"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"I'm sorry Isonokami," Atsuta sighed. "But I haven't seen him since class ended."

Tao bit her lip nervously, eyes darting up and down the hallway. She had expected, or hoped, that she would have been able to talk with Kazuki when they got back to the dorms, but apparently not. She wasn't sure what they would talk about, she hadn't thought that far ahead, but she wanted to. Maybe to chew him out for dropping the ball on her, maybe give him some advice for next time, or maybe just chatting somewhere he was more comfortable.

But no. He wasn't here. Before she would have been worried that he'd been hurt, now she was worried for entirely different reasons. Scarier reasons.

"He always takes the same path back to the dorms, doesn't he?"

Atsuta shrugged. "As far as I can tell, I don't know him that well. It's not like he wouldn't walk back alone."

"But then he would be here!" She buried her face in her hands and groaned. "You think I haven't already checked his dorm Yuzaru? I'm telling you-"

"Excuse me?"

The pair turned to the new voice. Standing in her pyjamas, hair poofed up as always, was Miyazu, Yuzaru's younger sister.

"What are you doing?" He scolded. "You need to get back to your dorm before the blackout."

The girl shifted nervously. "I know, but I heard you talk about someone…"

Atsuta sighed. "It's nothing you need to worry about. We just haven't seen someone since class ended."

"Was it Saito?"

Tao froze. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," She conceded. "But when class ended, I saw him get into a car with these men in suits. A lot of people did."

"What happened?" Tao surged forward, with Atsuta having to grab her shoulder to prevent her from invading his sister's personal space too much. "Was he ok?"

"What?" Miyazu shook her head from confusion. "He looked uncomfortable, I thought, but when he left he looked… serious."

"Serious…" Tao felt a pit forming in her stomach. "Thank you. Your brother is right, you should get back to your dorm." She didn't even wait for her to leave before running back to her dorm, with a confused Atsuta trailing behind.

"Isonokami, wait! What are you doing?"

"I need to call Kazuki."

"Call him?" He frowned. "All this worrying and you didn't think to call him?"

"I'm not calling his phone. I'm calling Bethel."

He missed a step. "What?" He thought a moment. "Yes, I suppose that does make sense. But why are you rushing so much?"

Tao fumbled with the key to her dorm, not answering until it was open. "Why would he be needed so suddenly, and why would change from uncomfortable to serious so suddenly?"

"He's not someone that likes being the centre of attention."

"I know that, but the serious part." She flicked the lights on and ran her eyes over the room, searching for her phone. "He stopped caring about them watching. Something bad has happened, I know it."

"Calm down," He tried to reassure her. "With the blackout planned you won't be able to talk to him much anyway with the phone towers down. They won't broadcast. Maybe just wait until it's over?"

"How don't you see this?" She shouted, too desperate to keep her cool. "Whatever he's doing, the blackout is a part of it!" Understanding dawned on his face as she uncovered her phone from under a pile of notebooks and immediately dialled the secure number the director had given her. "And by the time the blackout is over, it'll be too late!"

Somehow, three rings felt like an eternity, and when the call was picked up time felt like it was moving too quickly.

"Sorry, but Jouin's Medical Research Lab can't take any-"

"This is the Saint of Bethel," She interrupted. "Where is Kazuki Saito?"

The woman on the other end of the phone didn't respond for a moment. "I'm sorry, but we're not-"

"Tell me where he is!" She shouted. "I know he's got something to do with this blackout. Please, you're putting his life at risk!"

Another pause. "He's in Tokyo-3."

"What?"

"It's a joint operation between Bethel and NERV," She explained. "An Angel is currently threatening the city, and anything that enters its radius has been annihilated."

"Remove him." Tao was practically begging. "He hasn't received any training, he's not ready please-"

Suddenly the room went dark and the line died, leaving only a buzzing in her ear. She slowly removed the phone and looked to Yuzaru, the only indication of where he was being his glasses reflecting the light from her phone.

"There's nothing we can do now," He said calmly. "We just need to put our faith in them."

Tao's entire body slackened, her eyes drooping to the floor. All that frustration she had felt towards Kazuki's disappearance that afternoon had changed to guilt. As Yuzaru left her dorm, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. It seemed that this would be his fate, thrown into the fire again and again, for god knows how long. She didn't know what to do.

She'd never felt so useless.

From the scaffolding to the EVA cockpits, the three youths watched as the Toyko-3 skyline disappeared into darkness, leaving only a dim glow of Ramiel. The two pilots sat on the highest level, staring out to the horizon, and on the level below them Kazuki leaned against the railing, chin resting against his hand.

"Ayanami, just why do you pilot this thing?"

Kazuki looked up, just barely able to see their hair on top of the individual platforms; a mess of brown to the left, and pale blue to the right. He assumed the two either forgot he was there or thought he couldn't hear them. Besides the rumbling of machinery and the occasional murmur from the Evas, the silence was so thick he was practically drowning in it. Still, he didn't think to move away. It wasn't because he didn't want to disturb them, that was only part of it. In reality, he was concerned.

"Because I'm bonded to it."

His lips formed a thin line.

"You're bonded?" Ikari's voice expressed the same confusion Kazuki felt.

"Yes. It's a bond."

"You mean… to my father?"

