shinji's other hand, then leads the small group to an unknown destination. I see all three of them glow, radiant sparks of light emanating from their forms. It was at this moment, I'm reminded of something.

"Wait," I called out to Shinji. "You didn't tell me why you chose me?! Why out of everyone on my planet, did you choose me?!"

The boy in question gives me a look as he starts fading away. He shakes his head and smiles.

"I didn't choose you. No one did," is his response. "I just wanted someone to help me, and then you came."

A pause.

"It was. . .nice meeting you Michael." Joy covers his entire features. "I. . .hope we can see each other again."

After those words left his lips, he disappeared, along with Kaworu and Yui. The only thing left of their presence was the fading sparks of light. This left Rei and I alone on this hill. I take a moment to think about what Shinji said, shake my head, and smile. I then look at Rei, and she's smiling as well.

"So. . .what happens now," I ask.

"Now. . .we part ways," she responds.

I nod, look at the ground for a moment, then let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Will I see you again?"

She frowns then goes silent for a few seconds. "I do not know."

I frown, grunt, then shrug. "Well. . .it was good seeing you again. I mean it."

Her smile returns.

I reach around my neck, and take off the cross I'm always wearing. I hold the object, and stare at it for a long while. It's then I realize that there's a cross shaped burn in my left palm. Wonder why I didn't notice this before?

"Before whatever happens. . .happens," I place the cross necklace around Rei's neck. "I want you to hold onto this. I. . .don't think I'll be needing it anymore."

She stares at the cross shaped object, knowing how important it is to me. "You're always giving me things."

I snort out a laugh. "Yeah. Call it a force of habit." I then look Rei in the eyes. "And. . .I don't know if you can do this. But. . .if you can, please watch over Shane. It might be a long time before I get to see him again."

She nods slowly. "I will see what I can do." She once again pauses. "You believe you will see him again?"

A big grin paints my face. "Of course. One day, I'll see him again and tell him about all of my time here. And I'll do it without hurting anyone else."

She blinks a few times, then shakes her head, obviously amused. "Of course."

Slowly, she grabs my head and places it against her forehead. I feel a. . .spark light up within me. It's warm, and it's causing my eyes to grow heavy.

"I will miss you," she whispers.

My eyes close, and I feel myself smile. "I'll miss you too."

Even though my eyes are closed, I know Rei is crying. I can feel her sadness flowing into me, and it makes me want to say something. But, she beats me to the punch.

"Before you go, you must know one thing," she says. I can feel her struggling to get the words out. A few seconds stretch for eternity as silence settles around Rei and I. She allows a slight hum to exit her lips, as she finally is able to express what's on her mind. "I. . .have always loved you."

My jaw drops. I grow silent, then I laugh.

"You picked a hell of a time to tell me," I responded.

She giggles. "It's just something I thought you should know."

I feel myself growing sleepy, and I can feel all the strength leaving my body. It's like I'm fading away, yet for some reason, I'm not scared.

"Goodbye, Rei."

A pause.

"Goodbye. . .Michael."

---

Sirens.

That's the first thing my conscious mind picks up. The crackling and snapping of what could only be flames is the second thing my slowly awakening mind notices. As usual in these situations, opening my eyes is a struggle. Eventually relenting to my demands, my eyes open, revealing a world on fire. The sky is blood red and bits and pieces of machinery are melting under the surrounding flames. I think some pieces of metal are falling from the sky, but I'm too tired to avoid them. Luckily, the falling metal fell harmlessly around me. The sirens continue to echo across the horizon as I spot a few lights in the sky.

Curiously, I nod my head to the right, only to see that my right arm was gone. The only thing left was a mangled, bloody stump where my forearm would be. When did that happen?

Huh. . .guess I am in hell.

. . .

Guess it doesn't matter. As long as everyone else is safe, I'm okay with this.

I close my eyes again, trying to get some rest in hell. That's when a voice calls out to me. It's harsh, yet at the same time. . .soothing. I wouldn't call it angelic but. . .I did like the sound of this person's voice. It was nice.

Am I really in hell? Can soothing sounds exist in such a place? Heh, is there fire in heaven?

The crunching of dirt causes me to open my eyes again. A face is looking back at me. Asuka's face.

She's. . .alive. Thank goodness. I was afraid she was. . .

"Are you okay," asks the redhead.

Everything feels dream-like, yet I went along with it. I answer her question by slowly nodding.

"Good."

She slowly gets me into a sitting position, and I can't help but notice how blue her eyes are. Were they always that blue?

She then proceeds to slap me, instantly waking me up!

"Fuck!" I attempt to grab the stinging area with my right hand, only to remind myself that the specific limb was gone. Instead of focusing on that fact, I give Asuka my full attention. "What the hell was that for?!"

My rage tempers when I see tears rolling down her face. "Don't you ever do that again! Don't you ever think you can throw your life away!"

I'm utterly perplexed. I then take a good look at Asuka, and realize how bad of a shape she's in. Her plugsuit was ripped, her head was bleeding and. . .her left leg! It's gone! There's a makeshift tourniquet wrapped around the stump, preventing her from bleeding out!

