ho ho ho, it's(not) the final chapter of the Fourth Angel Arc! Finally, after weeks of researchings and sleepless nights, I can finally present to you:
Chapter 13: Don't drown in the past.
He he, will I be able to pull this off? Most likely not since I'm a terrible writer and the previous chapters were literally filler, but hey, I can try, and I will! Though this is going to age poorly very soon...
As usual, the music recommendation: uuuuuuuuuh idk, ran out of cool music :(
A/N: Sincerity isn't something everyone have, but they will eventually realize it... I think. I'm a really bad advisor, ha ha. But seriously, if everyone were honest right off the bat, things would be a lot easier to solve. I guess the barrier of self is a drawback, too.
Deep inside a certain boy's mind, an Angel was researching on his imaginary desk. Next to him was a bunch of unreadable documents written in an ancient language, emitting a strange aura as if they were some sorts of old paper charms.
Sachiel, the Angel Of Water held a picture of his Fourth sibling chatting with Shinji in his thin arms, staring at it intensely. Even though he doesn't have a human face, or even eyes to see things, his emotions were expressed outwardly.
It was clearly full of uneasiness.
"...So, the Fourth Angel, your Sibling is replaced. This is going quite off the charts, don't you think, Sachiel?"
"Old Man Adam?" A sentence came out of Sachiel's mask, surprised. "Sachiel suppose. Well, aside from Sachiel, who directly came in contact with you and the Freedom one, most of Sachiel's brothers and sisters are as "human-like" as a wild animal."
"Kahaha, it's true. I didn't put much in effort to create you guys. 'Siblings' are just something I created to reclaim this poor example of a planet and reunite with my bad example of a sister." The voice continued. "But well, as you can see, they are nothing but obstacles now. There is a force behind this world, twisting fate for its own goals. You can see that happening already, can't you?"
"...Sachiel agree." Throwing away the photo, Sachiel sighed. "Seraphims... it wasn't even in the Book before. And the Freedom one could only alter certain words to make his reincarnations bound to 'Shinji Ikari'. Do you have any idea, Old Man Adam?"
"...I'm thinking that you are overestimating me, young one. I just came to this world like two months ago, you know? I knew nothing aside from the fact that this's the end. Only time can tell what will happen next."
"Ho ho ho, Princess! You're wide open!"
The pink, eight-eyed Evangelion rushed forward with both chailguns on her hands, firing bullets at the red blur moving around her. Asuka groaned as her A.T Field was barely put up in time to stop the rain of firearms, the shockwave from it pushed her back at the corner of the arena.
She reached out to her shoulder pylons, but she quickly found the needle gun was destroyed by a stray bullet. Using the Prog Knife was out of option as it would be futile to cut an insanely quick Evangelion like Unit 08, as the Unit was focused on agility and accuracy alone.
An explosion occured on the orange octagon barrier, and the recoil sent
'She is nuts!' The red-haired German girl thought as she was thinking of a way to strike back. 'I don't even know where the heck she came from, but she got some real skills!'
"Don't get cocky, Four-Eyes! I'm not done yet!" She yelled while reaching out to her Pallet Rifle on the ground and picking it up. Using the A.T Field as a wall to push back the green-eyed Unit, she slammed herself into her opponent before putting down her barrier. Unable to react in time, the pink Evangelion struggled to defend herself. Seeing an opening, Unit-02 quickly used the stock of the rifle to strike her in the stomach, successfully making the weirdo inside the pink Evangelion groaned weirdly while dropping her rocket launcher.
"Oh~! That hurt, Princess~!" The red Evangelion stopped moving and stared right back at the pink Eva who is behaving like a weirdo, holding herself with both of her hands while wobbling around uncontrollably.
...
Something snapped inside Unit 02 as a vein popped out of the German girl.
"...You made that so damn awkward!" As a hand was thrusted into the stomach of the pink Evangelion, Unit 02 knocked it up to the skyand sent it to Earth's orbits like a baseball player hitting a homerun.
"HA HA HA, I was just joking- WAIT NO, DON'T SEND ME FLYIN-"
From a distance, people could heard a weird laugh coming from the one controlled the Eva. Too bad she ain't coming back anytime soon.
As Asuka was still being mad at the weirdo who just made her day worse, a small window popped on her view. Inside the window was an image of a twin-tailed girl holding back a laugh.
"Hehe." The girl in glasses put both of her index fingers together while whistling as if nothing happened before exploding into laughters. "Good job, Princess! Looks like my distraction can't work on girls, eh? You really are a super serious one, aren't you? I knew you was a natural!" She grinned happily and gave a thumb-up in front of the screen.
