Chapter 26: Give Me Wings. Just This Once

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.

Shit. Shit! SHIT!

I need to get somewhere safe! I need to get to Unit-01!

Explosions burst across the horizon as fire and rubble falls from the sky! Smoke is everywhere, obscuring most of my vision and making it difficult to breathe. Despite my limited vision and burning lungs, I keep running through the Geofront's forests, doing my best to avoid anyone with a gun!

I've been running and hiding for ten minutes! During that time, I saw military vehicles of all kinds burst into the Geofront and start firing wildly, focusing most of their firepower at the pyramid-like structure that is Nerv HQ. Unfortunately, the place that's currently being fired upon is where I need to go. Not only do I need to get there, I need to get there without being seen. During my time running around, I've seen more and more unfriendly looking foot soldiers combing through the Geofront's forests. Obviously, they're looking for something to shoot at.

Shit! I picked a real shitty time to go exploring the Geofront! I should've stayed inside HQ!

Through the sea of sound around me, I manage to hear footsteps bubbling to the surface. I stop running and hide behind the nearest bush. I look around my environment and see nothing but smoke and burning trees. A minute passed, and I think the coast was clear. That thought immediately went up in flames when I saw two men walking out of the smoke and into my view.

They're both wearing black combat armor. Their helmets obscure the top part of their faces, making the two men look very similar. What made my heart skip a beat was the two rifles the men were carrying.

"Can't believe they sent us to kill a bunch of kids," says one of the riflemen. His head was on a swivel, constantly looking for anything that could be perceived as a threat.

"Don't think of them as kids," says the other rifleman. Judging from the sound of his voice and his build, he seems a bit older than his partner. "They're weapons, the world-ending kind. We need to put them down because if we don't, we're all in trouble."

That doesn't sound good.

Nerv HQ is still two miles away, so how can I get there without being seen? Even if I can sneak past these two soldiers, I have no doubt that there are hundreds of men just like them surrounding HQ. I can't run out of the Geofront either; they most likely have men stationed at all the exits. Besides, inside Nerv HQ is my only form of escape from this world, and if I don't get to it then-

I grab the cross hanging around my neck, and realize how sweaty my hands became. I take a deep breath and let out a silent exhale.

Let's focus on one thing at a time. First, let's get around the two riflemen.

Still crouched behind a bush, I take a tentative step back. I make no sound, and it seems like the two men didn't notice my movement. I take a few more steps back, and it seems safe to run.

A branch cracks under my foot.

Immediately, the two soldiers turned in my direction and sprayed bullets!

Letting out a curse, I bolt to the nearest tree for cover! When they're done shooting, I once again start running!

Barely a second passed as I felt a bullet whiz past my head, then another! I nearly pissed myself every time I heard the sharp crack of a gunshot, or felt something brush past my body! I still can't believe that they just shot at me without looking! It's like they weren't even worried about possibly hitting their own people!

"It's one of the kids," says the younger soldier. "Keep shooting!"

My breath becomes fire as I weave myself between the burning trees and branches. I don't stick too close to the main path, knowing that will be the first place they'll look. But no matter how fast I run, I can't lose them! Their hurried footsteps followed by occasional gunfire alerts me that they're never too far from where I am. The only positive I could think of is that they're being conservative with their ammo. They'll shoot if I'm in their direct line of sight, so all I have to do is keep zig zagging through the forest.

Think! What can I do to lose them?

I think there's a small creek up ahead. My advantage over my pursuers is that I'm not wearing heavy equipment. The slick rocks and mud near the creek will make it difficult for those guys to run through. If I can get across the creek and hide deeper in the forest, I should be able to get those men off my ta-

I heard a thump to my right and before I realized what was happening, the area around me exploded! I went flying a few feet and when I landed, everything went black.

When I woke up, the first thing I felt was pain. Something was stuck in my left thigh, and my head feels like it's split open. The second thing I felt was fear when I saw the barrels of two guns pointing at me. I grabbed the cross hanging around my neck as I realized that this was it. I don't think I'm getting out of this.

"Wait," said the older man. "Isn't that the Four-"

A bullet went through his head, causing the man to collapse.

The second soldier's eyes widen as he freezes at the sight of his partner's corpse. Before he could retaliate, several shots pierced the man's body, causing him to drop his weapon and fall to the ground.

The man is still alive. He lets out these horrific sounds while desperately clinging to life. Slowly, but surely, crimson liquid exits the man's bullet wounds. I can tell the guy wants to move, but the pain was probably too much for him. That, or he was too weak.

I couldn't look away. For some reason, I couldn't stop looking at this man who was slowly dying. And the weird part was. . .I felt nothing.

The mysterious shooter walks up to the dying man, and blows his brains out. That knocked me out of my trance as my fear returned.

Slowly looking at my "savior", my fears dampened as I saw a woman wearing a Nerv uniform. Her left hand rests on her hip, and in her right hand was a pistol of some kind. Her skin was dark and her eyes were a cool green. Her black hair is wrapped into a ponytail, and two locks of hair hang in front of her face. Despite having killed two people, she has a cold calmness in her demeanor. As if she had just crushed an ant.

"I apologize for not getting here sooner," says the woman as she puts her pistol in her holster. She kneels to my level then looks at my thigh. It's only then do I realize that my left thigh is bleeding.

"Doesn't look too bad," she says while pulling out some bandages and alcohol out of a small med kit. "This will sting a little."

"Wait! Who are y-"

I'm cut off as she pours the alcohol on my wound, causing me to hold back a curse and a scream. Shit, I thought she said my wound wasn't that bad. Why is it stinging so much?

"My name is Sumire Nagara," says the woman while wrapping bandages around my thigh. After making sure the bandages were tight, she pulled me to my feet. "We need to go, now."

She grabs my right arm and practically drags me with her without another word.

I guess this is now happening.

Me and this mysterious woman spent the next thirty minutes in silence while walking through the forest. Despite my curiosity, and slight suspicion regarding "Sumire", I had to keep my questions to myself for now. If either of us make too much noise, the soldiers currently invading Nerv will track us down. And considering that they have orders to kill Eva pilots on sight, it's best we don't draw too much attention.

Really, I don't have a solid reason to be completely suspicious around this woman. I mean, she did save my life. She's also a Nerv employee, so she obviously doesn't want me dead. Well. . .at least that's the idea.

A few more minutes pass and she orders me to stop. I do as I'm told, while making sure I'm well hidden. In front of us is an open area surrounded by bushes and rocks. A perfect place for an ambush if we weren't careful, which explained why we stopped.

With this in mind, Sumire takes her pistol out of the holster, goes low, and sprints toward the open area, taking cover behind trees and rocks. She checks the area for around three minutes before motioning me to come over. I walk toward the woman as silently as possible and when I get to her, I see her digging, moving away any dirt or brush in her way.

Another minute passed, and I got to see what was underneath all that dirt. There was a circular metallic structure with some kind of scanner attached to it. It looked like a manhole cover from the future.

"There it is," says Sumire. She places her hand on the scanner and the manhole opens, revealing a ladder leading down a metal shaft. The woman then looks at me. "It will be quite a walk, but this will get us inside without being seen. If we're lucky, we won't encounter resistance."

Her eyes narrow. "However, if we are to get through this, you need to do exactly what I say without question. Stay close, and stay behind me. Understand?"

I nod.

"Good." She exhales. "Let's go."

She climbs down the metal shaft, and I soon follow her. When we reach the bottom, the stench of rotting algae immediately hits me. I covered my nose, just now realizing that we were inside a dark tunnel, filled with ankle deep green water. Upon this realization, I see Sumire press a button on a wall, closing our entrance/possible escape. Gun still in hand, she stares down the darkness in front of us, and gestures for me to follow her. Once again scanning the area, I sigh, and quickly follow the woman.

