Hello everyone, Calborghete here, how are you all?
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So without further ado, read on.
"Dialogues"
- Thoughts -
"Radio Talk"
"Self-talk."
Responsibility note:
Evangelion, its characters and setting are the property of Hideaki Anno. Any brands, films and series mentioned in this fanfic are the property of their creators.
(*)
Chapter 02 - A Angel.
Sounds of keystrokes echoed across Wunder's bridge, Misato was staring ahead, again lost in her thoughts, to the people in the lower base, they could try to predict what was going on in the head of Wunder's current commander.
For the younger ones, she was probably thinking of some strategy to defeat NERV and its new adversaries, because now Wunder could fly, she could fight the new enemies and finally WILLE could have some advantage.
For the elders, everyone could see that the commander's focus was now on something else; it didn't take a genius to see that Misato was lost in her own world, her posture showed it.
Standing with her arms crossed over her chest, her heavy sunglasses covered her eyes, but even if they could be seen, nothing could be interpreted, they were lifeless because Misato's mind only had one thing, Shinji's desperate cries.
"Misato please!"
"Misato please!"
"Misato please!"
"Misato please!"
Misato blinked to clear her mind of Shinji's desperate cries, letting out a sigh as she brought one of her hands up to her face, still with her eyes closed using all her efforts to control herself, she had been in great doubt these days, Shinji's return had brought up feelings that had been locked away.
Feeling the weight of doubt on her shoulders, Misato once again turned her head to one of the console screens. On this screen there was an image from the security camera in Shinji's cell, showing him lying motionless on the bed, looking up.
Feeling her eyes sting at the sight, Misato could see all his depression in that image, she could see how malnourished and depressed Shinji was, feeling a strong blow to her conscience, for she knew it was all his fault, the guilt he bore alone for that fateful day.
"Shinji." Misato whispered as she squeezed the space between her eyes in the hope of calming down but in her head a strong battle was being fought, half her mind telling her to stop being a monster and go to Shinji's aid, she could feel that what she was doing was wrong.
But another part of her mind was struggling to keep up, saying that Wunder needed a commander, that these were not times for empathy, what would happen if she showed pity in front of the captured enemy?
Feeling the adrenaline take over her body, Misato grimaced as she didn't know what to do at a time like this, her mind flooded with memories of old times, not when she arrived home from work at NERV after a tiring day, but when she was greeted by Shinji cooking a wonderful dinner.
"I can't let myself be carried away by the past." Misato whispered to herself as she closed her eyes, lifting her head up in the hope of clearing those thoughts and memories, but again she failed.
"Misato?" She could see that Misato had a lot on her shoulders, and knowing that Shinji was the cause, she felt a shiver run down her back.
Hearing her colleague's call, Misato turned her head and looked her friend in the eye, speaking in a cold, controlled voice. "What's wrong?"
Ritsuko just stared back at Misato, knowing that she was on the verge of exploding at this point, and asked in a soft, calm voice. "Nothing, you look lost."
Misato lowered her eyes as she listened to Ritsuko, she knew she wasn't concentrating fully on her duty because of Shinji, but she quickly pulled herself together, speaking in a strong, controlled voice. "I'm fine."
Misato was given Sakura's latest diagnosis on Shinji's general condition, shuddering when she heard that he had yet another worsening of his system and how his body was rapidly wasting away, giving her no choice but to insert a feeding tube.
Misato didn't want to go to such extremes, but she couldn't let Shinji kill himself, her external motives said that they should hand the prisoner over for his trial, but the reality was different, Misato didn't want to lose Shinji, his loss would be terrible for what was left of her humanity and faith in a possible future.
He still felt a small spark of hope when he saw Asuka's argument with Shinji on the security cameras. Misato really wanted Shinji to be sentenced to serve at Wunder, but that wasn't in his line of command.
Knowing that even in a perfect future where Shinji didn't get a very severe sentence, the future held a difficult fate for Shinji, it wouldn't be easy to face what was to come alone.
Feeling a pang of pity and a weight on her conscience as she realized that she had let the situation go as far as it had, Misato was on the verge of exploding.
