Destructive Rampage
Several large trucks were moving through the streets.
They moved with a purpose. The large truck in the middle of the pack carried an incredibly important piece of cargo to be transported to a safe location. Yashida Company could not let this fail, for this cargo came from the Committee, their biggest benefactor. The megacorp had several facilities in Kokoro for whatever project the Committee wanted committed. All of this information in mind, a great deal of care and caution must be taken to ensure that the cargo is safely secured.
The two drivers in the middle truck were still bored out of their minds.
"The traffic is killing me man!" said the one on the wheel.
"Shut the hell up, what the hell can we do?" answered his partner, "We're almost there anyway, just fucking drive."
They had been at this since last night, not having had an ounce of sleep for the entire trip as the rising sun marked the early morning.
Frankly anyone would be cranky by this point.
"Okay, so Dai-chan you keeping the thing secure over there? Not pissing your pants like a pansy are ya?" the driver on the wheel said trying to look over to the back, but it was hard to see through the hole. "The boss man doesn't want even a scratch on it, so keep your filthy hands away ya hear?"
No response.
"Daiki?"
WHAM!
A loud crashing noise was heard through the truck.
The driver slammed the breaks on the truck, stopping it in it's tracks. He and his partner got out as soon as they could, but were horrified by the sight.
"HOLY CRAP!"
Something tore through the truck with ease!
It broke through the casing like it was made of tissue paper, and it left behind large footprints on the street.
Both of the employees were scared beyond belief, as the other guards exited their own vehicles to witness the sight.
"We have to call our bosses, w-we lost the suit!" the partner nervously stated as he reached out for the phone.
"Oh God, we're going to be DEAD!" the driver had an even bigger reaction, clutching his head and bursting into tears.
This was going to be a rough day.
Not for the first time, Shinji Ikari didn't know what to do.
What Professor Inumaru explained to him earlier had left him shaken.
"The spider was an experiment?"
"Yes," the professor scratched the back of his head, "I work for HERZ. My division has been working on genetic engineering, combining and rewriting the DNA of various species… including human beings. The Committee had recently supplied us with a specimen that allowed the splicing process to be made easier. The spider was just the first step among many, combining regular Spider DNA with the specimen's… I brought it over to my lab in the school so I could observe the effects of the spider over the course of a week to see what would occur over the stretch of time. However… we both know what happened then."
He turned around and looked at the chalkboard.
"These people… they don't screw around. They have enough friends in high places that they in effect control parts of the government and are willing cross a whole lot of lines to get what they want. Scientists were killed or worse if they refused to work for them, their identities wiped out from any records. They can and have done that, and they indeed have the resources to track you down and murder you at any time."
He then turned to look at Shinji with a fierce anger in his eyes.
"Do you see… do you even SEE?! You need to stop what you're doing right now or both of us are going to be killed or worse! They might kill my family, they might kill yours, who knows? You need to stop NOW!"
The professor's look… it was one of fear. Anger yes, but absolute fear. Whoever- whatever the Committee are, they clearly have a lot of power and influence if they could do things like that.
Could he just risk his and Inumaru's life like that?
He looked at his hand, clutching and releasing it.
'What should I do?' He questioned to himself. He knows running away isn't going to do any good. Where would he even run to? 'It's all so confusing.'
In the end, he simply decided to wait until he meets Mayumi in the library.
Suddenly he felt something push him down to the ground.
"Oh Ikari, I'm so sorry I didn't even see you there." Tsuyoshi Kotei said a very cheery tone. "You should probably be a little more careful, maybe next time you'll land in dog shit or something."
Shinji frowned, just about ready to leave when-
"Oh knock it off Tsuyoshi, you did that on purpose."
A brown haired boy just as tall as Kotei slapped his shoulder, before moving to help Shinji up to his feet. "Shouldn't you be heading to the class meeting? It would probably look bad if the representative of his group was late now wouldn't he?"
Kotei looked annoyed. It looked like was about to raise his fist, but then simply turned around and left.
"… thanks?" Shinji wasn't sure why he had phrased it as a question. Perhaps because it was unusual to be helped like this.
"No problem. Shirarishi Rai." He smiled as he took Shinji's hand and shook it, "I gotta get going too. I'm the Captain of the Kendo Club so I gotta attend the meeting. Catch you later!"