Surely this was enough to cool her down, right?
The redhaired teenager deadpanned at Mari Makinami, the weirdo who pilots the Evangelion which just got sent to orbit. "Just to let you know, I will give you five seconds to run after we exit the simulation. Five seconds."
It wasn't enough, it seems. She shouldn't have laughed too much.
"Boo! Stop using that scary face, Princess! It's freaking me out!" She joked, but the look on her new friend didn't fade away. "Oh. I'm going to die this soon, huh?"
The twin-tailed girl gulped as Asuka crackled her knuckles while letting out a small chuckle. Despite her smiling face, Mari could see that this girl was dead serious about giving her an earful lecture. Or worse, a handful.
Just thinking about it gave her a chill already. "Sheesh", Mari thought, "this girl is terrifying! Better start running now!"
"Umu..."
"Don't make that face. You earned it the moment you stop taking things seriously."
Mari pouted. This girl is completely ruthless! Look at the lump on her head! Is this really a good way to treat your fellow pilot?!
Well, it was a good thing that she didn't aim for her voluptuous weakness~
Almost as if the Second Child was reading her mind, Asuka turned her head back and stared flatly at the shrinking Fourth Child, challenging the glassed girl to say it out loud.
"How did she even manage to do that!?" An uncouth sentence almost escaped Mari's lip as she returned the stare. "Calm, Mari, stay cool! Don't let some redhead get on your head! She isn't a telepathic... is she?"
It was needless to say that Asuka's next targets would be her two melons, she thought bitterly. She needs to be put in a case, isolated from the rest of the world for posing a threat to a harmless girl like her! Yes, that's it! Mari gripped her fist tightly while beaming a evil smile! She will rightfully defend herself from this... this Red Demon!
...As much as she wanted to yell those words to the Second Child, she can't risk getting hit on the head again. That girl has a fist of steel and the face of a demon. It would not be wise to provoke her.
...And despite Mari's outrageous claims about our favorite redhead, Asuka was simply looking at her to keep their distance. That's all to it.
"Hmph!" The overthinking Makinami girl turned her head around, refusing to look at the Second Child while pouting adorably. Said Second Child was not minding her antics at all and continued to walk, not bothering to wait for the Fourth Child.
Gasping, the Makinami girl mentally facepalmed in mild exasperation. Mari felt like she got this kind of treatment somewhere before, with a certain timid boy and a similar redhead. Is it really that annoying to talk to her? At this rate, she'll be depressed soon enough, if everyone continues to treat her like she's a bother!
Can't anyone see that the atmosphere around here is super strict? She just wants to lighten the mood! Is that a really bad thing!?
'Bah! As if I will give up on pulling pranks on people, especially this girl!' She formed a evilish grin on her face. 'Soon, my continous effort will not be in vain, and a new trickster shall be born under my secret reign of NERV! Muhahahahahaha!'
...It's needless to say that the Fourth Child of this world is a lost cause. Clearly, she is a nutcase. What could she possibly contribute to this story?
While the carefree Mari Makinami was doing her monologue in her head all day like a chunnibyou, she accidentally bumped into the red-haired girl. Widening her eyes as the thoughts of being murdered by the (Mari-proclaimed) vile, montrous Asuka Langley Soryu ran through her head, Mari almost dogeza'ed instantly until she looked at the girl's face. Her excuses for bumping into the German girl quickly died in her mouth as Mari looked at the tear on Asuka's left cheek and her reddened nose.
"Hey, Princess, why are you crying?" That was a genuine question from Mari, not poking fun at the red-haired girl. However, it seems like the girl in question is even more confused than her, as she answered her question with a tilt with her head before touching her cheeks.
"Huh." Asuka, in contrast to the expression she was making on her face, seemed to be quite clueless about her emotional state. She was surprised to see a her wet eyes flowing down tear so much that she couldn't stop it from leaking out. "Ugh, what the hell? Four Eyes, this better not be one of your pranks." Somewhat angry, Asuka raised her fist, threatening to harm the pink-suited Mari who is trying to help the girl.
"I don't know! I didn't do anything to you, honest!" She raised both of her hands to defend herself from Asuka, who is posing a significant threat to her existence. "Are you having an allergy or something?"
"Hell no. *sniff*." Now her nose is runny. Great. "If this isn't yours, then why am I crying like a rejected middle schooler like this?"
"Why are you asking me? Isn't that the kind of question you should ask yourself!?" Mari pondered for a little bit before jumping to her conclusion. "Maybe it's something LCL Exposure-related ?Let's get you to the infirmary room first before your condition gets worse!"