"To all people."

Ikari was quite a moment. "You're very strong, Rei." There was a mixture of envy and longing in his voice.

"I have nothing else."

"What do you mean you have nothing else?"

Ayanami stood, giving Kazuki a better look at her face. "It's time. Let's go." Yes, he could see her face now. It was blank, like his. "Goodbye, Shinji."

The railing began to rumble as the two platforms began moving into position. Kazuki stood up, straightening his posture. "I guess that goes for us too," he muttered quietly.

Indeed, echoed Aogami's voice in his head. We are needed below.

"Got it." He placed one foot on the top of the railing, pulling himself up and resting a hand on the scaffolding of the level above. He looked over his shoulder one last time to the pilots, but it was too difficult to see what they were thinking. He exhaled softly, then looked down. From this height, a human would shatter every bone in their body and have their organs shredded by what was left. He pushed off and left himself at the mercy of gravity, falling like a pin to the earth and landing without so much as a cloud of dirt left in his wake.

As he walked towards the target location, he shot one last glance up to the Evas. "What do you think?"

About the children? He felt Aogami shift, as if placing a hand on his chin. I am concerned.

"Agreed."

They lack confidence in their abilities. That could prove dangerous.

"Ayanami didn't seem that insecure to me."

You heard her final words. She expects that will die tonight.

Kazuki paused. He had of course thought of that, but had tried to push that fear down and dismiss it as paranoia. But Aogami shared his thoughts, and was a lot less willing to dismiss any potential concerns. Regrettably, Kazuki was very good at reading people. "That's why we're here, I suppose. To ensure that doesn't happen."

Aogami remained silent.

He tapped the fin at his right ear, making his golden eyes flash as he scanned through his internal menu. "What have we got to work with?"

Considering our supporting role in this operation, Aogami spoke firmly as a display of their merged form manifested in Kazuki's vision. I ensured that we had access to spells that would enhance accuracy and defence.

Kazuki scanned through the display. "You kept Miracle Water?"

Correct.

"Wouldn't it be better to have a demon focus on healing?"

Perhaps, but your ability with Miracle Water exceeds the abilities of our current demon roster.

Kazuki nodded. "Alright. But what about our demons? I don't want to spread myself too thin doing everything at once."

The display flickered to show their selection of demons. I recommend High Pixie, Neko Shogun, and Leanan Sidhe.

"Why Neko Shogun? Aren't they a bit weak?"

I doubt that will contribute to this conflict, but regardless their spells will contribute greatly to the mission. As you said, you don't want to overtax your magic.

"Alight, then that's what we'll go with. Thank you Aogami." He removed his fingers from the fin, making the display disappear from his eyes and revealing Dr Akagi standing in front of, observing him in silence. His only reaction was to blink in surprise. "Oh. Hello."

"Hi." Ritsuko crossed her arms, watching him with a critical eye. "You seemed a bit distracted. If you're going to be that blind to the rest of the world, maybe you shouldn't be a part of this operation." She expected him to fumble, to show weakness in the face of her scrutiny as he had done every time before. Instead, he shook his head slightly in indignance. How interesting, she thought to herself.

"I was preparing myself," He explained calmly. "Ikari and Ayanami didn't express a lot of faith up there. If I'm to keep them alive, I have to plan ahead."

"You think they'll die without you?"

"Ayanami certainly did."

She grunted. It was certainly a weird experience hearing Kazuki speak with such conviction. If she was being honest with herself, she found it somewhat creepy. But there were more important matters at hand. "You were talking to Aogami, right? I thought you just took control of him."

Kazuki narrowed his eyes slightly, offended by the idea. "I'm his partner, not pilot."

"You say that like it's different from everyone else. Does that make you two the exception?" She feigned indifference as she probed further. "I'm sorry, but I just don't see what makes you two so special."

Caution, young man. Aogami's voice was slow but firm. She is attempting to coax information out of us. I advise that you take care when this one is within ear shot, particularly regarding our nature as a nahobino.

I know, he replied in silence. "Ideally you won't have to, if Captain Katsuragi's plan goes smoothly."

Ritsuko couldn't help but snort. "You're being optimistic. Haven't you heard that nothing ever works out as planned?" Kazuki didn't respond, which frustrated her because she was actually letting herself be genuine with him. "Anyway, you've wasted enough time. Get into position, and maybe things will work out ideally like you said."

He nodded to her and turned, walking away as if she hadn't been there in the first place. Ritsuko watched him go, his flowing hair at odds with the controlled movements of his body. When she first met Kazuki, he had struck her as very similar to Shinji, both reserved and uncertain, ill equipped to deal with conflict. Yet the way he acted now was a lot more in line with how Rei would behave; almost robotic. Now that she thought about it, Aogami had acted the same. Perhaps those two had some similarities. It couldn't hurt to investigate that notion, after the operation of course.

As she walked back to the operation centre, she was surprised to find Koshimizu waiting for her, hands in pockets with that annoying winged woman beside him. "This isn't exactly a spectator sport, Prime Minister. You should go back to the main base, you'll be safer there."

"I appreciate the concern Dr Akagi," He bowed slightly. "But safety is not my primary concern. NERV requested our help, and as director of Bethel I must oversee this operation myself."