With that, the Kendo Club captain quickly ran down the hallway.
'How odd.' Shinji thought to himself. He just turned in the direction of the library and walked.
Mayumi for her part was shaken.
Last night had been a terrifying experience for her. Having been alone in the café, she had been caught off guard when Spider-Man crashed into the place. The crazy loon who attacked him…
'Why did I throw that cup?' was the question on her mind. It was like her body moved on it's own when she did that. She saw that Spider-Man was in trouble and she couldn't stand by and let him be killed. Not like that. Never like that.
But that just meant she threw herself into trouble too.
That man… he lunged at her. He said he was going to eat her.
She shuddered to think what could have happened if Spider-Man hadn't stopped him…
Mayumi then immediately felt calm when she spotted Shinji walking to her. He sat next to her.
"Did the Professor tell you anything?" she decided to ask, pushing thoughts of the nightmare away.
Shinji shrugged, "Some stuff about homework, that's all."
He took out his math notebook and looked it over. It had become a routine, sitting down in the library with Mayumi, doing homework together. Well, more like Shinji trying to do homework while Mayumi just read a book. He assumed she had her work in order which was why she never seemed to have anything to do. Shinji wondered if he should ask her for help.
He noticed something.
"Something wrong, Yamagishi?"
Mayumi hadn't known it, but her hands had been shaking as she held the book in her hands. She sighed.
"Did you hear about Spider-Man yesterday? How he had a fight with some crazy criminal?"
Shinji shook his head in a negative nod, "No, what happened?"
Mayumi closed the book and put it down.
"Shinji… I was there during the fight."
He looked at her somewhat surprised. "Really?"
She nodded, "I thought Spider-Man was kind of creepy… but… that man… he was worse. He had red in his teeth- I think it was blood. He- he was going to kill Spider-Man. So I threw a cup at him… he was going to kill me! He said he was going to eat me!"
Mayumi felt something watery in her eyes.
"I'm… I'm just glad Spider-Man was there… I don't know what would have happened if he wasn't there."
Mayumi noticed that Shinji looked at her guiltily.
"I… I didn't know…" he said sadly. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" she asked confused, "That wasn't your fault at all! I just hope something like that doesn't happen again."
Shinji nodded, "I hope so too."
Mayumi mentally berated herself. Now her friend was worried about her unnecessarily and it was her fault. 'All I do is cause problems for everyone else…'
Shinji for his part could only clench his fists. 'Mayumi's crying. She wouldn't be this way if I wasn't so stupid… this is all my fault.'
He didn't notice that he referred to Yamagishi by her first name in his thoughts.
They both went back to digging their heads into books, both enveloped in their own worlds.
"What the hell do you mean you lost it?!"
Kenichiro Yashida was more than angry. He was positively enraged!
This transport had been a month in preparation. The fact that the cargo had been hijacked by one of his own employees struck a nerve in the crime boss. He would ensure whoever stole the armor would pay for his transgression.
The only fear Yashida had in his heart was whether this prototype could be traced back to himself.
And the conversation he was having was not. Reassuring. Him.
"Track down that prototype or else your own hide will be fed to the dogs."
He slammed the phone shut.
The Committee was not going to be pleased with this development. That much he knew already. Could he contain the disaster before it was too late?
Just then, someone opened the door.
"Mr. Yashida! You should turn on the news!"
Kenichiro gave a confused look. The secretary took the remote from his table and turned on the television.
His face contorted to one of terror.
It was already too late.
My fault.
Those were the words on Shinji's mind at the moment.
'If it weren't for me fighting the Vulture, Mayumi or the others in the café wouldn't have been in any danger.' He thought. 'She wouldn't have been shaking and crying like now.'
He should have been better.
He should have done better.
'What if the professor was right?' he wondered.
The Committee could apparently send people to kill him and Inumaru at any time. With a large target on his back, he could be a problem to everyone around him. What should he do?
He remembers dreams of drowning in a red sea. The voices loud and clear in his ears as he lost consciousness
GET AWAY FROM ME
HOW PATHETIC
I HATE YOU
He drowned and drowned, losing air and bubbles surrounding his vision
…
…
…
you should just disappear
"Holy shit anyone seeing this?!"
Shinji let out a gasp he didn't know he had been holding in when he was pulled back from his reverie. He turned to see what the commotion was all about.
