Creation began on 08-26-21

Creation ended on 03-16-22

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Vengeance of the Seven: Third Strike of the Parents

A/N: Strike one is when the parents bring their kids into the world and begin failing them. Strike two is when the parents choose to view their kids as pawns or assets instead of as flesh and blood. But strike three? After that, all bets are off.

They were to split up in order to prevail against the failures. Each embodiment tasked with doing the very worst to those that caused them problems in their own way. But the two that deserved the worst of what was to come…were the two that knew absolutely nothing about what it truly meant to be involved in their lives when they were all one in the same person. Thus, this wasn't just ensuring a penance to those that hurt others…but retribution to those that hurt him.

It's not as though they truly care, anyway, thought Shinji's pride as he walked down the hall towards the command center of Central Dogma with Shinji's wrath. They do what they do for the sake of doing so, keeping it all professional, with no actual emotion thrown in. First, the father will pay with his freedom…and then the mother will pay with hers.

"Stop!" Another guard yelled at them, pointing a gun at their heads. "I'll shoot!"

Shinji's wrath threw the gun he was holding and struck the guard in his head, knocking him to the ground.

"He should've backed off," he told the arrogant one as he picked the gun up and relieved the guard of his. "Fortunately for him, he's not exactly on the list; he's not the actual enemy."

"No one that only does what they're ordered to is an enemy…unless they keep getting in the way," the arrogant Shinji spoke, accepting the gun from his furious counterpart. "There's no such thing as an enemy in this world…until you choose to go looking for one. Are the Angels truly the enemy…or are they just the scapegoat of the actual enemy?"

"At least the Angels don't demonstrate any higher desires than to get rid of people that don't even know about their existence. But people… People are another enemy altogether because there's no telling what they'll do until after they do so…which makes them detestable half the time. It's no wonder that when the seven of us were unleashed, we knew enough about people to know how much they have fallen on the worst of times. And yet…nothing can express my gratitude over finally being able to express myself in my entirety. Not even my hatred of those responsible for the shortcomings of others."

"Well, it's as we understand it deep down when we promised Shinji that we'd deal with the things he couldn't deal with directly after he brought Toji back from the abyss of the damned. People are just one of many in the known and unknown realms of existence that are truly capable of being admired and despised at the same time, regardless of who's responsible or not for their misfortune. And we are just the misfortune of those that deserve whatever it is they're going to get for their choices."

"He who chose to take from others."

"And she who chose to walk away from others."

-x-

"…They've split up," went Hyuga to Misato as she demanded to know where the embodiments were going. "Two are coming this way, but three of them are heading to the Eva cages the other two are heading to the infirmary."

On the screens, the personnel saw the embodiments going down the halls of their destinations…and then saw static as the cameras were shot out. But they already knew which embodiments were going where.

"Fuyutsuki," went Gendo as he got up from his position, "handle things here for me."

Fuyutsuki didn't say anything, not that there was anything to say. If these seven desires of Shinji given form were out to get revenge, then they were going to get Gendo, one way or another. And if they were as smart as Shinji probably was to such a degree that he didn't show, then there was a chance that Gendo wouldn't get very far from his son…if he could get away at all.

Suddenly, the lights went out! All matter of electrical systems went out.

"Ladies and gentlemen of NERV," they heard Shinji's voice coming through the speakers now. "You probably already know a little about me, but for those that don't, I'll be brief on it. I am Shinji Ikari…or rather, I am his greed, his avarice, his desire for things that were unmet. And now…I expect for things to be over in due time. This isn't personal towards any of you. Well, that's a bit of a lie right there. It's a little personal, but only towards two people, one of whom will be relieved of his manhood and made less of a person for all his decisions. We were smart enough to disable the security and make sure that the life support was still intact, because we don't want to be vindictive towards all of you, just the ones we really want. Still, if you wish to protect that bastard, you're free to do so…but don't expect the seven of us to be merciful on you. And I'd suggest that you have Ms. Soryu and Ayanami back off the Angel and return to the Geo-Front. You still have power to keep in touch with them, too. Greed out!"

"What the Hell, man!" Shigeru gasped.