"I see." She turned to Abdiel. "I suppose that's why she's here then. To make sure you're safe."

The Angel sneered. "I am here of my own volition, to see how you will deal with this… aberration." Still she refused to call it an Angel. "And to ensure that Saito does not act out of line."

Interesting choice of words. Ritsuko filed that away for later analysis. "Well then, at least you can get into our temporary operation base. Follow me."

Titans. Yes, that was the word that came to mind as he saw the Evas in motion. He watched as Unit 01 approached, stepping carefully as not to crush anything underfoot. Its body was both bulky yet lithe, the shape reminding him of a malnourished human, with a chest disproportionately large compared to the waist. Plates of purple metal had been wielded in place across the body to provide both protection and manoeuvrability, with accented plates of green positioned where the Eva needed flexibility most, sectioning off the more rigid sections of purple. At the neck orange sections were plated off to ensure it had the flexibility to adjust the heads position, and its chest had a pair of grey pectoral plates that shifted with the shoulders, upon which were a pair of great rectangular fins. Along its forearms and under the rest of the armour was a black exoskeleton, keeping all the important components inside the Eva. It's head was clad in a two part helmet, the lower part encasing the jaw in grey metal, the mouth sealed shut in a jagged smile, and the upper part the same purple metal that protected the rest of the body, with a strip of metal wrapping around the head like a collar and a unicorn like horn presented proudly at the centre of its forehead. Its movements were weighty, as expected of a giant machine, but the smoothness of its movements told a different story. To Kazuki, they didn't look like the movements of a machine. Not in the slightest.

Taking the prototype rifle in hand, Shinji willed Unit 01 to take up position, lying against the ground as a sniper would, the weight sending a wave of dust in his direction. Kazuki waved his hand, willing the air into a wall to shield him. And beyond him was Unit 00, carrying a completely massive shield that was probably used for spacecraft. It was very similar to Unit 01, yellow colouration aside, but it lacked the shoulder fins and more flexible chestplate. The biggest difference however, was that this one had the head of a cyclops, with a giant red fish lens for an eye. The prototype, evidently.

The hum of engines filled the air as the string of generators stretching around the rounds from far and wide sprung to life, charging the weapon that was humanity's hope.

Sensing that the moment was upon him, Kazuki outstretched his hand and called on his power. "Summon." Behind him the air flashed as crimson light coalesced into three entities, a miniature girl with spiky hair and wings, a woman floating with blond hair long enough it dragged across the ground, and a bipedal cat in armour holding a metal fan. Go time.

Both in the temporary base out of the line of fire and from deep below the geofront, NERV's staff were bursting with activity.

"All cooling systems operating at full power!"

"Temperature's stable, no problems detected!"

"Rodger, positron charge is nominal."

Misato stood within the temporary base with her arms crossed, eyes flickering between the screens. She needed everything to work perfectly if they were going to succeed, and that included her. "Initiate second connection."

"All accelerators are engaging."

"Activate the convergence unit now."

"Transmitting all power to Mount Futago, temporary substation."

Commander Ikari and Fuyutsuki watched in silence atop the command centre, their face's blank. This wasn't just the battle between the Evas and an Angel, it was also their first chance to see just what Bethel was capable of, and they had no intention of missing it.

"No problems reported with third connection."

Misato exhaled. Go time. "Release final safety systems!"

"Release final safety lock," Echoed Hyuga as he tapped the commands into his keyboard.

The dreaded silence on the battlefield broke as Unit 01 loaded the protrusion rifle with a charge, the giant chamber snapping shut. From within the Eva, a visor slowly descended over Shinji's eyes, giving him a telescopic view of Ramiel and the ongoing calculations needed to shoot it down.

"Error correction for earth rotation and gravity at 0.0009. Voltage is 0.2 short of critical."

Electricity surged through the system of generators, pouring as much energy as they could into the protrusion rifle, making the connecting wires burn the ground they rested on and evaporating the dew that had collected on them. Shinji felt the rifle in the hands of Unit 01, keeping his eyes fixed on the Angel. All he had to do was pull the trigger. His heart pounded in his chest, making every second drag on.

"Seventh through tenth connections engaged! Transmitting all energy to positron rifle!"

Regardless of the distance between them, everyone could feel the tension rising. Shinji bared his teeth, forcing himself to blink so he wouldn't strain his eyes as his nerves wavered. Misato ran her tongue over her lips, hoping to dispel their dryness as the countdown began. Koshimizu's arms were crossed, hands digging creases into his immaculate suit.

"Ten! Nine!"

Kazuki felt his entire body go cold, eyes shooting over the horizon and locking onto the Angel. In his mind, he was the only one that heard Aogami's voice.

Incoming!

"Eight! Seven!"

Maya spun in her chair, shouting in desperation. "High energy output detected inside target!"

"No! Not again!" Ritsuko didn't care how composed she appeared. Unit 01 was supposed to be out of the Angel's threat range, but this meant that they had underestimated it. Against an opponent like this, it would prove fatal. Misato ignored them, focusing only on the countdown. If the Angel was going to fight back, then so be it.

Kazuki threw his arms wide, calling upon the magic surging through his veins.

"Three! Two! One!"

"Rakukaja!"