Seeing the lie, Ritsuko wished she could press the issue, but she knew that Misato was no longer the woman she knew from college or from her years working at NERV, knowing that the purple-haired woman was adamant in these dark times.
Nodding in agreement, Ritsuko quickly turned her attention to the diagram in front of her, which showed a new version of the DSS choker, making the necessary improvements because she feared that Shinji would somehow remove the current one.
Misato looked at Ritsuko's screen, she could see that she was working on a new version of the choker, her mind gave an annoyed sigh, she knew that Shinji wouldn't remove the new one, that all this was something completely unnecessary, she approached slowly.
"What's that?" Misato asked in a controlled voice, even though she already knew the obvious.
Ritsuko was looking at the new specifications of the explosive choker, speaking without turning around, her focus was on the task in front of her. "It's the new choker, I've made a few modifications."
"What for?" Misato asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes focused on Ritsuko's back.
"I guess it's easy to tell by now, isn't it?" Ritsuko retorted in a venomous voice, but then decided to reveal the reason for the change. "Shinji somehow managed to remove the previous one, I've modified it to make it more difficult."
Misato felt a twinge in her back when she heard this, she believed that it wasn't Shinji who had removed it, but someone at NERV with some technical knowledge, finding it completely unnecessary. "That won't be necessary, Shinji won't be leaving Wunder anymore."
Ritsuko stopped typing, turning and glaring at her superior; she knew that Misato was thinking a lot about Shinji these days. "We thought that last time."
"Last time we weren't prepared." Misato retorted as she sensed the hint, looking at Ritsuko with strong eyes. "The new choker will detonate if it gets out of reach."
"We can't take any chances." Ritsuko said as she pulled out a cigarette, lit it and took a long drag. "Shinji is dangerous, we have to take every precaution."
Misato wanted to be able to argue, she wanted to be able to say that she was wrong, but unfortunately Shinji proved to be dangerous, but how dangerous was he?
Seeing that the matter had died with her last argument, Ritsuko returned to her work, she could feel Misato's eyes on her back, unlike the Wunder commander, she had nothing against ending Shinji's life seeing that he was making things more dangerous.
Lowering her gaze to her hands, Ritsuko felt her own words, knowing that everything was being thrown behind Shinji's back, knowing that she had crossed a line.
"Look Misato." Ritsuko said as she turned and faced her, she could see that this situation was not being easy for her friend, she realized that she had gotten the attention she wanted, she decided to finish her thought.
"I didn't want things to end like this for Shinji, I really didn't." Ritsuko said as she quickly lowered her gaze to her hands, turning back to face Misato with a look of pity. "But he's only shown that he's a danger."
Misato listened to her friend's words, thinking about what she could answer, Shinji had really done a lot of stupid things, leaving Wunder and almost causing an impact really didn't help his case, with a heavy sigh, Misato walked closer to Ritsuko.
"Yes, unfortunately he's a danger." Misato spoke in a dejected voice, holding up one of her arms in a rare moment as she lowered her defenses momentarily. "But I often find myself thinking, we should have done things differently."
"What do you mean?" Ritsuko leaned on her desk as she smoked a cigarette.
Misato shook her head slightly, she didn't want to feed that side of her, but there were times when the dam had to be relieved. "When he woke up, the way he looked at everyone, the way everyone looked at him."
"That was all understandable." Ritsuko said as she let out a large cloud of smoke. "Everyone was face to face with the person who caused all this, we can't blame them for feeling resentment."
"I know that." Misato spoke in a controlled voice. "But I can blame myself, at least on my part... I was there that day, I should have acted differently." Misato spoke as she scratched her head, showing her discomfort.
"Misato." Ritsuko spoke with understanding in her voice. "What happened that day wasn't your fault."
Misato snorted sarcastically, she had told herself this many times, but the reality was different, Shinji had run away from Wunder for various reasons. "He's not one hundred percent to blame for his escape, we should have told him about the Ayanami models beforehand."
She looked at her friend as she took another drag from her cigarette. "Do you think it would be different?"