"H-hey! Put me down!" Being the physically shorter one, Asuka was helplessly carried away in the brunette's right arm like a toddler. "I'm fine, Four Eye! Stop making me looking like a joke!"
"Nuh uh! Zip it, Princess! You really need to get treated now!"
Unbothered by the attitude of her fellow pilot, Mari quickly ran like a flash, surprising Asuka with how atheletic she was. The poor girl really was concerned with her health, huh?
...
Asuka made a mental note to treat this Makinami girl better in the future. Right now, she really needs to lay down a while. Her body was getting tired of having a lot of water coming out of her eyes like rivers, and she felt quite sleepy, too. She probably needs several boxes of tissues to clean her face after this.
She sleepily groaned. Still being held in Mari's slander arm, Asuka found herself exhausted for no reason. 'I'm just gonna...rest my eyes a bit.' She thought before closing her beautiful cobalt eyes, letting her mind entering the world of dreams while being carried away by the brown-haired Brittish girl.
Always watching like a vanguard, Asuka's red hair clips remained silent as the girl passed out peacefully in the pink plugsuit girl's arms. This is a peticular scene, but it's... acceptable. There's nothing wrong with comradery, right? Therefore, it's acceptable.
Although, he felt like something had changed in the world. Something... oddly familiar. Does it have something to do with Asuka's strange behaviors?
"Odd." The camouflaged Spear Of Cassius remarked, before returning to his silent self again.
The small clock resembled a hot water penguin shook violently as its bell started to ring noisily in the short-haired boy's room. Yawning, Shinji Ikari on his bed refused to give up his wonderful rest as he struggled to find a nearby pillow and slammed it against his right ear, blocking the sound from coming in.
However, it looked like the clock isn't going to shut up itself anytime soon.
...
He really regrets buying this thing now. Sure, he used to wake up early, but today he wanted to sleep a bit more, alright? Yesterday was exhausting, both mentally and physically.
Will anyone move into his house again? Hopefully not, because he definitely doesn't want to do that again any time soon...
...Wait a minute. Didn't Misato live with Rei after he reported her condition? And since both of them currently live in his house, and Misato is also tasked with taking care of him... Is she trying to take care of all the Evangelion pilots?
And he heard that there are a Second Child and an unnamed Fourth Child officially in German too... If Tokyo-3 was going to be the main battleground of the Angels, would they come here? Is this place going to be full of EVA pilots in the future?
Sighing exhaustedly despite the fact that he just got up, the boy annoyedly turned off the watch with minimal movement.
Shinji could have stopped thinking the moment he turned off the clock, but nooo. He had to think about something unbearable about his life, and now he can't return to his sleep. "Way to go, stupid me," he thought as he lazily covered his yawn with his hand. "Ah, I wanna sleep more...!"
"Hrgh..." He groaned as he slowly rolled out of the bed and landed on the cold ground instead. Annoying.
Waking up in the morning today sure is a pain for teenagers.
As the head of the house(according to himself), Shinji Ikari is the one who's in charge of making breakfast and lunch. This was mandatory as he was the only one living here before Misato and Rei decided to move in(again, according to himself). Now, because of the sudden increase in number of people, the poor boy is going to cook a lot more than before.
...Especially after last night. Misato, his 'supposed' superior had happily consumed nearly all the food he cooked for dinner last night on her own, so it's going to get pretty tiring from now on cooking for three people.
He scratched his head. "It's going to be quite tough, huh? Jeez, the bills are going to be really high this month. Well, it's not like I'm the one paying it though."
Indeed, his 'house' was NERV's properties.
Some simple dishes would be enough. He still has some leftover eggs, so egg rolls are going to be the main dish of the day. Maybe he could hit the nearby convenience store and buy more food too?
"Yosh!" He stretched his arms before talking in an excited manner. Starting a new day with a positive attitude is a good thing to do, after all! "Alright! Let's go!"
"Where are you going, Shinji-kun?"
"AH!?" Completely surprised by the sudden emotionless voice coming from behind him, Shinji almost jumped in fear. "Oh, Ayanami- Rei! I didn't see you yesterday! Or last night. When did you come home? Uh, I hope you're enjoying your new room or something like that hahaha I am terrible at greeting people in the morning-"
The blunette Rei Ayanami simply tilted her head at the nervous Third Child who is desperately trying to start a proper conversation. It seems like he's not used to meeting her yet. "The room is within acceptable condition. Thank you for letting me stay here from now on, Shinji-kun." She bowed her head, expressing her gratitude.