I'm not exactly sure how long we've been down here. The smell of this place is making me a bit light headed, so I can't exactly keep track of time. All I know is that we've been walking for a while. I still didn't say a word to the woman leading the way. I guess I'm still scared that some random soldier will hear me and gun me down.

This sucks. I've fought monsters so powerful that they could destroy a city, yet a bunch of humans with guns are the things that scare me the most.

. . .

Anyway, traveling through this tunnel. . .is bringing up some old memories. It's like the time Asuka, Rei and I had to get into the Geofront when the place ran out of power. For some reason, that memory brought a smile to my face. Asuka was a real asshole back then, but I was no better, I was always antagonizing the girl. Rei really surprised me when she stood up for herself, and the Angel at that time was pretty weak in hindsight. To be completely honest, that whole event was boring at best, and extremely frustrating at worst. Yet, despite that experience traveling with Asuka and Rei. . .the memory still makes me smile. I don't understand why. I guess, despite the awkwardness, despite how rude we were toward each other, those experiences made us closer. And, eventually, we began to even care for each other.

. . .

Too bad that didn't last.

"So," I finally started speaking. "Do you know what happened to Rei and Asuka?"

Sumire lets out a hum, keeping focused on what was ahead of us. "We don't know where Rei is, though it's assumed she's with the Commander. As for Asuka, she was put into Unit-02, which is the safest place for her to be right now."

Hmm, some of the memories of what's gonna happen are returning to me. Gendo does something to Rei, causing her to become a giant. . .and Asuka dies.

I frown then decide to do a follow up question. "How did you get to me so fast? I was deep in the forest by the time Nerv got attacked."

"I was following you," she simply states.

I stop walking, causing Sumire to stop mid stride, and glance at me. In turn, I gave her a look that clearly said I was suspicious.

"Explain."

She pauses, sighs, then fully turns to me.

"I was assigned to you by order of Major Katsuragi," Sumire explains. "She was worried that you might run off again, so she had me watch over you."

I become annoyed.

"So you were sent to spy on me?" I want to yell, but I manage to keep control over my tone. "Just how long has this been going on?!"

Sumire walks to me then gets to eye level. "We don't have time for this."

I look around. "I don't see anyone coming for us, and I know you can spare a minute to explain shit."

She pauses, then shakes her head. "She told me you were stubborn." She gets to her full height and turns her back toward me. "We'll talk and walk."

We both start walking and I eagerly wait for Sumire to explain herself.

"I was not spying on you," she starts. "I was assigned to be your guardian in case something were to happen to the Major."

I raise an eyebrow. "Like. . .if she were to die?"

"That's one of the conditions," she explains. "You see. . .the Major informed me how unhappy you were with your current living conditions. So, she decided that once you become a civilian, that I will become your new guardian. When it reported how often you disappeared, the Major had me tail you occasionally to make sure you were unharmed."

She grunts as if disappointed in something. "I would have gotten to you sooner had Seele not got in my way. I was nearly killed by one of their soldiers when the first wave hit."

Seele. I nearly forgot that was the name of the group that's attacking Nerv.

I frown. "So, how long have you been tailing me?"

"About a week."

"And you're okay with this," I ask in an almost accusing manner. "You're okay with Misato just dumping some kid onto you?"

"She's the Major," Sumire says plainly. "If she needs me to do something, then I'll do it without question."

I scoff. "Of course. Guess you're nothing more than a brainless soldier."

"Engineer actually," she responds without missing a beat. "Nearly everyone who works at Nerv has basic combat training. But that doesn't make me a soldier."

The woman stops in her tracks as we come across a ladder leading up to a closed manhole. "Now, are you done being difficult?"

I reveal a scowl, but nod regardless.

"Good," she grabs onto the ladder's rung. "We're about to head up to one of the halls. After that, it's an hour walk and an elevator ride toward Unit-01. We might encounter the enemy, so be on your guard."

Without another word, she begins climbing the ladder, and I shortly follow.

When we climbed out of the manhole, Sumire immediately became on edge. Quickly scanning the environment made me realize why.

The entire area was torn apart. Smoke was billowing from the damaged walls and ceiling. The floor was torn up, with pipes and other pieces of metal sticking out of it. But what drew most of my attention was the bodies splayed across the hallway's floor. A familiar metallic stench tickles my nose as I bear witness to caked blood splattered across the floor and walls.

I take a step back as another horrible stench fills my nose. Some of the bodies have been burnt.

A million thoughts rang through my head as I started breathing faster. My hands shake a little and my eyes can't focus on anything. I don't understand why Seele is killing everyone. It doesn't make any sense! What's the point of all-

I grab my cross, breathe in slowly, then breathe out.

It doesn't matter. They were gonna die one way or another. So it's pointless to freak out about this.

Now calm, I walk to one of the bodies and start picking their pockets.

"What are you doing," I hear Sumire ask. Looking at her, I see she's only briefly inspecting the bodies. Judging from her stance, she's ready to get into a fire fight at any moment.

"Looking for something useful," I respond, continuing to search the body. The only thing I found on the former person was some keycards and a wallet. No weapons.

Shit. Nerv is definitely on lockdown, so these keycards are essentially useless.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

I sigh. "Well obviously the enemy came through here. They'll most likely want to capture the Command Center, so we can assume that they won't back track here unless they feel like they need to."

"So you thought this out," she asks in what may be an impressed tone. It's difficult to tell. Her cadence has an indifferent air around it. "Thought you might have lost your head."

I roll my eyes while getting to my feet. "Not the first time I saw a dead body."

"Noted," she nods, then looks at the end of the hall. "This way."

"Wait," I speak up. "Shouldn't we. . .I don't know, take our time. We could run into an ambush."

"The safest place for you to be is in an Eva," she reasons while checking her pistol's ammo. "The more time we spend wandering Nerv, the higher the chances of you getting captured or killed."

I shake my head and sigh. I know she's right. I'm letting my nerves get the better of me.

Before either of us could say or do anything, we both heard footsteps followed by yelling. Quickly deducing where the sound was coming from, Sumire grabs me and runs the opposite direction, quickly finding a hiding spot. We hid at the opposite end of the hallway, next to some rubble and a slightly ajar door leading into a broom closet. Less than half a second later, we see soldiers in black uniforms, ordering a bunch of Nerv employees to get on their knees.

"This isn't good." Sumire makes sure that her body was in front of mine. "They're going to execute them."

Sumire points her gun at the enemies, just in case things get messy for us.

There are about five Seele soldiers, and seven hostages. One of the soldiers, who is currently holding a pistol, calmly walks to one of the hostages.

"Sorry about this." The man with the pistol takes off his face covering, allowing the hostages to get a good look at him. "But, we're under orders to kill everyone in this base. No hard feelings, right?"

The only response he got from the hostages was shaking, praying, or crying.

"However," continued the soldier, obviously the leader of his group. "We're also under orders to find the Evangelions based here, as well as their pilots. So if any of you know where either the Evangelions or the children are, please speak up! That information might save your life."

One of the Nerv employees, a woman, tentatively spoke up.

"P-Please," starts the woman. "Don't hurt us. We're just analysts and engineers! We don't know anything about the pi-"

A loud bang rings across the metal hallway. The woman, who was speaking just a second ago has now collapsed. A bullet was put through her head.

He. . .killed her. That. . .that bastard killed her!

I feel a hand tighten around my left arm. Looking to my left, I see Sumire giving me a stern look.

"Don't."

I stare at her for a moment, and manage to calm down.

"Shall we try this again," continued the murderer. "Where are the Evas and their pilots?"

What followed was a series of begging and pleading followed by three more shots. I close my eyes and cover my ears, not wanting to witness this carnage. I don't know why they're doing this. They must know that Nerv wouldn't freely give information to any of their employees. Stop toying with them already!