"It would have been." Misato said dryly as she looked Ritsuko in the eye. "He wouldn't have gone if he'd known about her."
Ritsuko sensed the venom in Misato's words, she had her own opinion, but from the tone used by the purple-haired woman, she decided to end the matter right there.
"That may be, but it doesn't change the fact that that's what happened." Ritsuko said as she let out more smoke, keeping her voice controlled and with characteristic coolness. "Now we can only think about the future."
"Future." Misato spoke with a skeptical tone, her eyes soon falling on the horizon, seeing how the red earth touched everything as far as the eye could see, having thought about it for a long time in these fourteen years.
Misato had never said this to anyone, but her vision of the future was not good at all. Somehow she knew that she would never see the land in peace, and she couldn't explain the feeling that was coursing through her at the moment, but before that day could come, she would still have to cover a lot of ground.
With her mind again on Shinji, Misato looked forward again, her hands firmly fixed behind her back, she could only have her thoughts for company, she wanted to be able to talk about Shinji's condition with other people, with people who would understand her point in her favor, but who would that person be? That was the answer Misato's mind yearned for.
- Shinji please try to understand my side. - Misato thought pleadingly as she imagined the scenarios where Shinji perceived her theatrics, where her actions were not how she really thought or felt about him, the world had become a cruel place, weaknesses could not be tolerated, but would helping Shinji be a weakness?
Shaking her head at not having the answers she wanted, Misato again thought of her position as commander of Wunder, knowing that the lives of everyone inside depended on her judgment, a stark contrast to her previous thought, could she think of only one person?
"Shit." Misato whispered as she brought her hands to her face and squeezed the space between her eyes, she wished she could have all the answers, she wished she could drop everything and go to Shinji's cell at night and the two of them could have a long talk, but again her mind screamed, would it be best for her to get close to Shinji again?
"I don't know." Misato whispered again to herself, thankful that all her subordinates were too focused on their duties to listen or care a bit about what was going through her head at the moment, but one thing was certain, Misato wanted the world to be at peace so she could finally relax and do the right thing.
"Coming!"
A scream snapped Misato out of her reverie, and soon alarms flooded her vision in a bright red, clearing her mind of unnecessary thoughts, Misato was once again with her commander version activated, quickly ordering her subordinates at the lowest level.
"Level one battle stations!"
(*)
Not long before.
Mari was walking through the corridors of Wunder, she wanted to be able to meet Sakura to talk about Shinji's condition, she was terribly worried about him about it, his last conversation with her about it hadn't ended very well.
Still remembering Sakura's words about letting Shinji die was giving the woman who loved pink chills, she knew that time was running out, and it was running out fast.
Finally entering the ward room, Mari looked for Sakura, seeing how everyone was focused on their routine activities, it wasn't difficult for Mari to spot Sakura approaching in her best form, Mari put a friendly smile on her face as she approached the young doctor.
Sakura was preparing some things, she had received Misato's new orders about placing a feeding tube in Shinji, feeling her heart squeeze knowing that WILLE was prolonging his suffering as long as it could.
Seeing someone approaching, Sakura quickly felt her facial features sour at Mari's proximity, she didn't want to see the faces of the pilots around, somehow she thought what Asuka thought and said was wrong, she still didn't know Mari's real thoughts on the matter, but judging by the fact that they were both always together, Sakura concluded that they must both think the same.
Mari approached Sakura's desk, taking a look at the medical materials the doctor was preparing. Recognizing the equipment, Mari concluded that Shinji's situation had worsened again, and a small frown appeared on her face.
- Puppy, why are you doing this? - Mari thought sadly as she remembered Shinji, she hadn't really expected this behavior from him, she had expected him to be depressed, but not to the point of giving up on life itself, Mari was one of the few people who believed that the truth would come out.
"Hi." Mari spoke in a calm, meek voice as she approached Sakura. She saw the venomous look she received, gesturing weakly as she stopped in front of the lieutenant.
"Hi Mari." Sakura said dryly as she checked the equipment again.