It was the boy from before, Rai Shiraishi. The Kendo Club leader was pointing towards the television screen.
Crowds of students were looking at the news, which showcased footage of destruction and chaos.
In the middle of it all was-
"… a massive robot that heavily resembles some kind of rhino is smashing everything in it's path, as you are seeing live from uptown! Police officers have utterly failed to contain the situation or pin point any proper trajectory as its current rampage goes unabated-"
Shinji stopped paying attention after that point.
First there was a man with gloves that shot shock blasts. Then the Vulture comes to kill him. Now a giant Rhino robot is out there?
There is no way it's a coincidence. These must be linked somehow.
Shinji wondered if this what Inumaru meant when he said they might send people to kill him? Is that what this is? Some kind of trap?
What should he do?
"Oh my God… look at those people!"
Shinji looked at the screen again when he heard the voice. He saw someone being crushed by a car, begging for help as people desperately try to push it out. He saw a store being broken into by thieves as the store owner cried. He saw a couple desperately running away from the destruction… before a car was thrown at them, crushing them to death
Shinji clutched his hand.
'I mustn't run away.'
He turned around, stepping away from the crowd of students with a determined expression. Then Shinji felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey where are you going?" Rai questioned, "Class is going to start in a few minutes."
Shinji shook it off. "I won't be gone for too long. I'll be back."
He then resumed walking, a confused Shiraishi looking behind him.
Chaos was all around them.
Daisuke clutched his small daughter in his arms looking around for a place to escape.
Over head was the monster destroying the area.
A giant grey body stood tall. Metallic pieces stuck out in it's arms and legs, a huge horn adorned on it's forehead, leaving no doubt as to what it's inspiration was. Glowing red eyes were visible on a face covered in shadows.
It was big. It was scary.
It was also currently marking the streets as it's stomping grounds.
A booming voice was heard all around the area.
"I AM THE RHINO, SUPERIOR IN EVERY WAY TO THE LOWLY BEINGS SURROUNDING ME! BOW DOWN BEFORE MY MAGNIFICENT MIGHT!"
Daisuke's daughter started crying.
There was little comfort he could give other than a small kiss to her forehead.
The father noticed the Rhino robot had picked up a car… and threw it RIGHT AT THEM!
It was the end. Daisuke closed his eyes and hugged his daughter tightly, both ready embrace the death awaiting them…
But it did not come come.
A small hope daring to claw it's way into the mind, Daisuke opened his eyes-
"Don't worry… I'm here. Ugghhh!"
-it was the Spider-Man! He had grabbed a hold of the car with his own two hands!
He gently placed the car down to the street, which seemed to exert a lot of pressure due to how heavy it was. He looked at the poor father and daughter as they both stared at him in awe.
"Get going! I'm going to try to stop that thing!"
The Spider-Man then swung away to face the monster, and both father and daughter knew then... everything was going to be alright.
Shinji needed to get to work.
The robot- The Rhino he called himself- was rushing through the street. He's not paying attention to what's surrounding him. He's just attacking whatever is in front of him.
'That also means he's not paying attention to what's behind him.'
So he swung right onto the Rhino's back, attaching himself right into it. He began punching the thing as hard as he could, but it was an incredibly thick hide.
'My hand's starting to hurt!' he thought after a few more tries. 'This isn't working! The metal layering is too thick for a punch…'
'Wait, why am I upside down?'
"WHO DARES?!"
Turns out while he was thinking to himself, the Rhino had grabbed him. He inspected the kid in his hand. Then he made a disgust noise.
"AN IRRITATING LITTLE MAN IS NO MATCH FOR THE RHINO! NOW AWAY WITH YOU!"
He tossed the little web slinger from the street right through a boarded area, proceeding on his merry way to more mayhem.
Shinji for his part clutched his head.
'That hurt… a lot.' he thought while proceeding to swing right back into Rhino. 'So this thing is too strong for me to punch through. That means I need to find something stronger to penetrate the armor.'
After he got up, he inspected the place he was in. It was a construction site, most likely started very recently due to only a few beams being present. Where he had fallen was just before a wet concrete bed. Over to the left there were gas containers that if it came into contact with-
'Wait… this is perfect!' Shinji was amazed at his sheer luck. He looked around to see and- yes, there was a crane with a wrecking ball. 'Okay that'll do.'