"Fire now!" Misato shouted, drawing out all other noise in the base to make sure her orders were heard. At the same moment Unit 01 was bathed in indigo light the burst from the ground like mist, fading into the Evangelion in an instant. Shinji however didn't notice, so focused on his target he only heard Misato's voice. Hissing as the tension finally released, Shinji pulled the trigger, and the darkness of the night was replaced by a blinding flash as the protrusion rifle unleashed the full power of Japan's electricity in a single shot. Across the lake, a similar flash exploded from Ramiel as it fired its counter attack, a blast of equal force aimed directly at Unit 01 moving so fast Shinji didn't have time to register it. As the two beams of energy crossed paths they seemed to wobble in the air, their perfect paths tangling and throwing each one off target. The Angel's streaked over Unit 01's head, saving it from the full power of the explosion that followed but making it close enough to the temporary base to almost send it onto its side, and any glass in the vicinity shattered instantly from the shockwave.

Misato groaned, pulling herself up by the chairs that had been kept upright only due to being bolted onto the floor. "Did we miss?!"

The sight that met them hardly painted a picture of success. Before them was a pillar of fire and smoke, reaching up into the sky from the new crater, created in a matter of seconds. Koshimizu, who had been helping Ritsuko back to her feet, stood in shocked silence. "Such destructive power…" He muttered to himself.

Beside him, Abdiel grunted. "It seems you overestimated Saito's abilities."

"Now you see," Ritsuko muttered. "This is the threat that the Angels pose to human kind."

Their awe was cut short by a flash of red from one of the screens. "The enemy shield has broken into the geofront!"

Misato scowled, standing to her full height once more. "Hurry! Second shot!"

Unit 01 pulled back the bolt on the protrusion rifle, expelling the spent fuse and loading the next. Kazuki stood up, quickly looking to the now waning pillar of fire. He'd been knocked off his feet by the shockwave, and it seemed like his demons had also been knocked down. "What happened?"

"Saito?" Misato glanced from screen to screen. "I didn't know you'd been connected."

"What happened?" He repeated as the next shot began to charge.

Ritsuko stepped forward to the microphone. "The Angel fired a counter shot that threw our own shot off course. Thankfully ours seems to have thrown theirs off course too." She bit her lip. "This is serious, Saito. Evacuate and find somewhere safe."

"No time," He could already feel Ramiel preparing for its next attack. Silently he sent an order to High Pixie, and turned to face Unit 01. With both hands he placed his pinkie against his thumb with the other fingers outstretched, the left hand pointed upwards and right right down. At the same time he and his demon cast the same spell. "Sukukaja." Light once again burst from the ground and enveloped the Evangelion, only this time it was a brilliant green.

"What was-"

"A spell to increase Ikaris accuracy. Hopefully it'll help hit the target."

Their discussion was cut short by another alarm. "We've got another high energy reading building inside the target!"

"Not now!" Misato felt her blood run cold. The next fuse was still charging, there was no way to get another shot out in time.

From across the lake they saw the octahedron collapse into itself, its dimensions shifting and warping into a five point star with the core at its centre. Light blazed in the core as an inhuman screech echoed through the empty night. The core flashed, and the light surged towards Mount Futago like lightning. Kazuki felt his body tense, and Shinji began to scream as the image of his Eva being burnt through like paper seemed to repeat itself. Then the light exploded, casting the world in black and white.

Around them trees atomised instantly, the ground burning solid and torn from the earth by the raw power of the attack. But it hadn't struck them. As their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw before them Unit 00, holding their shield as a barrier between them and Ramiel's attack, standing stalwart as everything burned, and everything in the Evas shadow escaping total annihilation.

Kazuki was the first to recover. He pointed to unit 00. "Neko Shogun, Leann Sidhe, cast Rakukaja!" A sheen of indigo cut through the monochrome cast by Ramiel, coating Unit 00 in a protective sheen of magic.

"Ayanami!" Shinji called out to her in a panic, her last words to him looming over them like a guillotine. From the corners of the shield, he saw flecks of liquid metal flying off like rain on the windscreen of a car. Kazuki saw it too.

So did Ritsuko. "The shield can't last long!"

Misato snarled, her nerves on the edge. "ARE WE READY?!"

"Ten more seconds!" Hyuga somehow managed to keep his voice level.

Shinji tried to focus on the targeting system, but he could see the shield protecting Rei melting like an ice cube, growing smaller and smaller. He needed to help he, otherwise she-

"Eyes forward, Ikari!"

He gasped, shocked by Kazuki's voice. He glanced down to the older boy, shocked to find that the only proof that he was moments away from being scoured from the face of the earth was how his long hair was being blasted back, flailing wildly and lined completely parallel to the earth as if it was trying to escape his skull. Despite the heat scorching the ground beneath his feet into solid rock he stood tall, hands half clasped as if in prayer, and eyes forward, unflinchingly, unaffected. Beside him, his demons cast spell after spell, bathing the Evas in alternating light of indigo and green.

"Leave the rest to us!"

Of course, he had his part to play. They were relying on him. He watched as the targeting system calibrated, the reticles slowly centering on the Angels core. Too slowly. "Hurry up…" He hissed desperately. Larger chunks were beginning to fly off the shield, and the armour on Unit 00 was beginning to drip off the body. "Hurry up!"