"Yes! I mean, okay, it- it's nothing big at all, ha ha ha." Still feeling nervous, the teenager awkwardly scratched his head. "So uh, since I'm going to the convenience store, do you want to buy something? I will make sure to buy everything you need!"
Why does this guy act like he has zero experience talking to people? Definitely not because of the lame humor the author was trying to make, ha ha.
But of course, since Rei Ayanami isn't really concerned with the concept of lameness, she didn't mind Shinji behaving like that. "I would like to accompany you. It's recommended to get familiar to the neighborhood."
Shinji was surprised. Walking together won't do any harm at all, right? "Well, if you insisted, I guess- I mean, it's my honor to guide you! Can't abandon a blue maiden alone at her time of need, after all!" He quickly changed his words mid-sentence. 'I should stop talking like that all the time. Why did I sound so lame!?' The young Ikari thought grimly before looking at the young woman in front of him again. 'I hope that she got that joke...'
...
'On a second thought, please don't say it.'
"...I don't understand." The First Child, after several seconds of standing still, asked confusedly.
"Eh?"
'Damn it.'
After an unnecessary long explanation, they finally made it to the convenience store.
And by "they", I mean me and Rei. Smooth transition, right? He he.
Anyways, our goal here is getting more rice and ingredients for the next few days. Cabbage, some pork, pretty much regular stuffs.
Should I buy some soda? Melon soda is good, but I don't think my budget allows that... So let's save that for another time.
I glanced at the nearby First Child, who was staring at an apple stand. Looks like she's new to here, I presume?
"First time coming here, Rei?" I asked, picking up some apples and put it in the bag. She looked up to me and nodded slightly. "You like apples?"
"The color is frustrating, but the taste is acceptable." She answered blankly. "Commander Ikari used to make apple slices for me whenever I recovered from... health issues."
"My father, huh." That's... surprising. Maybe he has a soft spot for children? It didn't apply to me, though. "I guess he was really a good man at heart. Kinda sad that he left to work here before I could do anything."
I don't remember anything about him at all. The best I could manage was he hugging me once before getting on the train and moving to Tokyo-3. Before that, it's just blank.
Well, it's great to hear that my father wasn't a completely lost case at being a parental figure. But he let Rei live in a terrible apartment, so that nullifies his previously-mentioned good point. Conclusion: Still a terrible father.
"Indeed." Was her short answer before moving her eyes to the next object in the store. She's... looking at the milk section now? "Do you... like your father, Shinji-kun?"
I took a carton of milk and put it in the groceries bag. "I dunno. I didn't talk to him much besides the first time I got here. And before I knew it, he moved away again. Somewhere in North Pole, I think?"
"Yes, that's correct." Rei nodded before moving to her next target, the snack section. "This is... potato-flavored salt?" She grabbed one of the blue colored can of food and inspected it carefully.
"Oh, that's just plain potato chips. It's very salty, so don't eat too much, or you will get stomachache. You want one?"
"No, I'm just curious about this...snack. Back to the question, what do you think of your father, Shinji-kun?" Placing it back at its original place, she looked at me with a curious look, waiting for my response. "Is Commander Ikari... scary to you?"
"...Maybe." I shyly looked away as the image of Gendo's- err, Father's intimidate pose resurfaced in my mind. I was surprised that I was so brave back there, shouting to him before getting the Evangelion. "He and I barely talked after... I don't know, he going to Tokyo-3. I guess he was too focused on his job that I was ignored most of the time."
"I see." Rei said, acknowledging this new information. "Then... it must have been very lonely living without your father, correct?"
I stopped. "...Yeah, for a while. But there were also people around me back there in my hometown. They tried their best to make me feel comfortable living with them, so I am not really bothered with it. Everyone can be family with each other even though they are not related by blood, after all."
"They can?"
"You can say it is a bond between people. Living in the same house, working in the same company or organization, studying in the same school. You interact with people so many times that eventually, you got close to them. Friends, buddies, inmates, hell, even brothers in arms and many more. But, if you don't try to interact with people, no one will approach you. You have to try to earn it, you know."
The blue haired Rei Ayanami stopped her track as well, and turned back to stare at me, a look of slight surprise on her face.
"Aren't you afraid of being hurt by the others?"
"That's... a tough question." I stratched my head, trying to think of an answer. "Being hated and isolated, isn't that what everyone are scared of? But if you're too scared to try, you could lose that opportunity forever. That's why we shouldn't be scared of getting close. Isn't that the whole point of making bonds? To laugh, cry, share everything with your close friends and families?"