A plan prepared in his mind, Spider-Man launched a web line to chase after the villain.
'I'm sure this will work, I just need to lure Rhino over there… yeah, lure the big grey death robot over to the construction site.' Shinji slowly lost confidence as he continued his thought process. 'At least breaking stuff is something you do at a construction site to clear out debris.'
Spider-Man had barely enough time to finish that little thought as he saw a building wall was left with a Rhino sized hole.
'…then again he wants to turn the whole place into a debris field.' He thought while jumping through the hole Rhino created in the building. 'He won't be getting any job offers like that.'
The Rhino was UNSTOPPABLE!
To think all he had to do was get in the robot and run away! The thrill of having power over the world… it is an invigorating feeling! Smashing and crushing and killing!
He'll show them. He'll show them all! They stomped at him, mocked at him, laughed at him behind his back. Well guess what?
"WHO'S LAUGHING NOW? I, THE RHINO, WHO SHALL DESTROY ALL IN HIS PATH!"
These stupid people, looking all so terrified… it gives him such euphoric joy!
First he'll have fun breaking the town, then he'll kill the boss. Then he'll be the king of Kokoro!
The Rhino noticed a bus full of children right in his view point. He changed directions to the right and grabbed it.
The screaming coming from those kids was worth all the hassle. Music to his ears, the Rhino bellowed a cruel laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA, THIS IS ALL TOO EASY!"
He shook the bus around hearing their cries, smiling all the while.
"I AM THE RHINO! THE MOST POWERFUL, THE MOST INVINCIBLE-"
"But not the most modest. Geez do you ever stop talking about yourself?"
What? WHO SAID THAT?
Rhino dropped the bus to the ground and turned to see the Spider-Man poised over a lamppost. He was annoying.
An annoying bug. Easy to crush.
"LITTLE MAN, DID I NOT PROVE MY SUPERIORITY TO YOU EARLIER? DO YOU WANT ANOTHER LESSON IN PAIN?!"
"Maybe I do!" the Spider said to him in a haughty tone, "Or maybe I just wanna see if you have some nice pinkie pajamas under that fancy suit."
The Rhino scoffed at his attempt at an insult. A weaker man would boil in rage, but he was THE RHINO! He need only his hands to crush the bug.
"COME OVER HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"
"I don't suppose I can ask you to come over here and fight like a Spider, can I?" He said as he shot a web, "Why don't you try catching me instead of those kids over there?"
He swung away! The pathetic little shit wouldn't even dare fight him, the Rhino won't allow cowards to run away. He is superior!
"IF YOU WON'T FIGHT ME, THEN I SHALL SIMPLY DESTROY YOU!"
'Well, good news is I got his attention.' Shinji thought to himself. 'Bad news is, I got his ATTENTION!'
He had to do the web swinging of his life as The Rhino chased after him. Rhino was surprisingly fast for his size. 'I can barely able keep away from him thanks to practicing my web swinging around the city so many times, but if I don't get a move on-'
"PAY ATTENTION TO ME, YOU PATHETIC WEAKLING!"
Shinji shuddered as he kept moving, 'I can tell he's getting impatient. Can't risk him getting bored and running off. How do I keep his eyes on me?'
Spider-Man decided that insulting him was a good idea.
"I'm sorry what was that? I thought I heard something but can't hear it over the amount of hot air behind me!" Spider-Man shouted, swinging to the left. His spider-sense tingled.
"A BUG LIKE YOU HAS NO BUSINESS MOCKING ME!"
Spider-Man managed to dodge a car thrown at him. It crashed through a building, Shinji frowning at this. Any angry thought gave way to joy when he noticed the construction site was getting closer.
'Almost there, just have to-' Shinji jumped and landed on a support beam.
The Rhino crashed through the entrance, just about stomping to face Spider-Man who was perched on a beam.
"YOU HAVE BEEN CORNERED SPIDER-MAN! NOW PREPARE TO SUFFER THE WRATH OF THE RHINO!"
SPLCK
Rhino tried moving his feet… but they didn't move even a bit.
"… WHAT?!"
He looked down to notice he was stuck in the cement floor!
"I'd say you were stuck on me, but… I don't think that would be be accurate." Spider-Man gloated in a triumphant tone. Honestly he didn't expect the cement to keep him still, but the fact that it was so quick on drying just aided his plan. He got inside the the wrecking ball crane.