"What about you doc," the murderer once again speaks up. "You spoke to the Fourth Child hours before we got here. Surely, you must know where he is?"

Doc? What is he-

I finally opened my eyes, and what I saw both shocked and horrified me. It was that doctor who spoke to me just hours before all this happened.

Dr. Haruna. What the hell is he doing here? Why is he still here?!

"Listen to me," the man managed to say calmly. "I'm just a psychologist hired to look over the mental health of the pilots. That is it. I'm not privileged to be given information about the pilots' whereabouts. That's not how this works."

The doctor looks his captor in the eyes while gesturing to what remains of the hostages. "You don't have to kill them. They are no threat to you. We are no threat to you. So-"

A shot rang out, and for a second, I thought Haruna was killed. Haruna's screams signaled that he was very much alive.

"Hmm, guess I missed," the gunman says casually. He kneels to Haruna's level, who's currently clutching his thigh. "You're bleeding out. In a few minutes, you'll be unconscious, and after that you'll be dead. Now, I can provide a tourniquet, but only if you or your friends make my job easier." The gunman gets to his feet and gestures to the rest of the hostages. "So, is anyone willing to give me what I want? The quicker you say something I like, the quicker this will all be over, and the quicker we can all go home. So, how about it?"

The soldier starts waving his pistol around, scaring the remaining hostages. Meanwhile, I couldn't take my eyes off of Dr. Haruna. I just spoke to this guy a few hours ago, and now he's currently dying from blood loss. It doesn't even feel real!

The doctor raises his eyes, and they widen. Shit! He sees me!

"Well doc," the mad gunman starts, returning his attention back to Haruna. "Does anything ring a bell?"

Haruna looks up at the gunman, then glances at me for a split second. He stays silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"I. . .already told you. I'm not an employee. . .so I'm not privileged to have such information."

The gunman pauses, glances at where Sumire and I were hiding, before returning his gaze back to Haruna.

"What are you looking at," asks the gunman.

The doctor groans, as if annoyed. "What are you talking about?"

"Hmm," grunts the gunman. He looks at his soldiers then points in the direction Sumire and I are hiding. "Go check that area. Kill anything there."

The soldiers nod, raise their rifles, then slowly approach our hiding spot. As this happens, Sumire grabs me, and prepares to fire at the approaching gunmen. That's when the alarms went off.

"Commencing Bakelite release in section 703," says a voice echoing across the halls. "Thirty seconds until completion."

One of the soldiers looked up, visibly concerned. "We need to go."

Sumire took that opportunity to pop out of her hiding spot and unload her pistol on all the soldiers in front of us! Some of her shots managed to kill or wound a few soldiers. The rest of the soldiers either hid behind cover or returned fire. Just as quickly as she had popped out, Sumire grabs me, dragging me out of my hiding spot, and starts running!

As soon as we ran, I saw something concerning. Red liquid began pouring from the ceiling!

"Don't let it touch you!" yells Sumire while firing at the soldiers behind us.

We quickly find some stairs and head to higher ground on a catwalk. That's where we see three more soldiers.

"She's got the Fourth," said one of the soldiers. I was afraid they would start firing, but for some reason, they didn't do so immediately.

Sumire took advantage of their hesitation and pushed me out of the way so I wouldn't be in combat. She then got real close to two of the soldiers! She shot one man in the leg, then pulled a knife out of her pocket to stab the other soldier in the neck. The third soldier started shooting, but Sumire managed to use the soldier with a gunshot wound as a shield!

With impressive agility, Sumire bum-rushed the last soldier and attempted to wrestle the rifle out of his hands. But the guy was larger than Sumire, and had the strength advantage. The soldier attempted to choke Sumire, so almost on instinct, I got out of cover and rushed the man. I kicked the guy in the crotch as hard as I could, taking satisfaction in how the man almost immediately collapsed.

Sumire then got the rifle out of the guy's hands, and knocked him silly with it. Causing the man to fall off the catwalk, into the slowly rising red liquid.

Sumire grabbed me again. "Higher ground! Now!"

For a second, concern wormed into my heart. For some reason, I was thinking of Dr. Haruna. "But, we need to go back and he-"

"They're already dead!"

Without any further convincing, I begin running. Sumire stays behind for a second, spraying bullets with her new rifle at any soldier who dared to follow us.

The both of us continue running as the red liquid pours from every hole in the hallways. We continue climbing higher and higher until we reach another catwalk. We then wait for around two minutes, and the red liquid finally stops pouring. We wait a few more minutes and watch as the liquid hardens until it becomes something resembling concrete.

Now I know why Sumire didn't want me to touch the stuff.

Sumire had us wait a few more minutes, just to make sure the coast was clear before we began moving. She was a bit annoyed that all this had happened. The original path she planned on taking was most likely blocked by this "Bakelite" stuff, so we most likely have to take the long way around. The only good thing that came out of this was that the Bakelite most likely saved our lives.

Moments after we began our journey, I couldn't help but think of those hostages we left behind. They were most likely killed by the soldiers. If not, then they probably drowned in the Bakelite. That. . .didn't sit right with me.

"There's nothing you could've done to save them."

My eyes widen as I look at the woman who spoke.

Sumire doesn't turn to look at me, she just continues to walk forward.

"We were put in a no win scenario," she continues. "We either had to save ourselves, or die trying to save them. Despite how cold or selfish this may seem, you are the most important thing at the moment. The only way either of us can make their deaths mean something is to get you into Unit-01. So. . .don't be too hard on yourself."

I look at the woman, then the ground. Images of blood, dead bodies, and burnt flesh bounces across my skull. I can't stop thinking about how scared those Nerv employees were before they got shot.

The fear disappeared. Quickly replaced with anger.

"Shut up," I tell her. "Don't pretend you know what I'm thinking."

Sumire glances at me. "Oh? Well, I apologize for putting words in your mouth. Mind telling me what's on your mind?"

Images of Dr. Haruna getting shot popped into my head. Him being in pain, then looking right at me when that murderer asked him a question, fills me with even more rage!

"I was thinking. . .that they deserved to die."

That stops Sumire in her tracks. She turns and looks directly in my eyes. Instead of anger or disgust, she has an analytical look in her eyes.

"What makes you say that?"

I scowl. "If they really wanted to live, then they should have fought back, or better yet, tell them where I was."

"It was impossible for them to fight back," Sumire states plainly. "And there was no possible way for them to know your location. The Major and Commander made sure of-"

"He looked right at me!" I say in a barely contained yell. "He looked right into my eyes and pretended he knew nothing!"

I start to deflate. "If he had just told the truth. He could have saved both his life, and everyone else's. But no, he had to act like some kind of 'hero', so now he's probably buried underneath all this red crap, suffocating to death!"

Why do I bother caring?! All they do is choose death! It's their fault that they're all gonna die! It's their fault that I have to kill them!

"I see."

Is that all she has to say?!

"That's it," I ask.

"That's right," she responds. "I got to see first hand how you deal with things."

I bare my teeth. "What do you mean by that?"

She shrugs, something I didn't expect to see from someone like her. "You think it's better to feel anger than guilt. You think it's easier to be hated than loved."

"What are you talking about?"

"You hate feeling powerless," she continues. "You feel guilt about those hostages' deaths, but that guilt makes you feel weak, which you hate. So you lash out, replacing that weakness with anger. Though, something tells me you already know this, yet you lash out anyway because you want people to see this side of you. You want people to hate you."

I pause for a moment then let out a scoff. "And why exactly do I want that?"

"Because you feel like you deserve to be hated."

I'm astonished for what feels like an eternity. That. . .that's exactly what Haruna told me before he. . .he. . .

I look away from Sumire, as if ashamed.