...Wait a minute. WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?! WHY DO I SOUND SO CRINGE?! I am not a damn main character in some shounen mangas! This is unacceptable!
"...That's what bond is about?" The blunette muttered silently, looking down to her feet. She looked like a kitten that had just been splashed with a bucket of cold water, contemplating her thought.
Oh no. I brought the mood down, didn't I? Argh, damn it! If I hadn't spoken like an idiot, we wouldn't have come to this! Wasn't this originally a trip to the convenience store?!
"Ahem, anyways, let's put that aside. What do you want for breakfast and lunch, Ayanami-san?" Approaching the counter, I placed the bag full of groceries on the table. The cashier quickly did his job in silence while I was looking at Rei, waiting for her reaction.
...I just hope she's not going to hate me after this...
"...I understand." Hopefully recovered from the previous state of her, Rei looked at me again. Her usual emotionless face was somehow off-settling than usual, but a small smile formed on her lips. It seemed like she had reached to some conclusions. "...I would like anything you made, Shinji-kun. But I do not like meat."
No meat? Is she a vegetarian? Wait wait, that's irrelevant. I'm happy that she's not mad at all! "Are you fine with egg rolls?"
"It's fine. I do not mind dairy products."
That's a relief, then. I have little to no experience at making salads, so I'm glad that I wouldn't have to make some for Rei. "I think we're done picking groceries here. Do you have anything else in mind, Ayanami- I mean, Rei?"
Staring at the nearby section, Rei quickly shook her head before looking at Shinji once more. "No. We can go now."
"Alright, time to go it is."
"You can say it is a bond between people. Living in the same house, working in the same company or organization, studying in the same school. You interact with people so many times that eventually, you got close to them. Friends, buddies, inmates, hell, even brothers in arms and many more. But, if you don't try to interact with people, no one will approach you. You have to try to earn it, you know."
'That's... what bond is to him?'
"Being hated and isolated, isn't that what everyone are scared of? But if you're too scared to try, you could lose that opportunity forever. That's why we shouldn't be scared of getting close. Isn't that the whole point of making bonds? To laugh, cry, share everything with your close friends and families?"
'He's... not afraid of being hurt?'
For the first time of her life, Rei Ayanami felt conflicted.
Even though Shinji realized his mistake and tried to move on to the next topic, a small part of the blunette's mind was still busy with a question.
'Is my bond with Eva... not real?'
When we were walking back to our place, Rei stayed silent for the rest of the trip. Though it's one of her traits, I couldn't help but find Rei acting like this bizarre.
...Walking...
Still walking, and more walking. Still not back at our place yet, and the silence is starting to make me nervous.
Umu... I'm not ready to talk to such a beautiful girl like Rei... Wait, no, scratch that. I didn't mean anything weird by that, okay? It's not like I'm a pervert or anything.
Suddenly, I feel warm on my hand. And the sky is slowly getting brighter and brighter...
"...The sun finally came up?" I thought out loud. The warm yellow light dawned upon the road, lightening up the fresh atmosphere of the early morning. "I think we should hurry up."
Class is going to start soon, and I need time to make breakfast and bentos for four people.
"...Yes, I think that's plausible." Rei said, still emotionless as ever, but something is still off about her. "We should hurry up, just as you said."
Is her voice slightly wavering?
"A-alright."
I shouldn't read too much into it. Maybe this's just a girl thing. Yeah, it's totally normal. Nothing weird happened, I repeat, nothing weird happened.
...I will act as if nothing weird had happened between us. Maybe tomorrow she will be able to forget about it and everything will be back to normal. Yeah, I should totally do that.
As I was busy monologuing to myself(in my head, of course), we finally arrived at our destination. We had breakfast without Misato, apperently due to her 'Super important meeting at NERV!'. After that, Rei said she also had some business at NERV headquarter, so I had to go to school alone this morning.
...I have a small feeling that I hold a pretty weak position at NERV. Oh well. I already got a lot of things on my hands, you know! Such as capturing Angels and having a date with Shikinami this weekend! I have no time for such things as strategy meetings or crap like that! Having fun as a teenager is way more important!
...
Now that I realised it, I'm a pretty selfish person myself. Eh, it's not that bad, I suppose.
Timer: 80 hours, 42 minutes, 43 seconds remaining.
Keep you waiting, huh? He he, sorry. My life is currently in a lot of chaos and stuffs, so I'm deeply sorry for the delay. It is going to calm down soon though, so you can expect a chapter or two in November.
As always, thanks for reading! I hope you guys have a great time reading this! See ya later!