The Rhino struggled to escape from the cement, increasingly getting frustrated as he failed.
"YOU TRICKED ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT! WHEN I GET OUTTA HERE I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP!"
Shinji pulled a level, activating the wrecking ball.
"I'LL CRUSH YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"
The ball moved from left to right… and then left again.
"I'LL RIP YOU APART! I AM THE RHINO-"
The ball came CRASHING at Rhino's back!
It knocked him right off the cement floor, which at first filled the Rhino with glee… before he found himself falling right onto a pair of metal containers!
BOOM!
A pair of explosions blasted throughout the Rhino's body… unfortunately the flames started surrounding the suit.
"NOOO! HELP! GET ME OUT OF THIS DAMN THING!"
Shinji left the wrecking ball crane, making his way to the Rhino's back. He noticed that, where the ball had hit had hit in the back, a hatch was now more openly visible. He grabbed a hold of the handle and ripped the door out of it's confines, revealing-
"Get away from me!"
A wheezy voice came from a short man with dyed blond hair and sunglasses. "I don't want your help!"
Shinji couldn't say much about this man's appearance, so he ignored the little tantrum and grabbed him to escape from the rising fires.
As the boy dragged the small man away, the Rhino suit exploded, a large fiery haze forming behind him.
"No… NO!" Daiki let out frustrated screams that were heard throughout the site, "I was going to be special… my one chance at being a big shot… RUINED!"
He suddenly found his shoulders grabbed. Spider-Man was right up in his face.
"Big shot… a BIG SHOT? All of this… You did ALL of this… to be special?!"
Daiki spat in the teen's face.
"Hell yeah! My whole life stomped on by everyone! 'Dai-chan' this, I piss my pants, I don't got a great job like my sister and family, and not as good as the other guys in the Kuzuryu! I just wanted to be a big man! Fuck Mr. Yashida, when he told us to transport the suit I just had to take it!"
He spat in the teens face, "Besides, didn't ya put in the suit so you could be a big man too? You must know what that's like!"
POW!
A well placed punch to the jaw knocked the small man out. Spider-Man took off his mask, face palming in heavy frustration. To think that all of this was because of some… grudge.
He looked at the time in his watch, noticing he missed two periods of class already. Then Shinji just sighed heavily. 'I'm in so much trouble.'
"You lost the suit."
The head of the Kuzuryu and Yashida Company himself, Kenichiro Yashida, found himself face to face with his benefactor.
Or rather, a hologram of his benefactor. It projected a red light source, but Yashida remembered having met him in person a few times. On the surface he appeared to be a humble and unassuming man; black hair, somewhat pale, wore glasses, a lab coat with a HERZ I.D. card proving who he was. Beneath the mask however…
"Billions of dollars in development, destroyed because one of your employees decided to take it for a power trip and only contained due to the timely intervention of the Spider-Man."
Kenichiro nodded, a vein visible on his forehead.
"You need to find a good reason why we should keep funding your organization or else we'll freeze your assets and not keep our side of the bargain."
Kenichiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You're saying this like we haven't had any benefit from this."
The hologram looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"
"For starters, Spider-Man had managed to pin point the flaws in both the Shocker Gauntlets and the R.H.I.N.O. armor with his antics. He was also skilled enough to take down one of my most prized assassins." Yashida said with a smirk forming on his face, "The fact is, he has been very useful to us indeed. Perhaps we could continue using him for that purpose."
The hologram raised his fingers to his chin. "You're saying we should pit our experiments against him?"
Kenichiro Yashida nodded, "Yes. A lab rat to our benefit. You get better machines for your employers while it distracts him from my operations. This will be a perfect arrangement."
The hologram smiled, looking rather pleased by this train of thought. "Very well. We will continue your funding. For now. We will still be expecting this Spider-Man to be beaten and captured sooner rather than later. We shall keep in touch."
The hologram disappeared, leaving Yashida to his own devices.
The Kuzuryu crime boss looked outside his window, rubbing the thorns of his plant.
"I hope you savor your victory Spider-Man… because it will be your last."
Mayumi was right. This place WAS amazing!
While the Joho Café was still damaged from his fight with Vulture, it was now serving food and coffee, which Shinji had to appreciate since it tasted good.