Beams of energy began to punch through the shield leaving Unit 00 unprotected as it was pierced by stray beams, but it stood its ground, protecting Unit 01 with its body. Kazuki threw his hands apart, spreading the mystical healing water he had been summoning into the air, giving it enough strength to stay standing until Unit 01s targeting system finally locked on. His jaw clenched tight, Shinji pulled the trigger, unleashing the shot across the lake and blasting Ramiels core. Instantly the oppressive beam cut off as the Angel screamed, its geometric form warping erratically. Unit 00, its metal exoskeleton molten and fused, collapsed onto the ground, cracking the dried earth.

"Ayanami!" Shinji called out, desperate for a response. Her last words to him echoed in his ears, growing louder and louder. Goodbye, Shinji. Unit 01 dropped the protrusion rifle and moved towards the smoking wreckage in the shape of an Evangelion.

Kazuki moved too, trying to get closer to the entry ports. If Ayanami was in bad shape, his magic was their best shot at keeping her alive. "What's Ayanami's condition?"

"Unit 0s systems are completely fried," He heard Dr Akagi's voice in his ear. "There's no way for us to know until we see her."

Kazuki nodded and moved to sprint when his entire body froze. He turned towards Tokyo-3, and through the smoke and darkness of the night he saw the fifth angel's body twisting and distorting, but those were not death spasms. "It's still alive," He whispered in horror.

"We need to extract Ayanami immediately," He heard Captain Katsuragi order, unaware of the situation. "Move in and prep-"

"Cancel that!" He shouted.

"What?"

"The Angel is still alive!"

"No…" Misato pushed Hyuga aside to get a battle look at the camera directed at Tokyo-3. Sure enough, Ramiel was still floating. "Are you kidding me?! That was a direct hit!"

Ritsuko didn't give herself the time to feel frustration. "Shinji, get back to the rifle now!"

Shinji froze, looking from Unit 00 to Ramiel. "What about Ayanami?"

"Ritsuko's right," Misato commanded through clenched teeth. "You and that rifle are our only hope of killing that thing. We need you back in position."

"But Ayan-"

"Move it Shinji!"

Reluctantly Unit 01 stepped away from the still smoking Unit 00 before taking up the rifle and getting back into position.

Kazuki's face twisted into a scowl, too many thoughts running through his head. This was very, very bad. The amount of time it took for the fuse to charge combined with the time needed for the targeting system just couldn't match up, the Angel was going to be faster. Without the shield and Unit 00 to protect them, they didn't stand a chance. Think, think! Ideas flashed in his mind but none of them would work. He didn't have the means to protect them, he couldn't make Shinji work faster, he couldn't even fight back. There was nothing he could do. Nothing, except…

He looked to his demons. They were spent, barely able to keep up with his demands of them. Neko Shogun was completely out of magic. He looked back to the Evangelions, feeling every second tick down. There was one thing he could do. Only one.

He turned his back to them and ran.

Ritsuko saw his movements from the base, frowning in confusion. "What is Saito doing?"

Misato tore her eyes away from Unit 01 to glance at him, only to double take. "He is running away? Seriously?!" She moved to the microphone. "Saito, return to position immediately! Get back and help Unit 1!" There was no response as he disappeared from the view of the cameras. Koshimizu pushed her out of the way, his brow creased with confusion.

"Kazuki, can you hear me? You can't abandon the operation. Return to position, that is an order!"

Ritsuko scowled. "So much for that. Forget him, we can't afford to be distracted."

Misato nodded. "Unit 1, load next fuse!" Unit 01 pulled the bolt back once again, ejecting the second fuse next to the first. Shinji swallowed his fear and watched Ramiel as it regained its form, solidifying once again. "How long until we can fire?"

"The targeting system needs to be recalibrated," Maya grimaced. "The Eva moving and the residual energy from the Angels attack is causing interference."

"Shit!" Misato stepped back, head in her hands. Her plan was falling apart before her very eyes. They were going to fail. Shinji was going to die. Everyone was going to die.

Koshimizu turned to Abdiel. "Archangel, I beseech you take action." Her reptilian eyes observed him, her body unmoving. "It is your duty to protect humanity, you must take action!"

"Perhaps this is judgement," She hummed under her breath.

"Judgement?!" Misato whipped around, fury radiating from her body. "If this is some judgement from some asshole on high, then you're just as guilty for everyone that will die here!"

"The Angel is nearly completely stable!" Maya interrupted them before they could argue further. "Unit 1's targeting system won't be ready for another thirty seconds!"

"Damnit," Misato hissed. "Shinji, can you take the shot?"

Within Unit 01, Shinji's breath was shaky as the targeting system crept into position slower than before. "There's no way, I can't lock it on!"

All eyes turned to Ramiel, once more assuming its octahedral form. A slow, inhuman hum began to emanate from its core as its body began to glow. It was beginning to charge its attack.

"New energy signal growing!" Hyuga announced.

"Yes," Ritsuko muttered. "We can see."

"No," He turned to face them. "I meant it's an entirely new energy signal."

"What? What is it?"

He pointed at a map display of Mount Futago. "It's coming from the other mountain, right here."