"What's that?" Mari asked feigning ignorance, but she knew for sure what all this stuff on Sakura's table was, and her question was just to break the ice of the situation.
Sakura stopped what she was doing, looking again at Mari who was standing in front of her, she looked at her face, she really didn't want to talk to her right now, but judging by Mari she knew she wouldn't leave.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Sakura spoke in a calm, dejected voice, the thought of Shinji destroying her mood. "That's the feeding tube."
Seeing that Mari was going to ask why, Sakura jumped in. "Colonel Katsuragi gave me orders to put it in Shinji, so she'll force-feed him."
Mari only nodded, she had thought about it a lot, again looking Sakura in the eye. "Sakura, can we talk?"
Sakura was getting ready to go and carry out the order, but she stared into Mari's eyes, seeing how uncomfortable she really was with the situation. "I have to carry out the orders."
"Yes, but can I go along?" Mari spoke in a pleading voice, she wished she could have a chance to talk to Shinji and she could talk to Sakura on the way.
Sakura snorted, only she and Misato were allowed to get close to Shinji, but Mari had never openly disliked him like everyone else, Sakura didn't know that Mari cared about Shinji.
"Look Mari, I don't know." Sakura said doubtfully, she was afraid of getting involved in trouble.
"I won't get in the way." Mari said with a smile on her face; at least Sakura was thinking about it. "I want to see him too."
Sakura felt her face fall into an annoyed mask, in her head, everyone was happy with Shinji's suffering, speaking with venom in their voices. "What for? To see the show from a box seat?"
Mari felt a twinge, but it didn't affect her that she could understand Sakura about it, her intentions really were in the dark these days, not even Asuka knew for sure what was going on in her head, this would be the perfect opportunity to change Sakura's view of her at least.
Raising her hands in a sign of peace, Mari spoke in a calm, quiet voice. "No, I don't want anything bad to happen to the puppy." Sakura didn't look confident, still staring at Mari with an analytical look.
Mari saw this and decided to speak. Looking around for privacy, she saw that the path was safe and decided to open up a little. "I mean no harm to Shinji."
Sakura calmed down a little, she knew that Mari would never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. "This is all a big joke."
Mari only watched Sakura put the medical equipment away in a backpack, she only listened to her friend vent.
"Shinji doesn't deserve that." Sakura said as she started walking, watching as Mari followed her. "Why are people prolonging his suffering?"
"Misato isn't doing this because she hates him." Mari said as she approached Sakura, seeing how interested she was. "She's doing it to protect herself."
"Protect yourself." Sakura repeated sarcastically, her mind not feeling right. "Sorry Mari, but that's not right."
"But..." Mari started to speak again, but her voice was cut off by Sakura.
"No buts!" Sakura said in a slightly annoyed voice, enough to shut Mari up. "There's no such thing as me caring behind your back! Either you care or you don't! There's no such thing, for me there's no excuse! Misato is letting Shinji suffer just to stay in the lead, all this is doing is worse than physical torture!"
Mari just stared at Sakura, she wanted to be able to counterattack, but Sakura's arguments were solid.
"If she cares so much about him, why hasn't she been to visit him?! Why hasn't she ever given him a single word of comfort? She doesn't care about him!" Sakura exploded as she stopped walking and faced Mari, using her hands to emphasize her point. "I bet she wants him alive, so maybe she can get a promotion!"
Mari didn't agree, she could see behind Misato and Asuka's masks, but she let Sakura speak to relieve the pressure.
"And Shikinami, all she knows how to do is swear and threaten!" Sakura said, remembering Asuka. "She has to take advantage of the fact that she has a pretty face, because inside, she's the ugliest of monsters!"
Mari only saw when Sakura's face began to twitch a little, seeing how emotion was beginning to win the battle.
Feeling that she was on the verge of breaking down, Sakura stopped to take a few breaths, knowing that her opinion was worthless at the top. "But it doesn't matter, it really doesn't matter, the reality is that we have a good person suffering."
"The truth will out Sakura." Mari said as she looked Sakura in the eye, saw how she didn't believe her, and knew she had to say more.