"Thank you so much for bringing me here! It's really great!" Shinji said happily as he ate the biscuit.
Mayumi smiled "It isn't a problem, thank you so much for coming."
As the two enjoyed themselves in the moment, Shinji came to realize one thing. He may be faced with problems, and he knows deep down that they're only going to get more complicated from here onward… but he knew that simply giving up isn't an option. Shinji can't let anyone suffer while he's able to do something about it. There isn't much he could do to stop Mayumi from crying, but he could at least be there for her now. He had to try.
To not try would be irresponsible.
"Shinji, after lunch you disappeared from two whole periods. What happened?"
The boy looked at her, unsure what to say.
"Um… I was… uhh, I had wanted to get some lunch outside of school and got in a huge line. I couldn't get out of there."
Mayumi looked at him with a sad face, "Is that what happened?"
Shinji nodded, trying to bite down the feeling of guilt down his throat, "Yeah. I'm going to be staying over tomorrow for detention… sorry."
The two then continued the conversation in a different direction, chatting about classes or whatever else came to mind.
Shinji thought about that man in the Rhino suit. He said something about a Yashida… he knew who to ask about that.
When Professor Inumaru opened the door, he expected any number of people to be on the other side. The mail man, some thug, or government agents out to get him.
He did not expect to see Shinji Ikari at his steps, his arms crossed together and determination present on his features.
Sighing, he walked outside in order to have a private conversation.
"Five days."
The Professor raised an eyebrow.
Shinji explained, "In five days, I was attacked by someone with who could shoot stuff from his gloves, a man who called himself the Vulture who threw knives at me, and now a man in a Rhino suit killed people and smashed things. He said he worked for someone named Yashida."
Inumaru said nothing.
"Are… are you working for him too?"
The professor sighed. "Sort of… not exactly. Mr. Yashida provides me and other scientists with facilities so we can perform research and test our experiments. Otherwise, the divisions don't see each other eye to eye. Not one division knows what the other is doing. There were whispers among me and my colleagues about some kind of prototype armor having finished and about to be delivered today. It seems the rumor was true."
He realized something and quickly added, "Mr. Yashida probably doesn't know your secret. The Committee likes to keep him in the dark on their projects. Fewer leaks that way." He frowned, "I didn't expect the Committee to test out their prototype on the people. It's too reckless and could jeopardize their secrecy."
A quiet wind breezed past them.
"A big shot."
Those three words came as a surprise to Inumaru.
"The suit was hijacked. He was destroying everything, killing people, doing all of that… because he felt small and wanted to feel big."
Rage boiling in his eyes, Shinji hands turned to fists, "These bastards… people DIED because of them! I won't let anyone else get hurt from now on! With these powers… I'm going to stop them and save everyone!"
Then his eyes changed to a calmer, more demure tone. "And Professor… I'm going to save you too."
A long pause awaited.
Kuruto Inumaru turned his back.
"Foolish boy… don't say stupid things like that."
He walked back inside his house and slammed the door shut.
Authors Notes:
Hello there. Four chapters in and now I post an author's notes? Seems strange right? Well I wasn't really intending to write any notes but since I might get multiple questions in reviews, I think I want to make some things clear:
-This fic is going to cover the events of Evangelion. However, we're going to spend some time with Shinji getting used to being Spider-Man and introducing his villains, especially since there won't be natural ways to introduce them once we get to Tokyo 3. Including the four chapters so far, I estimate this arc will be about 14 chapters.
-Venom and Black Cat will not be in this story. I like both characters, but I feel they won't fit with the story I have in mind. Both characters are people Spider-Man should be facing later on his career anyway, not in the beginning. Besides, it's hard to imagine even a grown up Shinji flirting with Black Cat.
-This story take place in a Gainax/Marvel fusion universe but actual crossover elements will be kept to a minimal, only brought up when it's relevant to the plot. The focus of the story is on Spider-Shinji, so no Avengers or X-Men.
-Shinji isn't going to end up with Rei or Asuka. This isn't because I hate the ships it's just that there are a lot of fanfics that ship him with either one or the other, so for this story I'd rather do something different (Shinji/Mayumi fics are rare).
-I take a while to update, so I post two chapters instead of one.
I hope that clears things up. I probably won't be making more notes like these unless there's something about the chapter I want to comment on or questions I'd like to answer. Hope you enjoyed the fic so far!