Misato analysed the situation in a second. "Unit 1, we need you to look at the twin mountain, approximately at equal elevation to yourself!" Confused but too afraid to ignore any orders, Shinji turned his head to the side, scanning the mountain as quickly as he could for anything that would catch his eye. "Stop! Right there!" The visual display focused in on a distant red glow, magnifying to allow both the pilot and the command team a better view of the source of the new signal. The collective shock that went through everyone like a wave. "Is that…?"

Ritsuko nodded. "Kazuki."

Kazuki ran, ran faster than any human could. He moved between the trees and terrain of the mountain like a river, never stopping, only continuing forward, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Evangelions.

Young man, we must return! Aogamis voice had a desperation Kazuki wasn't used to. We cannot allow pilots Ikari and Ayanami to fall. We have been ordered to return!

"It's no use," He huffed as he vaulted over a fallen log. "If we stay, everyone will be killed."

They cannot retreat, countered the voice. Abandoning them will only save us, and we do not have the means to defeat this enemy.

"I know that. But we can still help."

The voice paused. You have a plan.

"I do."

What is it?

"We don't need the power to kill the Angel. We just need to make the Angel think we do?"

What will that achieve?

"Time." He came to a stop in a clearing that gave him a clear view of both Unit 01 and Ramiel. "We can give Ikari the time he needs to finish it."

Young man, I must object. The risk to your person is too great. There is no chance of your survival should you proceed with this plan.

"But what about our chance of success?" Aogami was quiet. "Aogami, that ugly purple titan is the only thing that can stop Ramiel."

Your safety is my first priority. I cannot allow you to endanger yourself like this.

"Weren't you telling me to stay with the pilots, even if it endangered me?"

I- He faltered.

"I'm sorry, but I won't die because of orders. If I have to fight, let me choose where and how."

… Very well. Then, as always, my power is yours.

"Thank you." He flicked his wrist, resummoning Neko Shogun to his side, then closing his eyes and focusing. He crossed his arms in hornet of his face, then snapping them in front of his chest, once more with fingers splayed, exterior fingers connected, left directed skyward and right towards the earth. Slowly droplets of red energy were drawn into his body as he charged his magatsuhi.

Ritsuko turned to Koshimizu. "What is he doing?"

"He's drawing in magatsuhi," He muttered. "But to what end?"

"Saito, what are you doing?" Misato shouted over the comms, her desperation growing. "You need to get back in position now! Get back and cover Shinj!"

He breathed out, not letting his focus waver. "It's pointless. Ikari doesn't have enough time before the next attack."

"That's why you're supposed to help him!" Her voice echoed in the small room, making the others wince. "Get back and defend him until he can!"

"I'm not powerful enough to protect him. It'll just kill all three of us."

"So you only care about saving yourself, is that it?"

"No," He responded, voice completely flat. "From here, I can hit the Angel."

"He's trying to take it out himself?" Ritsuko shook her head. "You realise that will never work, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then what the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm drawing fire."

Everyone froze. From within Unit 01, Shinji's eyes went wide. "What?"

"I can't kill Ramiel, only Ikari has the means to do that. If I can get it to target me instead, then that should give him enough time to take the shot."

"Ten seconds!" Hyuga announced, eyes glued to Unit 01's targeting system.

Misato shook herself from her surprise. "How? The distance is too great for you."

"Neko Shogun is a war god," He explained. "I can mimic its power and channel my magatsuhi into Freikugel. That should be enough."

"No!" Koshimizu surged forward. "This is out of the question. You realise this is suicide?"

"I'm aware."

Shinji shook his head. "Stop! You can't do that!"

"Ikari-"

"There has to be another way! Please, you can't-"

"Ikari, focus!" He shouted over the pilot, his serenity fading a moment. "Don't worry about me. You're the only one that can do this."

"But-"

"You need to focus on what's important. You need to keep Rei safe."

Shinji froze. He looked back to Unit 00. She had done that to herself to keep him alive. Was she still alive herself?

At that moment, Ramiel shifted, flowering into another attack, power rippling as another screech emanated from its core. "Target is amassing energy!"

Kazukis eyes flew open, the red light exploding into golden fire that licked at his body. He outstretched his right hand, pointed directly at the Angels core. The flames coalesced between his fingers into pure white light mixed with fractions of black and gold. His hair began to whip as if caught in the wind, and his feet lifted off the ground. The Angel adjusted its position, giving him a clearer shot. Shinji watched on in horror, desperate to save him. Feeling the boy's eyes on him, Kazuki smiled with false confidence.

"I can only get you one shot," He declared, power brimming in his hand. "You can do this, Shinji!"

Ramiel's scream reached its peak as it fired its full power at the mountain. Kazuki let loose the power within him, letting the magic bullet shoot through the night. The beams pass by each other, perhaps in another effort to throw the shot off course, but Kazuki's attack stuck to its true path. It ignored any defence put up by the Angel, ignoring its AT field as if it was mere air, and grazed its core. Even if his aim had been dead on, Kazuki would never have killed it with that attack alone. But it still hurt the Angel. Ramiel folded in on itself defensively, hiding its core at the centre of its octahedral base form, any offensive cut off.

Kazuki didn't see this. The moment he let loose the Freikugel from his fingers, his vision had been filled by the light of Ramiel's power. Instinctively he drew his arms in to defend himself, and in his mind he simply accepted his fate. If he screamed, no one heard.