"I had a friend who was..." Mari spoke with a smile on her face, but the sound of general alarms echoed through Wunder, looking up.
"Condition level one! Everyone to their posts immediately! All pilots report to their EVAs."
Mari exchanged a quick glance with Sakura, and they both ran to their posts.
(*)
Asuka was inside her EVA, still grumbling about not accepting the fact that she now shared the input plug with Mari.
The two EVA units were unified into one, due to the injuries that unit 02 suffered when it self-destructed, and it was the only viable way to maintain the power that she could still have, Asuka was ready, but her partner was not.
Punching her own leg, Asuka was impatient, she couldn't wait any longer. "Shit!" Quickly opening a radio channel, Asuka snarled at whoever was listening.
"Where's the four eyes!"
"It's on its way!" Maya reported from her seat, ready to implement. "It's putting in its suit plug!"
Ready to retort, Asuka was thinking about what she could have done to make Mari late, knowing that she still hadn't had a proper talk with her war buddy after the little argument in the hallway and the moment with Sakura in the cafeteria.
Lowering her gaze as she remembered Sakura's words about Shinji and her own moment with him in the cells, how he was giving up on life without even thinking about it, in Asuka's eyes Shinji had to be punished, but not to the point of losing his life over it. Even though people called him a monster or a murderer, she knew those words were unfair, Shinji wasn't a bad person, he didn't deserve what was happening.
Feeling that she was losing the internal battle, Asuka soon had a thought, a thought that she herself didn't want to have, knowing that she was losing Shinji led to a bad taste in her mouth.
Feeling a chill run through her body at the knowledge that Shinji was dying, Asuka felt her eyes burning with the emotion that was coursing through her body, completely ignoring the pre-battle moment that was about to take place.
Feeling that her mind was going in a dark direction, Asuka quickly shook her head to refocus, she couldn't fight thinking about Shinji, she would have to have her head on straight, the enemy had no mercy, the enemy wouldn't stop because of her thoughts.
Asuka nodded as she entered into an internal agreement, she made a vow that when she came back again she would talk to Shinji, but this time she would do it differently from before, she would find a way to get into his cell and talk face to face.
As Asuka thought about her life inside the entry plug, a loud explosion echoed through the Wunder strong enough to shake everything, coming out of her thoughts, Asuka looked around for any sign of Mari, seeing how her war buddy was getting up after the thud of the explosion.
"Where are the EVAS?" Misato's anxious voice echoed everywhere.
Asuka could sense that things were more serious than usual, she could only do one thing, shout for Mari to hurry. "Four eyes! Come on!"
Running and jumping into the entry plug, Mari was thankful that the LCL was already being injected, cushioning her fall, seeing that everything was within the realm of possibility, Mari adjusted her glasses and spoke with forced humor. "I'm home."
Asuka wanted to hit her for her clumsiness, wanting to know why she was taking so long, she only spoke as she began to start the EVA, being able to feel the connections of the now red and pink giant.
"Where were you!?" Asuka growled at Mari, once again a loud explosion took over the hangar, the pilots couldn't see, but a large hole opened up in the outer walls.
"I wanted to talk to the puppy." Mari spoke as she concentrated, she could feel the connection with her EVA, sensing Asuka's presence.
Asuka paused for a moment as she heard about Shinji, a flash of his face flooded her mind, cleaning as much as she could, then the redhead went back to her work, finally the rainbow of colors flooded the entry plug.
"My God." Asuka spoke in horror as she saw the external image, seeing the huge hole in the structure of the Wunder, quickly preparing for battle, they could both see that everything was being prepared so that they could be implemented into the hull of the mighty ship.
"This is it!" Mari said anxiously, knowing that they would soon be fighting, watching as the elevator took her upstairs, both of their eyes wide as they saw the scene in front of them.
"Damn." Mari spoke as she saw dozens of infinity gaps struggling to destroy the Wunder's hull, only to be stopped by the rain of shots that the Wunder's cannons were firing.