"You get enraged, feel guilty about that rage, then become enraged about that guilt." Sumire doesn't relent. She's not stopping until she drills her point into my head. Whatever point that was supposed to be. "It's an endless cycle that you put yourself in. I don't know if it has something to do with your upbringing, or if this habit was created when you became a pilot. But sooner or later, you need to decide when you have had enough."

She walks to me then puts a hand on my shoulder. I look up, and see the woman still has that neutral expression. Though, she has a warm aura around her, something she didn't have up until this point.

"No one else can end this hate inside you," she continues. "The only one who can end this cycle, is you. Understand?"

I stare at her for a long time, then nod.

"Good," she turns around and starts walking. "And just so you know, it didn't matter what those hostages said to those soldiers. They were dead either way."

She continues to walk away, and I take a minute to process what she said.

After standing still for a minute, I quickly follow after the woman. Not a second passes before a question pops into my head.

"Why did Misato choose you to be my guardian?"

"I don't know, you'll have to ask her yourself," she responds. "However, I like to think it's because she trusts me. Considering that she's very protective of you, I should consider that an honor."

I don't say anything in response to that. I just continue following the woman.

Thirty minutes have passed and nothing of note has happened. We didn't run into soldiers, or come across dead bodies; all we came across was the occasional rubble blocking our path. Gunshots, explosions, and the occasional screams bounce off the metal walls in the surrounding area, but those sounds are nowhere close to where we are.

I let out a sigh and attempt to not think about anything other than Unit-01. I attempt to think about finally escaping this hell and returning home. It's the only thing that keeps me from dwelling on the shit that's happening around me.

Sumire and I walk across a metal bridge, seemingly hovering over a black pit. Every now and then, something would fall from one of the upper floors and into that pit. I keep focused on the bridge, trying not to think too hard about how we're wide open for attack. We're surrounded by openings, where it would be easy for someone to take a shot at us. Yet, for some reason, Sumire wasn't worried.

How is she so calm? She said she's just an engineer, yet she isn't the least bit fazed by everything that's going on. Why is that?

I really should stop thinking about her. All she is to me is someone who can get me to my Eva, nothing more than that. It's. . .pointless trying to understand this woman. Doing so would get me attached, and getting attached will make doing what needs to be done. . .difficult.

. . .

Still. . .

"I still don't get why Misato chose you to be my guardian," I start, feigning disinterest. "You don't look like you'd be good with kids."

"Is that an insult or a conversion starter," she asks, taking a glance at me.

I shrug. "Does it matter?"

"Probably not." She returns to looking ahead, seemingly done with the conversation. We continued walking, staying silent for a few seconds before that silence was broken.

"To answer your question, I have zero experience taking care of children." Sumire's back was still turned to me, but I can hear the slight smile in her voice. "I was never the nurturing type, too blunt for a lot of people's liking."

I hum a bit. "Then wh-"

"Like I told you," she states, cutting me off. "The Major chose me because she trusts me. Any reason beyond that is not something I'm aware of."

I blink a few times. "Guess that means you knew Misato for a long time."

"If you're implying that I knew her on a personal level, then that's an incorrect assessment. Most of our 'conversations' boiled down to her giving me orders." She stops walking then scans the area. Guess she's making sure we aren't being followed. "However, I occasionally fixed her car when she requested me to do so. It was one of the rare times we interacted outside of Nerv." She smiles, which caught me off guard. "With the Major's erratic driving, I'm surprised she didn't come to me more often."

That actually got me to laugh, causing the smile on Sumire's face to widen a bit.

"Ah, so he can smile," she states in an almost teasing tone. "I was almost afraid that you were a bottle of rage twenty-four-seven."

"You, afraid?" I tease her. "That word doesn't seem to fit you. I mean, you didn't blink when those soldiers attacked us! I don't think you've ever been afraid."

In response to that statement, she shakes her head. A somber smile replaces her previous expression. "Trust me, I'm just as scared as you are. Anyone would be in our situation, and frankly, I don't trust anyone who says otherwise."

"Yeah," I nod, feeling more relaxed around the woman. "I can see that."

She hums then returns her gaze forward. "Alright, that's enough chatter. We can still make it to Unit-01 if we hurry." She starts walking, stops mid-stride, then glances at me while displaying a slight smile. "We'll get through this, so hang on. After this is over, we'll have plenty of time to talk. Okay?"

I smile. "Yeah, that sounds. . ."

She's not gonna live through this, remember?

. . .

Sumire must have noticed my expression change, because she's walking right toward me.

"What's the matter?"

She attempts to put her hand on my shoulder but I slap it away. Shock makes its way onto her face.

"Stop pretending you care." My tone goes cold. There's no anger or frustration, just. . .numbness. "You were ordered to be my guardian, remember?"

Sumire's hand hangs in the air for a long time before resting at her side. She sighs.

"Yes. . .I remember."

Suddenly she grabs me, and practically throws me at the end of the bridge! Less than a second later, a hail of bullets rained down on where I was previously! Somehow, Sumire avoided most of the bullet storm and shot back at whoever was attacking us!

"Michael! Run!"

At her command, I get to my feet and start running as fast as I can. Taking a moment to look behind I see Sumire running after me, occasionally stopping to shoot at our pursuers with her stolen rifle.

Taking a left turn, I stop when I see two soldiers aiming their guns at me! I immediately ran the other way as the two men opened fire, using whatever cover I could come across to protect myself!

I keep running until I no longer hear gunshots, and keep on running after that. I don't stop until I come across a door. Without hesitation, I open the door, enter the room, then slam the door behind me.

It was dark inside here, only speckles of light seemed to get into the place. The place was filled with broken metal, glass, and pipes. The area was a little bigger than I expected, about the size of a medium sized office. At the far corner of the room were metal stairs leading up to somewhere. I can't tell if the stairs stop at a door or if it goes up a few flights. It's too dark to tell.

Shit! I could try to find Unit-01 on my own, but Sumire seemed to be the only one to know where it was. I'll just be charging blindly into the lion's den!

The sound of a jiggling handle causes me to turn to the door I entered. I just now realized that there was no way to lock the door! The handle continues to jiggle, as if the person on the other end is having trouble opening it. Immediately, I grab a pipe lying on the ground and prepare to defend myself.

The door jiggles some more, and as that happens, I tighten my grip on the metal pipe. The door opens and I charge at the portal, only to stop when I realize who was on the other side.

Sumire. . . and she's injured.

The woman limps into the room and closes the door. She leans her back against the entrance, clutching her stomach as blood pools out of the wound. She no longer has the rifle she took, probably having lost it trying to get away.

"Three are coming this way," Sumire manages to grunt out. "Go up those stairs and don't stop."

My eyes widen as I realize that she's staying behind.

"W-Wait. . .hold on a second."

She slowly gets to her feet, still using the door as a crutch. "We should be close to the parking lot. That parking lot leads to a road, next to that road is a catwalk, and that catwalk leads to an elevator. Take that elevator. . .and you'll find Unit-01."

"No!" I. . .there has to be something I can do! "You can still walk. I. . .I can hel-"

She grabs me by the collar then looks me in the eye. "Run."

I stare at her for a few seconds, then slowly back away. I then hear men banging on the door Sumire was leaning against, trying to get in. It was at that moment, I ran up the stairs.

I ran up the stairs for about a minute before gunshots rang out! One of the bullets ricochets its way up to where I am, causing me to duck! I curl myself up in a ball for another minute until I hear the gunshots stop.

I should run! I really should run! But-

I turn around, and slowly make my way down the stairs. I don't hear anyone running up to where I am, so that must mean Sumire stopped them, right?

When I make it to the bottom of the stairs, what I see is a massacre.

Three bodies lie on the ground, blood slowly pouring from bullet wounds. All of the bodies belong to the soldiers, but I don't see Sumire. Where is she?