The beam pierced through the surface of the mountain, instantly liquefying the rock inside before detonating, exploding the mountain like a bubble in a rain of molten rock and fire, leaving only a crater.

"Unit 1 locked on!"

Misato didn't hesitate. "Fire!"

For the third and final time, Shinji pulled the trigger. There was nothing to interfere this time, no disruption, no counterattack. His shot tore through Ramiel, destroying the core and burning a smoking hole through its body. Its body went dim as it crashed into the ground, no longer free from the confines of gravity.

Misato leaned forward. "Did we get it?" After so many complications, she was expecting something else to go wrong.

Ritsuko scanned the screens. "Yes. There's no sign of life from within the Angel." A collective sigh swept through the NERV staff, a sentiment not shared by their Bethel counterparts.

Unit 01 tore the cover off Unit 00s cockpit, allowing its entry plug to emerge from the smouldering remains of its body. LCL sprayed out, allowing air to take its place. He tried to ignore the smoking remains of the Angel, the burning heat melting Unit 01s arm as he dragged Rei's entry plug from the Eva and onto the ground, and the crater where he had last seen Kazuki. He just focused on Rei.

Emerging from his own entry plug, he ran down the body of the Eva to the hand. Unit 00s entry plug was deformed, burnt and partly liquid. Goodbye, Shinji. In desperation he grabbed the handles for the entry plug's door, the heat easily passing through his plug suit, but in his fear he didn't care how much it hurt. Slowly he managed to turn them, his palms screaming at him to let go, but he persisted until the door flew open. Without hesitation he ducked in. "Ayanami! Are you alright?!" In the darkness of the entry plug, Rei lay slumped, unresponsive. "Ayanami!"

She remained motionless, until her eyes slowly opened, followed by her head rising off her shoulder. She groaned, exhausted from the night. She focused on the blurry shape that contrasted against the dull metal of the entry plug, eventually taking the shape of a teary eyed Shinji. His entire body relaxed, the fear released from his body. He pulled himself inside the plug, trying to stop the tears from falling.

He smiled at her. "Don't ever say that. Just don't say that you have nothing else! Just don't say that." She blinked at him, confused by his behaviour of smiles and tears. "And don't say 'bye' when you leave on a mission. It's just too sad." His body slumped over, his own exhaustion catching up to him. He couldn't fight back the tears any longer. He knew Kazuki was gone, there was nothing he could do, but Rei was alive. They were both alive. He felt guilty at how happy that made him feel.

She watched him cry, not moving from her seat, trying to understand his tears. But it made no sense to her. He was so… other to her. She sat forward, tilting her head. "Why are you crying?" The boy didn't reply, and her gaze dropped. "I'm very sorry. I don't know what I should do or feel at a time like this."

Shinji's eyes emerged from beneath his head of hair. Though the tears were still in his eyes, his smile was brighter than ever. "Why don't you just try smiling?"

She turned to him. His expression, one of sorrow and joy, reflected in her crimson eyes. It was a smile she understood, one warm and familiar. It was the same smile she saw on the face of the commander, on his father. Her eyes grew wide, and the boy before her wasn't an 'other' anymore. Shinji was smiling at her… because he was happy. She felt the corners of her mouth turn upwards. It was a beautiful smile.

With the Angel defeated there was only the matter of packing up the operation. Ayanami had been taken back to NERV headquarters within the geofront for proper medical attention while Shinji sat on the outskirts, both too tired to act but too full of adrenaline to sleep. The adults, however, stayed, looking into the smouldering crater that had once been half of Mount Futago.

Misato observed the cooling lava, letting her thoughts wander. "This really was a disaster, wasn't it?"

"I'll say." Ritsuko took a drag of her cigarette, the second one that night. "We're still alive though."

Misato looked over her shoulder. Koshimizu was passing back and forth, instructing a group of angels to continue their search. Despite flying through the area several times, they had found nothing. "Saito isn't." Ritsuko said nothing. "I feel awful, accusing him like that."

"He seemed to take it on the chin."

"Is that supposed to make it better?" Misato scowled. "He's dead, I don't think that really matters."

The doctor sighed. "I know that. I'm just… confused by it all. I misjudged him, alright? I didn't think he was capable of that sort of thing."

"As in you didn't know he had that kind of power, you didn't know he had it in him?"

She exhaled a puff of smoke through her nose, then dropped the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. "Both, I suppose."

Koshimizu was still pacing. The pair approached him, not sure if he knew they were there.

"We must find them," He muttered. "They have to, I won't allow failure.

The women shot each other a pained look, before Ritsuko stepped forward. "Director Koshimizu?"

"Yes, what is it?" He didn't even look up at them.

"It's time to call off the search."

"No," He shook his head. "They're out there. We need to find them, they'll need immediate attention."

"I don't think there's anything to find," Misato placed a hand on his shoulder. "We reviewed the footage. Saitio took the beam head on. There's no way he could have survived that."

"I don't accept that. Their fate isn't to fall in some skirmish."

"We understand, but we can't do anything. Fate or not, real life is random. We have to… move on."