Cleaning the hull as best they could, the mighty cannons of the Wunder were struggling to keep up, seeing how the enemies were hitting with what they had in their hull, punching, biting, kicking, any act that could cause damage.
(*)
On the bridge, everyone was on the verge of panic, watching as hundreds of enemies tried to board the ship.
Misato was looking ahead with anxious eyes, she could see the status of the damage Wunder was suffering. "Situation!?"
"Damage to sectors D to N!" Hyuga reported in an anxious voice, his eyes never leaving the screen in front of him.
"Casualty report in sector E!" Shigeru reported in a fearful voice.
"Where's the fucking EVA!" Misato growled as she turned to Ritsuko who was standing next to her, she could see how she was struggling to keep everything in shape inside the Wunder, with the damage received, a lot of systems were falling down.
"They're being implemented!" Ritsuko said as she turned around quickly, she had a lot of work to do. "They're outside."
Quickly grabbing her radio, Misato was beginning to worry, the Wunder's situation was serious and getting worse. "Girls! Clean the hull!"
"Right!" Asuka and Mari's voices spoke together.
(*)
"Girls! Clear the hull!" Asuka and Mari could feel Misato's anxiety, they could see that the situation was not the most favorable, there were many enemies on the hull.
Both nodded as they knew what to do. Holding their controls tightly, the two pilots spoke together with determination.
"Right!"
Ordering the EVA to run, the 02 + 08 unit ran fast for the hull, in its hands was a Magorox sword, its purple energy beam the only weapon that could pierce the enemy's strong armor.
"Here!" Asuka snarled as she drove her sword through her enemy's chest, watching as a severe gash appeared, smiling as she saw her prey fall inertly from the hull.
"One less." Mari said, smiling as she saw more enemies, some of whom were being shot by the cannons.
Protecting the rest of the EVAS parts that were blown up by the Wunder's shots, Asuka and Mari ran, swiping their swords in all directions, feeling the impacts go through their EVA's arm, they could see the enemies lying on the hull.
Stopping to look ahead, Mari and Asuka were staring at a new enemy, but a strong explosion hit them, feeling the force of the blast pushing the body of the red and pink EVA backwards.
Rolling several meters, the giant WILLE struggled desperately to get back on its feet, Asuka and Mari quickly tried to grab anything they could find, as they could see that the Wunder's hull was running out, if they didn't hold on soon, it wouldn't be long before they fell off the huge ship.
Finally slamming her weapon into the metal hull, Asuka saw that it had probably caused damage, but they had to steady themselves, there were still many enemies to defeat.
"Misato!" Asuka growled as she saw that they had almost been killed by Wunder's attack, feeling the EVA stand up again. "What the fuck! Tell those idiots to watch where they're shooting!"
Returning their focus to the enemies, Mari/Asuka raised their defense, they knew time was short, again running and slashing enemies, the infinity gaps weren't a real enemy, but they couldn't give them the chance to swarm.
Seeing some of the enemies slipping and falling down the great cliff, Asuka could see that at least they were managing to manage the battle well, one by one the enemies could be defeated, but there were still too many.
With Wunder losing time, they knew it was only a matter of time before it suffered more critical damage and with the loss of Wunder, nothing could stop NERV with its plan to end the world.
Soon their eyes locked on their new target, an EVA, standing looking at them, his appearance was frightening, his inner body was black, only his eyes carried any color, they were red, for religious people, they could say he was a demon who had escaped from hell.
"Girls!" Misato shouted at the alert, her voice agitated, Asuka and Mari just looked at the enemy standing there, in one of his hands was a Longinus spear. "He's got a spear!"
"Swear?!" Asuka shouted sarcastically, she could sense that the same thing was going through Mari's head right now.
"Let's finish him off!" Mari said determinedly, and lowered her gaze when she saw Asuka just below. "Like all the others, right princess?"
"Right four eyes!" Asuka snarled as she ran towards the enemy, raising her sword high, seeing how the enemy was standing still just waiting for the attack. "Die!" Shouted Asuka as she lowered her weapon, she only saw when he raised his spear.