Wheezing draws my eyes away from the massacre and towards someone sitting against a wall, clutching her neck.

No. . .no no no!

I run towards the woman and kneel next to her. I reach out to her but stop, just now realizing that there was nothing I could do for the woman.

Sumire, still alive, desperately trying to keep more blood from exiting her neck, looks at me.

"I. . .I can get help," I start while nervously laughing. "I can stop the bleeding. I just need a. . .a cloth of some kind! Then-"

The woman coughed out blood as the light in her eyes slowly faded. Eventually, she stopped breathing. Her body goes limp, causing her to fully collapse to the ground. More blood slowly pours from her wounds, but that eventually comes to a stop within a few seconds.

I stare at the body, expecting the woman to talk to me. Expecting her to yell at me to continue running. But none of that happens. It takes a moment for me to realize that I'm now kneeling in the woman's blood.

A slight chuckle escapes my body as everything around me becomes drained of color. I just came to a realization. Everyone always seems to die in front of me.

Sudden breathing draws my attention away from Sumire's corpse. A few feet away from where I am, one of the "dead" soldiers is twitching, trying to push himself off the ground. All I could think of at that moment was how irritated I was.

Without saying a word, I get to my feet, and walk to the man. As I approach the man, he takes notice and stares. I stop mid stride, and stare right back. We have this staring contest for an eternity until he makes a sudden move, reaching for a pistol lying next to him.

I kick the pistol away then put my foot on his neck. The guy is too wounded to fight me off, though that doesn't mean he didn't try. We weakly put his bloodied hands on my foot, desperately trying to lift it off his neck. As expected, that attempt went nowhere. Foot still resting on his trachea, I kneel to the ground, and look him in the eyes. Gently, I remove my foot, only to wrap my hands around the soldier's neck. The guy's eyes widen, as he weakly tries to pry my hands off his windpipe.

I squeeze as the man tries to say something. I squeeze as he starts scratching my face. I squeeze as he kicks his legs, as if he was trying to run away. I feel my lips twist into a smile as fire rushes under my skin, giving me all the power needed to take away this man's existence.

I'm gonna make him suffer. I'm gonna make him watch as his life slips away. I'm gonna make sure that my face is the last thing he sees. I'm gonna-

Someone pulled me off of him!

"LET GO OF ME! ! !" I don't even recognize my voice.

I start kicking and biting at the person pulling me away. I then noticed the man I was killing reach for another gun. The person who had grabbed me, put me in a bear hug, pulled out a pistol, then shot the soldier several times until he stopped moving.

Turning my head, I noticed the person who was pulling me away was Misato. I was still pissed, so I continued fighting her.

"Michael," shouts the woman. "Stop it!"

"WHY DID YOU STOP ME? ! ?" I scratch at the woman. "YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME KILL HIM! ! !"

"I can't," she yells back.

"He deserved it," I seethe. "He was mine! I should have killed him! YOU SHOULD HAVE LET M-"

She turns me around, then slaps me, stopping my rant.

I remain stunned as she grabs my shoulders and looks me in the eye.

"Michael." Her eyes have a hardened look to them. "We need to go."

She grabs my left arm and drags me away from the scene. As we leave, I take one last look at Sumire then look away.

I'm getting sick and tired of this world.

We run through the halls until we come across the parking lot Sumire mentioned before she. . .died. As it turns out, Misato had driven and parked her car here, so I guess that explains how she got to me so fast. Still doesn't explain how she found me.

Anyway, the woman put me in the passenger's seat and forced me to keep my head down. Meanwhile, she went to her car's trunk, pulled out some kind of radio, and started talking to someone. Couldn't really hear what she was talking about, then again, that conversion isn't gonna matter in the long run.

When she's done talking, she closes the trunk then sits in the driver's seat.

"We got some good news." Misato starts the car's engine and pulls the vehicle out of its parking space. As we got moving, I was allowed to lift my head, but only a little. "The path to Unit-01 is relatively clear. Seems like Seele is pulling out their soldiers, which I'll interpret as a good thing. That means we shouldn't run into any trouble."

I only hum in response to that statement. Misato stares at me for a long while. She shakes her head and continues driving, doing her best to avoid the bodies scattered across the area.

Yeah. . .apparently a fight broke out here.

Two minutes into the drive, Misato decided to break the silence.

"I know it must have been hard getting here," she says in a soft tone. "Sumire was. . .a good person. That's why I chose her to protect you. I just. . .fuck." She puts a hand to her face, momentarily breaking her composure. Shortly after, she removes her hand, breathes in deeply, then returns her eyes to the road. "When this is all ov-"

"Shut up," I cut her off. "Unless what you have to say has something to do with Unit-01 then shut up. Just. . ." I pull my knees to my chest as the numbness spreads from my heart into my legs. "Shut up."

She doesn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Seele, the people who are attacking Nerv, plan to use the Eva series to start Third Impact."

At her words, I lift my head, giving the woman my full attention.

"Fifteen years ago, Second Impact was intentionally started in order to control the fate of the world." She frowns while breathing out slowly. "Seele needed Adam to be changed into an embryonic state before the Angels awakened. This bought them enough time to create the Eva series which, under the right conditions, could be used to control Third Impact. Understand?"

I nod, giving her permission to continue.

"As it turns out, humans and Angels have some things in common. More things than I'm comfortable admitting." Misato makes a sound that is a mix between a scoff and a snicker. "Humans came from a being called Lilith, and the Angels came from a being similar to Lilith which we call Adam. This means that humanity as a whole is the eighteenth Angel, the other Angels we encountered up until now were just different possible forms humanity could have taken."

She sighs. "But now I'm just rambling. What's important for you to know is that Seele will eventually attack Nerv with their own Mass-Produced Evas. I just know it. So, what I need you to do is to destroy every single Eva they have." Misato hums a bit, as if finally coming to a conclusion. "After we're sure Seele is done for, we'll have to destroy our own Evas, and erase every trace of their existence. We're gonna make sure no one can create another Evangelion ever again."

After she's done with her info dump, Misato turns to look at me. "So, any questions?"

I look at my lap and furrow my eyebrows. Sumire's dried blood rests on my knees, staring back at me. "I have three."

I glance at the woman. "One, did you know about the S2 organ fragments in my body?"

She almost crashed the car when I asked that.

"I. . ." she starts. "Heh, can't believe you figured that out."

So. . .she knew. Just how long was she sitting on this information?

"Just so you know, I only figured that out a few hours ago," she states. "Gendo, as always, wasn't keen on sharing information. And with Ritsuko put away somewhere, I had to get. . .creative in order to access some of Nerv's secrets."

"I see." I turn my head to look out the window. "Here's my second question. The S2 organ fragments technically makes me similar to Kaworu. So, when this is all over, will you kill me?"

"No," she said without hesitation. "I don't care if there's Angel fragments in your body, you're not a threat to humanity."

I almost laugh at the irony in that statement.

"Last question," I start. "I'm not human by this world's logic, and I'm no longer human by my world's logic due to me fusing with an S2 organ. If humanity is just another type of Angel. . .then what does that make me?"

There was a long pause as she let my question settle.

"I don't know," is her response, which causes me to frown.

Yes, you do know. You just refuse to say it.

The rest of the car ride was silent.

We eventually came across a gate, meaning Misato and I had to walk the rest of the way to our destination. We got out of the car, walked past the gate, and made our way to a small, barely lit bridge. Misato pulls out her gun, just in case we run into trouble. Luckily for us, no one was shooting at us.

After crossing the bridge, we came across a caged elevator. Misato puts her hand on the scanner, and the elevator doors open.

"This is where we go our separate ways," she states, shocking me.

"You're not coming with me?"

Misato shakes her head. "I need to be at the Command Center. That, and I still need to look for Rei. Hopefully she's still alive." She points to the open elevator. "Just press any button in there, and you'll be automatically taken to Unit-01."