Koshimizu pushed her arm off him, eyes lined with emotion. It looked like he wanted to say something, but his jaw remained locked in place. He shook his head and stepped back. They stood wordlessly, unable to find their next words.

"Captain Katsuragi!"

They turned to a man in a helmet, running over to them. "What is it?"

He pointed in the direction he came from. He was sweating, but not from the heat. "There's something… something coming out of the wreckage."

She turned to Ritsuko, who had a face of shock. Koshimizu didn't wait, running in the direction with the two NERV representatives close on his heels. They came to a stop at a still smoking section of the mountain, fires burning just out of sight. There was a dull, rhythmic sound, and slowly Kazuki stumbled towards them. Misato's jaw dropped. Ritsuko shook her head, muttering how impossible it was. Koshimizu smiled.

He wasn't unscathed. The vibrant blue glow running through his body and hair had dulled to a near grey, his right arm hung loosely at his side, the metallic skin cracked and leaking a mixture of blood and magatsuhi. His armour was scorched, covered in soot and ash, and he stumbled as if intoxicated. It took him a moment to register the people in front of him, leading to a tired smile to crawl across his face.

"Ah," He murmured. "Alive then." At that point he fell onto his knees before collapsing entirely. His body shimmered and suddenly he was two people once again, Aogami on the right and Kazuki to the left. Aogami had similar damage to their united form, but no blood came from his body. In contrast, Kazuki was battered, bruised and bloody, but not broken like his other half.

"I don't understand," Ritsuko muttered.

"We need a stretcher!" Misato shouted, beckoning to the workers. "We have two injured, they need medical attention!"

Kazuki barely paid attention to any of this. He looked to Aogami, his face peaceful. The proto-fiend looked at him without moving his head, and KAzuki felt a painful chuckle in his chest. "Sorry. You were just fixed too."

Aogami closed his eyes. "You are safe. That is all I care about."

"Ha."

They were led away separately, with Kazuki barely able to cling on to consciousness. He passed through the main operation setup as it was being dismantled, which just so happened to be when a tired Shinji Ikari was waiting for Misato to take him home. He saw them pass, not immediately recognising the boy on the stretcher, only to bolt upright when he saw the white lilies on his Jouin uniform. "Saito!" He shouted, running over to them, exhaustion completely forgotten. When he saw the older boy rouse, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. "You're alive! I thought… I…" words caught in his throat, once more overwhelmed by emotion.

Kazuki blinked drearily, struggling to focus. "Shinji." He grunted, trying to face him. "Is Ayanami…"

The boy nodded. "She's alive."

"You did it," He breathed out as he began to lose his grip on consciousness. "I knew you would."

"Don't do that! You can't do something like that again!"

Kazuki's lip twitched upwards. "Sorry Shinji… No promises." And with that he faded away, content with the result of the nights near disaster. As he was led off into a medical van, Shinji stepped away, feeling lighter than before. Kazuki, for all his oddities, had kept his word.

In the late hours of the night, or perhaps the early hours of the morning when everyone else was finally resting, there was one individual who refused to let herself relax. Ritsuko watched the footage of Ramiels final attack frame by frame, chewing at the cigarette in her mouth more than she was smoking it. It showed what she expected; a beam of particle energy moving with blinding speed, followed by the mountain exploding and the camera feed being cut off. She rewinded again, pausing on the frame of Kazuki bracing himself for the attack. She clicked to the next frame, where now his figure was merely a shadow as the beam hit, and in the next frame there was nothing but white. There was no doubt now. Ramiel had hit him dead on, with the young man taking the full power of the Angel from the front. The same power that has turned a mountain into a crater, that had reduced a shield design for planetary reentry into slag and had almost done the same to Unit 00. And yet this… kid had not only taken it without any protection but had just walked it off! He'd been bleeding and most likely had broken bones, sure, but all logic dictated that he should have been reduced to atoms in a nanosecond.

Ritsuko leaned back and spat her cigarette onto the floor, eyes refusing to leave the screen as if it would change what she was seeing. Slowly she picked her phone out of her coat and called a very important number.

"We could have a problem."

Yeah another of these things. Yay. Not like I could be writing my original story, no sir, got to deal with these brain worms.
Longer chapter this time, and once again got a lot of stuff from the show transplanted into this format which, again, I'm not a big fan of, but I got to have more freedom with it in the end. I added some stuff from the Rebuild movies (which I have never watched just seen on youtube) because it worked for the story. Like that's why ol' Ramesses the fifth needs to be shot twice rather than just once like in the show. It gave me the freedom to do more stuff, because otherwise Kazuki wouldn't have been doing much.
Speaking of, I believe I had to buff up the Nahobino to survive Ramiel because even after fighting the Hydra and Nuwa, I don't think they would be powerful enough to survive that. Please note that this will probably be the last time this happens, and he will in all likelihood be nerfed for most of the story, because SMT power scaling is bullshit.
Also describing the Evas was weird. Like I needed to do it because I did it for the Nahobino and it wouldn't be fair to those that don't really know about Evangelion but it was just weird. I don't know, random thoughts from writing this.
From this point on I think I might have to think a bit more before writing. This basically is where the set up ends so now planning actually has to take place. I have an ending in mind but I need to really think about that before working on the next chapters, so there might be a longer wait. Hope you understand.