Feeling sparks flying through the air, the black EVA took a step backwards as he spun the spear in the air, turning the tip of the weapon forward, the black EVA tried to attack with quick, fierce movements.
Seeing how the red and pink giant moved backwards while blocking the blows they received, the blows were strong and agile, both pilots were beginning to worry about their enemy.
(*)
"Maintain constant fire!" Misato ordered as she saw the graphics in front of her, how the system was adjusting the aim so that the shots were perfect, her attention was divided between removing the enemies from the Wunder and at the same time she was on Mari and Asuka, seeing how the new enemy was giving them a hard time. "Situation!"
"We're losing ground!" Hyuga reported in growing panic, soon sounds of metal being destroyed echoed across the bridge, a sign that the enemy was managing to cause more critical damage. "The pilots are in trouble!"
"They've lost the cable!" Sumire reported from her post, watching with a red neon marker showing the remaining five minutes of power.
"Wings being heavily damaged!" Midori reported as she turned her head in panic, her eyes showing her despair, letting out a small cry as she braced herself, a strong jolt requiring everyone inside the Wunder to brace themselves somewhere.
The bridge was lit up by a loud explosion outside, all eyes watched as one of the freighters exploded into a huge yellow fireball, everyone stared in horror as the AT field held the huge fireball.
"My God." Misato whispered as she saw that the battle was being lost, feeling her hands trembling at the sight, she began to see that the situation was unlikely to be reversed.
"Send all the power from the S2 engine to the cannons!" Ritsuko shouted as she received the damage reports, seeing how the enemies were trying to reach the compartment where unit 01 was. "Don't let them swarm!"
Misato just put her hand to her face, she was thinking about how she could turn this situation in her favor, but no plausible idea was reigning in her mind at the moment.
"Unit 02 + 08 has lost its arm!" Midori screamed in horror as she received the damage reports.
(*)
"Ah!" Both pilots screamed as they felt their arm being ripped off, holding the limb and feeling the nerve return.
Asuka looked ahead to see the black EVA twirling her weapon with precise and rapid movements, she was beginning to lose faith in the battle, they could see that everything they gave wasn't being enough.
Looking to the side and seeing the amount of energy left, Asuka knew that this battle could not be won, thinking of the options she had she looked out, she could see the Wunder being massacred by the failures of infinity, it would only be a matter of time before the great ship collapsed, looking to the other side, Asuka saw what was left of the ships that were over the AT field.
Nodding in defeat, Asuka considered ejecting, but who would rescue them? With the loss of the Wunder, they would be up against the infinity gaps on their own, there was no escape, biting her lip as she felt out of options.
"Princess!" Mari shouted as she pulled herself together, she could see that things were looking bad for them as she quickly glanced at the energy marker, showing that her EVA had already used up half of its battle capacity.
Using her one good arm, Mari raised her defense, watching as her enemy's spear passed within centimeters of vital parts, spinning her sword, Mari was trying to block the blows, sparks flying through the air as the two weapons collided.
"Princess!" Mari shouted again when she saw that Asuka was in her world, looking again at the timer entering the final minute of operation, Mari only looked at the enemy, having finally gained some space.
"45 seconds."
Knowing that defeat was certain, Mari was having the same thoughts as Asuka at this point, there was no way she could win, but she could at least get in the way, watching as the black EVA ran towards them again, Mari tried to dodge, but her movements were slow.
"35 seconds."
Feeling her head hit hard, both girls felt their heads cloud over with the blow, Asuka was struggling to stay awake, an idea came into her mind, she wouldn't be defeated like this. "Mari I have an idea!"
"25 seconds."
Nodding at the idea, Mari knew it was the end, she only gave her best smile when she saw that a few glitches from the infinity had caused more damage to Wunder, the fight was truly lost. "Let's do it, are you with me?"
"15 seconds."
"All the way." Asuka said with a smile, and they both reached down and pulled a metal handle, both knowing what this meant.
Seeing how the red and pink giant's eyes began to flash, the black EVA ran towards him, raising his spear to impale his defenseless target.
"07 seconds."