I nod. "Got it."

Misato nods, then exhales slowly. She then kneels and brings me into a hug.

"Good luck in there," she whispers. "And remember. . .everyone here believes in you."

She lets me go and starts running toward her destination.

"Wait!" I yell after her. She stops running for a moment and looks at me. "Just in case. . .I. . .well. . ." I shake my head. "Thank you for. . .just. . . *sigh* Thank you."

A somber smile paints her lips. "Just go out and kick some butt." She runs and waves at the same time. "I'll see you on the other side."

And just like that, she was gone. Pursing my lips, I enter the elevator and press a random button. The elevator closes and starts moving.

"Goodbye. . .everyone."

The elevator ride was a long one. It's been five minutes since I got on this ride, and it doesn't feel like I've gotten any closer to my destination. I really hope that there's no more hiccups in my plan. Though, that does get me thinking, I still don't know how to cause Third Impact. Kaworu said I possessed the "Fruit of Life", referring to the S2 organ I apparently absorbed, and that Unit-01 possessed the "Fruit of Knowledge". Somehow combining those two traits is enough to get me home, but I still don't know how to do that. It must have something to do with Devil Berserker, but I can't do it on command. That. . .and that form could potentially kill me.

Or. . . perhaps Kaworu's full of shit and wanted to mess with me. Did I ever think of that? Perhaps I'm once again chasing a false hope.

. . .

Whatever. I'll find out soon enough.

Five minutes later, the elevator door opens. On the other side was a room filled with dried Bakelite. Part of the railings are falling apart and some of the dried Bakelite sticks to the ceiling. What caused me to be concerned was seeing Unit-01 being covered in the red substance! I have no doubt that Unit-01 could break through the Bakelite, but the problem is that the entry plug is completely covered! There's no way for me to get into the Eva!

I go quiet for a second, then let out a growl. Looking around, I pick up a metal pole and make my short climb up to Unit-01's entry plug. When there, I raise the pole then strike at the red substance surrounding the entry plug.

I strike at the red substance several times, but nothing happens! I wedge the metal pole in the entry plug's latch, attempting to force it open. But that attempt only resulted in the metal pole bending! I get desperate, drop the bent pole, and start trying to peel the Bakelite off by hand! I start kicking and punching at the red substance, but nothing happens!

I can't fail now! I'm so close! So damn close!

Suddenly, the entire room shakes as what sounds like the world's largest explosion crashes into the entire area!

The speakers inside this room activate, revealing a few moments of static before a woman speaks.

"Unit-02 has just activated," says the voice coming from all the speakers. She sounds like Maya, and she seems ecstatic. "Asuka is okay!"

Asuka's awake? That means she's gonna fight off the soldiers surrounding Nerv. But. . .if she does that then-

"Your little toys can't even touch me!" Asuka's voice burst through the multiple speakers, breaking me out of my thoughts. "But since you all want a fight so bad, then bring it on!"

The next thing I hear are the sounds of a battle, followed by Maya and other technicians narrating what was going on. This narration gave me a general idea of what was happening outside. Asuka was destroying Seele's military! None of their weapons even came close to harming Unit-02! No matter what missile they fired at her, or what kind of bomb they set off, Asuka's Eva would shrug off these attacks then quickly retaliate.

I know what's gonna happen. Some vague memory of this battle wanders around my brain, telling me that Asuka dies here. Yet despite that truth. Despite that reality!

I start cheering.

I cheered every time Asuka taunted her opponent. I cheered every time Maya or another technician reported her victory. I became momentarily worried when it was reported that Asuka's umbilical cable was severed, but that worry turned to admiration when Asuka revealed she wasn't even phased. She kept fighting, confident in her ability to destroy an entire army with limited power!

For a moment, I nearly forget about everything. About the pain this world caused me. About what was about to happen next. I even nearly forgot about my goal of returning home! At this very moment. . .I want to hear Asuka's victory! I want to see her confident smile again. I just want her to win.

"What in the. . ." Asuka's reaction caused me to pause my cheering. "So. . . they finally finished them."

What's happening?

"Asuka listen," I hear what sounds like Misato's voice coming out of the speakers. Did she already make it back to the Command Center? "Michael seems to be running a bit late, so you're on your own for now. Destroy those MP Evas as quickly as possible! Or at least hold them back until Michael gets there!"

Misato's statement immediately brought me back to reality.

"Really," Asuka responds in an amused manner. "Is that anyway to talk to someone who just got out of the hospital?"

She needs to get out of there! She needs to run!

"Michael can take as long as he needs," Asuka states. "By the time he gets here, I would have already won!"

Asuka starts her battle, and I hear reports of her quickly dispatching each mass-produced Eva. I want to hope that she can survive this, but I know that's not what happens.

I pick up another metal pole and start hitting the Bakelite, attempting to free the entry plug! Every time I hear that Asuka has taken down a mass-produced Eva, I would work even harder to break the Bakelite! But the damn thing won't even budge! It doesn't matter how hard I strike, I can't free the entry plug!

I know Asuka is running on limited power, it's only a matter of time before she-

"Twenty seconds left!" I hear Asuka announce, seemingly charging at her enemy. "Two more Evas left and it's ov-"

Suddenly, Asuka lets out a horrifying scream! I then hear someone report that she was stabbed by some kind of lance. I then hear her screams increase as someone reports that Unit-02 was stabbed with multiple lances and. . .was being eaten.

My eyes widen as my skin grows cold. My heart bursts in and out of my chest as my insides twist into knots.

Asuka is dying. I knew this was inevitable, but. . .I didn't think I would be here to hear her screams! I. . .I

"FUCK! ! ! !" I scream at the top of my lungs.

I throw away the metal pole and slam my fists against Unit-01!

"I know you can hear me! ! !" I scream at Unit-01, my skin feeling like it's gonna burst. "So get the fuck up and help her! You've moved on your own on multiple occasions, so fucking move! I-I can't let Asuka die! Not like this!"

I bang my fists harder against Unit-01 until my hands bleed.

"Stop ignoring me and move!"

My breath becomes fire.

"Just let me save her! Just let me save one person!"

Warm tears roll down my face, and for some reason, everything smells like blood.

"I said MOVE! ! !"

I feel my entire body burst into flames! The fire licks and tears into me as it spreads across Unit-01's entire body. The Eva's eyes glow as it finally wakes up, allowing it to break out of its crimson prison! Without even thinking, I enter Unit-01's now freed entry plug, and prepare myself for a fight.

Letting out a scream, the red flames surrounding my Eva and I expands, creating an explosion! I command Unit-01 to float out of Nerv HQ, and somehow, it does exactly that. Unit-01's fingers are now claws, and I feel horns growing on my head. By the time I reached where Asuka was, all I saw was a world on fire.

I see the monsters Asuka was fighting. They all were white in color, and had humanoid bodies. Each was damaged in some shape or form, and each carried a spear of some kind. The only thing about them that didn't resemble a human's shape was their tube shaped heads that were filled with human teeth.

These. . .things, practically walking corpses. . .was currently feeding on Unit-02.

Rage bursts out of my chest as I let out a scream/roar! Unit-01 responds with a screech, resulting in a shockwave which blows the white Evas away from Unit-02's body! As the MP Evas started to recover, I charged at one of them, grabbed its skull, and crushed it!

I begin laughing.

Red flames started surrounding the Eva whose skull I crushed, burning it away until it was nothing more than red ash. Now there are eight MP Evas left.

I let out a roar as I charged at another Eva, driving my fist through its chest, and burning it to death. Several other Evas attempted to stab me with their spears, but with simply a look, I caused three more to burn to nothing!

Four more left.