"A-Asuka," I start, horror mixed into my voice. "Your leg-"

"Don't change the subject!" She screams at me. "What the hell were you thinking?! You're not allowed to throw your life away! Just. . ."

She loses all strength in her voice, as she lays her head in on my chest. "Never think your life is meaningless. You don't have the right to just toss it aside like it's nothing."

I stare at her in a mix of awe and confusion. She's missing her leg, so she must have crawled all the way from Unit-02 to. . .wherever I am now. She doesn't even care that her leg's missing! All that she cares about is. . .that I'm safe.

"Why," I asked her. She gives me a look, tears still staining her face. "Why do you care so much? What exactly do you like about me?"

Her worry quickly turns to annoyance as she rolls her eyes. "We already went over this, idiot. Why do you have to overthink things?"

Her expression softens as a smile paints her lips. She gently grabs my face as stares into my eyes.

"If you want me to be specific, then I'll say this." She lets out a silent laugh. "You're kind, you're brave, and you're strong. You're also painfully stubborn, a smart ass, and a massive jerk! But, that's also what I like about you."

Her eyes close. "You helped me feel a little less lonely in this world, and you're someone I can truly feel connected with." She opens her eyes. "I just like you. . .do you need any other reason?"

She still sees how perplexed I am so she lets out a huff of frustration. She then wipes that look off my face by pulling me into a deep kiss. It lasted what felt like forever, before we separated. "Is that a good enough reason?"

I look at her for a long time before snorting out a laugh.

"Yeah, sure whatever. Just stop being so sappy."

She playfully hits me on the chest, as she giggles. "You're such a jerk."

I bring my forehead towards hers, and reveal a soft smile. "I know."

We separate briefly and look at our surroundings. As I originally suspected, we're surrounded by a broken battlefield completely on fire. I can see parts of my Eva, such as the armor and pieces of the entry plug, but nothing else. As it turns out, those lights I saw earlier were probably helicopters. That's probably where the sirens are coming from. Using my only hand left, I grab my chest, only to realize my cross is missing. Noticing the palm of my hand, I see it still has a cross seared into the flesh. I stare at the wound for a long time, before Asuka draws my attention to the sky.

It's snowing.

Heh, this is the first time I've ever seen snow in person. Closing my eyes again, I can feel everything around me. I don't know how to describe it, but it feels like everything's finally at peace. I can feel everyone that I care about is fine, I don't need to worry anymore. A great sense of relief washes over me, as I finally look inward.

I think. . .I finally get it. I finally get what everyone was trying to tell me. For such a long time, I've always believed I was undeserving of. . .anything really. Whenever I looked in the mirror. . .the only thing I saw looking back. . .was a failure. A mistake. A devil! I hated that. I hated that I felt like shit all the time. I hated that I felt trapped all the time, yet, I didn't once try to reach out to someone. I thought I was being strong, when really, all I was doing was bottling up the hate. All of that bottled emotion only ended up hurting me, and hurting the people I cared about. It caused me to be cruel, and to lash out. Yet despite me lashing out, despite making the same mistakes over and over again, people still tried to help me. They still tried to show that they cared.

Why?

It never made sense. They took me in, despite my flaws, and tried to befriend me. It wasn't fake, or some "pity party" they were throwing me. There were people both in this world and the other, that genuinely cared about me. . .even though I was a terrible person. Now, I finally see the "reason" why people seem to go out of their way to be around someone like me. The "reason" is. . .because they can.

That's it.

No alternative motives, no manipulation. They just saw someone who was hurting, and decided to help him, even though it made no logical sense. Caring about someone doesn't need to make sense or needs to be rational. . .it just. . .happens. The only reason why I didn't accept this sooner, was because my self hatred made me feel undeserving of any love thrown my way.

It's. . .hard to say. Hell, it sounds kind of stupid, but I'll say it anyway.

I am. . .not a monster. I am not a devil. I am not a demon. And I am certainly not a failure!

I. . .do deserve to be happy. I am worth people's time. . .even though I don't completely believe that. Still, if I ever feel like giving up, if I ever feel that life is too much to bear, I will always have people who love me. People who will stand by my side. Who will keep pushing me forward. Who will remind me, that I am deserving of love.

All I have to do. . .is not close myself off.

For the first time, in such a long time, my eyes are open.

. . .

For the first time, in such a long time. . .I'm awake.

---

Author's Notes: Hey everyone. Long time no see. This chapter took such a long time to make for multiple reasons. I was getting a new job and was looking for a new apartment, so that made everything hectic. Not to mention, I was having a difficult time writing this chapter. I kept rewriting, erasing, and putting it off due to how nervous I was to release this thing. Eventually, when I found the time, I grit my teeth and finally got back to work. In the end, I created something I was happy with. Hope you guys are happy with it as well.

Chapter 27 Hint: The name of this band was already used in one of the previous chapters; think of a primary color. The name of the song is partially written in this chapter's title.

Thank you everyone for sticking with this story after all these years. I really appreciate it. As for now, see you all later.

. . .

Well. . . there is one more thing. . .