"Asuka, are you there?" Misato asked.

"Is that idiot for real?" Asuka responded over the intercom. "We have a situation with the Angel, and he's out to mess around?"

"Asuka, he's not messing around if he's in seven places at the same time, and he disabled visual systems and the MAGI. We can't track the Angel, anymore. This is only personal towards his parents, not the rest of us if we're not helping them."

"Stupid idiot can't be that bright if he takes advantage of the Angel situation."

"If he disabled any means to perceive the Angel, he's not as clueless as you may think, Asuka. And since we can't see the Angel, we can't face it. I'm suspending the operation."

"What?! But…"

"That's an order, Asuka."

"Unit-00 will return to base," they heard Rei say to them.

-x-

Asuka couldn't believe this! First, Shinji goes and gets himself broken by getting seven pieces of himself in place of his actual self, that stooge of a Fourth Child returns from the dead because the Third Child felt guilty about killing him, and now they couldn't face the Angel because NERV was crippled. As she returned the Eva back to the base, she fumed over wanting to make Shinji pay. All eight of them, including the comatose one.

-x-

"…Watching you rest is too much effort," the laziness of Shinji expressed as said boy continued to slumber in his room, "but I drew the short end of the stick, so I have to be the one to keep watch over you while your gluttonous self gets things ready."

Knock-knock. She turned and saw her gluttonous brother with a gurney.

"Normally, the hospital is a safe place for the sick and the helpless," he told her, "but NERV has never really felt like a safe haven for anyone that gets hurt. Shall we…blow this joint?"

"Blowing a joint is…sounding cool," she responded, and together, they carried Shinji over to the gurney and carted him out the room. "I'm sorry, nurses, but we can protect him better than you could hope to do."

On the floor, several nurses were tied up, grunting and mumbling things that couldn't be heard because they were gagged.

"Let's get out of here," the gluttonous Shinji said, and they carted away.

-x-

If they could've rewind time itself, maybe they could've undid the pain and suffering that was inflicted upon the people. Maybe if they could've rewind time itself, his embodiments, he himself…wouldn't have hated them for their transgressions. Unfortunately, unlike the hope that the song gave when heard, neither Gendo or Yui could rewind and take back the hurt, the hate, the harrowing degradation they had caused to their son, and neither Shinji or his seven desires had expected them to try and do so. What was done was done, and neither parent saw any reason, including the suffering, to try and undo their transgressions, so Shinji had to make sure that they couldn't get away with said transgressions. The line was crossed…and examples of what would happen to those that chose to cross the line had to be made to ensure that the line was never crossed again.

Within the Eva cages, his lust, his jealousy and greed came upon Unit-01, which stood silent in their presence.

"Someone's been a bad mother, Mommy dearest," said the lustful Shinji as she held her kitten in her arms. "And do you know what happens to bad mothers?"

As always, Unit-01 never spoke, never made an attempt to even try to speak.

"They get shamed for all their crimes," went the jealous Shinji, disgusted by the mere sight of the Eva. "They get shamed and are penalized by the weight of their transgressions against their children, and your penance is long overdue. Yours and Father's, and you won't be able to run away from them. We're here because of you two. For all your so-called 'good intentions', there are things you've done nothing to rectify, and Shinji can't forgive you for them. Your absence from his life has left wounds that will not heal. Despite his hurt and unhappiness at being without parents that are actually parents, you and Father took great care to take care of yourselves."

"You traded motherhood and responsibility for cheap immortality and freedom," said the avarice of Shinji as his body's veins started to darken all over his face and hands. "In a sense, you were greedier than even Shinji was, and all his desires were sensible and within being easily fulfilled if people actually took care of what he wanted that was all he needed at the time. You got to escape your responsibility and that bastard you married and spent very little time with got to escape his responsibilities by dumping them onto others. But you two are far from free…and some sins can't and won't be overlooked. Even those that dare to play like they're the kami will pay a penalty that is far worse than the thought of dying."

Putting the kitten back in its pouch, the lustful Shinji raised her hands up…and from them emerged two spears made of bone.