I begin absorbing the A.T. Fields of the surrounding area, turning the grass and trees into red mist. The energy builds within my body until I hear a crack resembling thunder. I open my mouth, and a beam of red energy shoots at the remaining four Evas, completely disintegrating them!

I then take notice of Seele's soldiers, currently hiding miles away in their little machines. With a wave of my hand, I cause half of their little army to turn to ash! The rest start running, causing the biggest smile to crawl onto my face.

I shoot flames randomly, causing some of the soldiers to either burn or hide for cover. None of them were getting away!

My skin is burning.

My throat becomes sore as I laugh harder and harder, as the entire area develops a red hue. The wind picks up speed as the entire Geofront buckles and moans under the flames I am now currently spreading! The trees and fields start to catch on fire at my mere presence, and I feel myself being lifted off the ground!

I continue laughing.

I'm gonna kill them all. I'm gonna burn them all! I'm gonna burn this entire fucking world to the ground and-

"M-Michael. . ."

A faint voice causes me to stop. I turn and see Unit-02's mangled body, intestines and organs laid bare for the world to see. I then hear Asuka's labored breathing, as she struggles to stay alive.

My feet return to the ground as I immediately run toward the fallen Eva. Without even thinking, I grab Unit-02's body, and the red flames spread toward the Eva! But, instead of harming Unit-02, the flames seem to be helping it.

The air becomes cold as the burning trees burst like water balloons, turning into LCL. I can see a rainbow of energy exiting every plant in the surrounding area, and that energy goes into the flames. The fire seals up Unit-02's wounds, its organs slithering back into its body. By the time it was all over, Unit-02 was fully healed.

"Asuka," I say softly, as if tasting the name. "Asuka! Can you hear me?!"

For a minute, there was silence. Then, my Eva's radio came to life.

"It. . .took you long enough to get here," I hear Asuka say. "Idiot."

I stared at Unit-02 in awe, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shut up," I tease. "I got here, didn't I?"

We both got a chuckle out of that.

"Michael," Asuka starts. "I'm. . .I'm sorry I-"

"Shut up." I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. I then bring Unit-02 close to me. "I'm. . .just glad you're okay."

Pain starts to flare up in my chest as I start puking blood. The red flames don't go away and continue to consume me. A moment later, I heard something which sounded like an inhuman scream coming from the sky. Looking up, I see a red spear coming straight for me! I stood protectively over Unit-02, hoping I could stop the spear from hitting Asuka. The speeding object suddenly comes to a complete stop, floating directly in front of Unit-01.

I go into a trance. What once was pain turns to numbness as both I and the spear float toward the sky. What happens next is something I cannot comprehend. I saw and heard things which should not have been possible. It felt as if my body was splitting in two, and every time I twitched, I would be somewhere else.

Then. . .everything went dark.

The first thing my conscious mind picks up is that I'm lying on flat ground. My limbs feel like jelly, so I'm not in a hurry to stand up. Slowly opening my eyes reveals nothing but white, which stretches across the entire horizon.

Instantly recognizing this place, I manage to regain my strength and get to my feet. I scan the area and as usual, there's nothing here. Still, I know there has to be something. . .no, someone to talk to. After all, I've been talking to him nearly every time I got here.

"Shinji," I call out. "Are you here?"

Silence is my only response.

He has to be here. He's always here whenever I wake up in this place.

"Is anybody out there?"

Once again, silence is my only answer. At least, that's what it seemed like at first. After waiting for a bit, a soft, pleasant sound breaks its way into the void.

"Yes," said a voice.

I immediately look around, trying to find the source of the sound. But no matter where I looked, it seemed like the voice came from nowhere.

Where the hell is it?

"Be calm," the voice commands, which stops me in my tracks. "Close your eyes, breathe, then open them again."

I pause for a moment, sigh, then do exactly as the voice says. When I open my eyes again, my breath gets caught in my throat.

Standing before me is a girl with pale skin. She wears a white dress and has a white summer hat sitting on top of her head. But her most stand out features was her blue hair, and crimson red eyes.

I take a step back as a giant weight pushes itself against my chest. "R-Rei?"

She takes a moment to process my reaction, then nods.

I let my brain settle, attempting to remove any irrational thought. "Which one. . .are you?"

"All of them," she responds. Her voice seems to shake the very ground, and for a moment, I feel dread. There was so much power in the simple cadence of her voice that it was hard not to feel that way. Just as suddenly, the dread and the sickness that followed, had faded away.

The girl smiled, and that simple act caused a warmness to envelope my entire form. "It is good to see you again, Hart."

I take another step back. "That doesn't make any sense. This has to be a dream."

What does she mean she's "all of them"? How did that even happen? This has to be a dream, that's the only thing that makes sense! How did I get here? I need to remember how-

The girl rests her hand on my right cheek, causing all my thoughts to cease.

"It is alright," Rei says in a soothing voice. "You do not have to be afraid."

My jaw quivers as my eyes widen. "You died. You can't be her because I. . .I . . ."

She pulls me into a hug. "I am here, I promise. And. . . I apologize for leaving you the first time."

I become silent, then feel tears rolling down my face. Slowly, I hug Rei and start crying my eyes out.

"I'm sorry," I sob out. "I'm sorry for hurting you! I'm just. . .so sorry!"

I continue breaking down for what feels like an eternity. I held onto Rei tightly, as if I was afraid she would fly away if I didn't. In response, all Rei did was stroke my hair, and kept holding onto me, making me feel like the biggest baby on the planet.

After an eternity of crying, I finally managed to put myself back together. I slowly release Rei and wipe away my tears. A surge of embarrassment and shame washes over me after realizing how much of a baby I was being.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of," Rei says, a smile painting her lips. "I believe it is natural to cry when reuniting with a lost friend."

A smile tugs at my lips as I nod. "Yeah. . .guess you're right." Suddenly, an ocean of thoughts rush into my head, causing me to realize something. "Wait, how are you here? Where is here exactly, and how did I. . .wasn't I just fighting a bunch of Evas a second ago?"

Rei seems to be amused by my actions, but quickly becomes serious. "You. . .had started Third Impact."

I blink a few times. "Oh. . .I guess. . .that means everyone is-"

"Not yet," says another voice. I turn around and my blood runs cold. Calmly walking toward me is Kaworu, wearing a black plug suit. "After all, the world still awaits your answer."

"How are you here?!" I get defensive, preparing myself for a fight. "How are you still alive?"

He stops about a foot from where I am then puts a hand on his hip. "I believe you have Ayanami to thank for that."

I give him a confused expression, then direct my gaze at Rei. As if in response to my unasked question, Rei walks away from me and stands next to Kaworu.

"Commander Ikari witnessed Unit-01's awakening and attempted to gain control of its power," explains Rei. "He planned to do this by fusing himself with Adam and Lilith. . .using the third Ayanami as a conduit. If successful, he would have full control over Third Impact." She looked slightly uncomfortable when explaining this, but continued regardless. "But she. . .I. . .we refused to do as he asked. We. . .refused to be his doll any longer. So, we fused with Adam and Lilith, and gave complete control of Third Impact to you."

"Since I possess the soul of Adam," Kaworu starts. "Ayanami's fusion with Adam brought me into the Tree of Life, which is where we all currently reside."

"Tree of Life?" Is that just Kaworu speaking in riddles, or is that really the name of this place?

"So," Kaworu continues, breaking me out of my thoughts. "What is your answer to the world?"

"Huh? What do you mean-"

"The whole reason we are here is because you desire to return home," Kaworu points out. He opens his left hand, revealing a black key. "So, will you use this world as your sacrifice, allowing you to return home?"

"Or," Rei says, drawing my attention toward her. She opens her right hand, revealing a wooden nail. "Will you stay here, resulting in the destruction of all Evangelions, making it impossible for you to return home?"

I stare at both of them for a long time, then go into deep thought. After doing so for about two minutes, I reach my hand forward, fingers nearly touching the black key.

This is what I wanted, right? This is what I fought for, and nearly died for. So this. . .this is definitely what I want.

Right?

I suck in some air, then violently pull my hand back.

"God fucking damnit! ! !" I scream at the top of my lungs. "Why is it one or the other?! Why can't I go home without anyone getting hurt?!"

"Because all decisions require sacrifice," responds Kaworu.

I fumed for a bit, before the energy left my body. With both hands, I grab the cross hanging around my neck, and close my eyes.

"I thought I could do it." My voice is quivering. "I thought I could let the world burn down if it meant I could go home. But I. . .I . . .I just don't know anymore!"

I get on my knees, legs being unable to hold my weight.

"Despite the shit this world put me through. . .I don't want to kill everybody." I shake my head, as a deluge of thoughts bang against my skull. "I don't want to kill Misato, Kensuke. . .Asuka. I don't want to hurt any of them."

"Then choose to stay here," says Rei. "Choose to be with them."

I open my eyes then snap my head to her. "I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't right," I state. "It isn't fair! I don't want to kill all these people to get my wish! But, I can't just leave my little brother alone with her just because I chose to live some 'fantasy'! How in the world is that fair?!" My hands turned into fists as I looked at the cold, white ground. "If I go home, and kill those people, then I'm going to hell. But if I choose to stay, and leave my only family behind, then it'll be no different from hell!"

I then go numb. I'm just. . .tired. . .so tired.

"This is just. . .too much." Everything feels dead. "Just tell me what to do. Tell me what you want."

Kaworu doesn't move an inch, yet Rei kneels to my level, and gently pulls me to my feet.

"All I want," she starts, staring deep into my eyes and putting her hand on my cheek. "Is for you to be happy."

I stare dumbly at her, then shake my head. "Why?"

"Because you deserve it," she simply states, a smile painting her lips. "Even when you think you are scum, even when you don't love yourself, even if you hate yourself, you still deserve to be happy." She brings her forehead to mine and closes her eyes. "You are kind, even when you believe you are not. You are loving, even when you believe you have no love to give. I know this, because you showed me love and kindness, no matter what form I took. You made me believe in myself. . .made me believe that I was deserving of love. That I deserved to be happy."

"Hart," she continues. "No matter what you choose, if you live with regret in your heart, then you will always be in hell. No matter what happens today, you must keep moving forward, even if it hurts." She pulls away and gives me a stern look. "Ignore the world. Ignore everything and everyone and think carefully about what you want. Return home, because that is what you want. Save the world, because that is what you want."

She goes back to stand next to Kaworu, once again leaving me to think about my decision. I close my eyes, and reminisce about my time in this world. I remember all the bad times here. The time when I attacked Toji and Kensuke. The time when I eventually killed Toji. Every argument I've had with Asuka. Every time I've been a jerk, malicious, or a demon to every person around me.

. . .

But then I remember the good times. The times Misato and I would tease each other. The times Kensuke and Toji kept pestering me about Rei. I remember Rei teaching me how to read, and remember Asuka and I messing with each other constantly. Memories of my first kiss with Asuka and the teasing that followed when Misato found out.

There were more bad times than good, and the good times never lasted long. Yet, for some reason, that doesn't seem as bad as it did in the past. It. . .doesn't hurt as much.

When I open my eyes, I find myself in a dimly lit room. To the far left was a large wooden cabinet, clothes lazily thrown into it. The room was small, only big enough for one person, and the window was covered with a bedsheet, probably to prevent sunlight from getting in. Looking to the bed in the middle of the room, my eyes grow as big as dinner plates.

Lying in that bed, sound asleep, is my brother.

I'm home.

I almost reached out to my brother, only to realize something was off. My hands, my entire body, is see-through! Like I'm made of glass.

"He can't see us," says Rei, who I only just realized was standing next to me.

I look at the girl, then go back to staring at Shane. "Can he hear us?"

"Only in his dreams." She then gestures toward my little brother, beckoning me to talk to him.

Slowly, I approach the foot of Shane's bed, kneel, then attempt to conjure up a few words.

"H-Hey," I managed to say. I breathe in deeply in order to stop myself from crying. "You look like shit man."

I swear I saw his lips twist into a smirk.

"Seriously, what happened to your fro?" I start quietly laughing. "You know you don't look good with short hair. Don't even get me started with you leaving your clothes on the floor! You're always giving me shit about leaving my clothes on the floor, yet you go and do the same thing! Fucking asshole."

I breathe out slowly as my smile fades away. "But seriously, it's good to see you again. I. . .I'm in a bit of a bind. I have some things to do, so I might be away for a while. But. . .just say the word and I'll drop it all!"

A shaky sigh escapes my lips. "I'm supposed to be the big brother. I'm supposed to protect you. I know I couldn't do that in the past, but I swear I can do that now! I'll be the responsible one for once. For once, I won't be useless, even when mom goes on one of her fucking tirades and starts yelling or beating us!" I take another deep breath then exhale. "I guess. . .I just want to know. . .if you'll be okay without me."

Shane's breath is slow and steady. He's still asleep, and it didn't even seem like he heard a single word I said. I'm about to get to my feet when I hear a whisper.

"I. . .know. . .you're not happy here," Shane whispers. "Please. . . don't worry. I. . . will be fine. I won't. . . hate you for leaving. Do. . .what makes. . . you happy."

I stared at him for a long time. "Are you sure?"

He scoffs. The guy actually scoffs in his sleep! "I'm tougher than you. . .remember?"

I glare at him for a bit. I then shake my head while smiling. "You're still a fucking asshole."

Slowly, I get to my feet. "Shane. . .thanks."

I then turn to Rei.

"I've made up my mind." A confident smile paints my face. "I want to stay."

The room disappears and I'm once again in the white void. Though calling it a void now would be insulting. In this place, streams of colors dance across the sky! People who I didn't know started appearing out of thin air, congratulating me. The crowd of people was large, however, I was able to pick out a few familiar faces, causing me to smile. In the sea of people are Misato, Asuka, Kensuke, even Toji and Kaji. Every single person around me seemed to be cheering, and for some reason, that made me the happiest I have been in a long time.

The rainbow of colors dancing around the sky combine and form a halo. Wings of light surround me, as I feel myself floating toward the sky. The crowd of people look up at me, and continue cheering me on. All I could do was smile at everyone, as I floated closer to where the halo was. I couldn't help but smile, I feel so free right now!

A bit of sadness tinged the moment. I still had to leave my brother behind. I had to leave him behind with that monster of a mother. But. . .he's strong, and he's a lot tougher than me. I should have faith in him. He knows how to handle himself. I can only hope that I will see him again someday. Until then, I'll just keep moving forward.

As I approach the halo, a warm feeling spreads across my entire body. I hear more cheering causing my smile to widen. I then close my eyes.

My moment of euphoria was cut off as a sharp pain exploded out of my chest.

Opening my eyes, I see a red spear, dripping with my blood, sticking out of my chest! I choke on the blood rising out of my throat, attempting to form words. What just happened? Who. . .who just stabbed me?

"I'm sorry," says a familiar voice. "But I can't let you do that."

It took all of my power to turn my head to see who was my attacker. When I see who it is, my body froze.

Floating with me, holding the spear which was now in my chest is. . .

"Shin. . .ji. . ."

. . .

My soul hurts.

Author's Notes: Yay! Finally got this chapter out! Anyway, don't got much to say other than this chapter took a long time to write. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed this chapter. Also, Thomas correctly guess the song and the artist in the last chapter, good on you for that.

Chapter 26: You guys can just guess the name of the song this chapter, which should be very easy. The title of this chapter references the song's lyrics, and this song became a very popular folk song that appeared in a variety of Japanese media.

Thank you guys for reading, and have a great day.