"A messiah?" She questioned, pulling the bone spear in her left hand back whilst brandishing the one in her right hand against the head armor of the purple behemoth. "Even if there was such a thing as one destined to save everyone, it's not your place to decide whether or not your son was to be that. It is unsatisfactory to force such a burden upon someone that isn't even old enough to vote or has taken admissions tests for college! Maybe you should've thought twice before ditching all that you claimed to hold dear!"

Thrust! She jammed the bone spear into the Eva's left eye, causing red blood to gush out.

"Okay, brothers," she told her avaricious and jealous counterparts, "let's make Mommy regret her choices."

"Not something I really wanted to have happen," went the avaricious Shinji, his skin darkening and looking almost like it was made of something that wasn't flesh, "but if I turned my back on something Shinji decided he wanted in such a time of great need, such as revenge on his parental embarrassments, I wouldn't deserve to be called his greed. Karma and payback, though… Shinji never believed in karma, but he understood the need for payback. Time for payback."

Slam! He raised his fists up…and punched the head armor of the Eva, causing the metal to fracture like it was made of glass or a ceramic substance.

-x-

Gendo brandished his gun at the two embodiments in front of him. He was almost to his office when these two appeared in front of him.

"Did you honestly think we'd let you avoid us like always?" His son's furious side questioned, his face and body looking like they had gained a considerable muscle tone. "I was there that day in that office, you know. I wanted to revel in the thrill of making contact with your face. I still want to experience that thrill. I want to hit you so much. I want to bash your face against the walls, to make you beg for mercy, knowing that it won't be given."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you didn't have a gun pointing at you," Gendo told him.

"Actually, he would," the arrogant Shinji replied. "You should know all about anger, Father, as you're the one that gave Shinji the most to be angry about the day you chose to cast him aside. Right now, the only reason you're still able to talk, the only reason why Shinji's wrath hasn't been fully unleashed upon your worthless hide…is merely because I'm holding him back…simply because I want to know one more thing. Whether you answer truthfully or not is of no consequence; it's not going to end well for any of us when we go too far. So, tell me…tell us…after everything that's happened, after the pain and suffering you put us all through, all for your own ambitions, despite the agony you caused…was it all truly worth it in the end? Was having someone your son considered a friend killed worth what you wanted to happen in the end? Everyone says they want to save the world of humanity…or give the claim to wanting to save humanity…but tell us something: Exactly how many people have to die to save the human race? How many friends, how many families, loved ones, enemies or allies have to die before the world is safe from the end? What is the exact number? He asked Ms. Katsuragi that question, but never received an answer from her. Can you answer the question? Can you explain how many? Well? Can you?"

"I don't need to answer the question," he told them, and then pulled the trigger, shooting the arrogant embodiment in his chest, sending him to the floor. "Such questions are irrelevant."

Then…the arrogant Shinji got back up, seemingly unbothered by being shot at.

"Well, that was to be expected," he uttered, and the bullet hole over his chest closed. "Of course, it was pointless to think that you would answer such a question of your own volition. Those that like to keep secrets will often die for them, too. Maybe we should see if you're willing to die for your secrets. I'm releasing my hold on your son's wrath. Time to play."

"Time…to play," the furious embodiment expressed, no longer being held back, and he approached Gendo.

Gendo fired at him, but the bullets bounced off him like he was made of metal right now.

"I'm really going to enjoy being a spirit of vengeance," he told Gendo as he kept firing until he ran out of bullets. "Time to pay your dues, Father."

Click! Gendo's gun ran out of bullets.

"Black eye, bloody nose…or teeth knocked out?" He was asked by his son's fury.

To be continued…

A/N: Sorry to cliffhanger y'all again, but some jerk went and badmouthed my Rise, Sasha, Rise story that I had to block him and try to remove his reviews. I keep saying this to remind people that if they have a problem with the plot of any story written because it doesn't conform to the canon of whatever it was inspired by, then they don't have to read it any further. I hope this cliffhanger will give me time to vent and develop the next chapter so that this plot develops further. I'll put up a new poll to help decide what will happen next, so I hope your interest in the story will help. Stay safe, healthy and creative as this year continues to progress.