Penetrating the red and pink giant's abdomen, they both struggled against the nervous feedback the blow caused.
Asuka was in her own world, she was watching as Mari fought with everything she could against the damage, knowing that many things had been lost in this time of struggle, many friends, many relatives, but one thing stuck in Asuka's mind, a phrase from Mari about it. "You can talk."
Mari slipped her free arm around her enemy's waist, pinning him in place, she could see that there was little left to go, but Asuka's question took her by surprise. "What?"
"03 seconds."
"Go ahead." Asuka said, smiling at the irony of the moment.
Mari recognized the moment Asuka was referring to, feeling Shinji's presence in her mind, she could feel the redhead's connection with the young Ikari, smiling as she left in peace. "I told you."
Asuka was smiling in her childhood fantasy, where she was being held by the person of her dreams, but this time that person had a face, and it was Shinji Ikari, whispering just for her to hear. "Baka."
Outside, the red and pink giant detonated itself, exploding into an immense ball of energy vaporizing everything that its shockwave had taken, and in its place, only two huge energy crosses remained.
(*)
"No!" Misato shouted as she braced herself, watching as the WILLE giant was lost, her eyes covered in unshed tears at the loss of her pilots. "No!"
"Unit 02 + 08 destroyed!" Hyuga spoke with regret as he learned of Mari and Asuka's deaths, seeing how several sectors of Wunder were being destroyed by the attack, it was only a matter of time before they lost. "We lost."
"No." Midori spoke in a panic as she ordered more shots, she was panicked by the impending death. "It's not over!"
Misato was staring at the huge energy crosses that were left feeling the loss of their pupils, she only closed her eyes as she felt tears streaming down her face, knowing that she couldn't save her crew.
Nodding as she knew what she had to do, she just turned around and started walking away from the bridge. "Take over."
"What?" Ritsuko said shocked to see Misato leaving, somehow she knew what her friend was going to do, watching as Misato simply turned a corner and disappeared. "I hope you know what you're doing."
Running through the corridors, Misato balanced herself with the vibrations of the blows that Wunder received, she knew she was lost, everything was lost, she just wished she still had time to do what she had in mind.
(*)
Shinji was sitting on the floor, he was hugging his knees with all the strength he had, being able to hear the battle outside and everything that was happening at Wunder.
Hearing the sound of his door opening, Shinji didn't want to see who it was, he just waited for death, but instead a strong, delicate hand grabbed his arm.
"Come on!" Misato spoke as she grasped Shinji's thin arm, she didn't have time to be delicate, seeing how Shinji wasn't cooperating with the situation, she spoke in a stronger, more hurried voice. "Come on, Shinji!"
Raising his head, Shinji glanced weakly at the person holding his arm tightly, recognizing the red uniform and purple hair. "Mi ... Misato-san?"
Misato looked Shinji in the eye, saw all his sadness, but she didn't have time to explain. "On your feet now! We don't have time!"
Shinji just watched as Misato dragged him out, he was having second thoughts, his body was screaming with the effort to keep up, she could feel the whole situation, seeing how alarms were echoing everywhere.
Finally getting to where she wanted to go, Misato quickly looked around, seeing no one to help her, she ran to the control room, Misato typed some codes into the console, seeing how everything started to work, she soon returned to Shinji.
"Misato." Shinji whispered as he looked down, his depression ignoring the scenery outside. "I'm sorry."
Looking hurriedly at the input plug being put in place, Misato watched as EVA 01's head opened, ready to receive its pilot, again looking at Shinji.
Holding on as best she could, Wunder trembled with the stress she was receiving, the sound of metal being twisted and torn flooded the place, Misato didn't know what to do.
"Shinji ... I ... I need you." Misato said quietly as she put her hand on Shinji's shoulder.
Feeling the touch on his shoulder, Shinji wished he could cry, but he had no tears left. "I ... I can't."
Kneeling in front of him, Misato used her free hand to raise his head, looking into his sad eyes. "You can Shinji, you're the only one who can."
He looked at the face of his former tutor, but Shinji was too broken, Misato's words weren't giving him the strength he needed to overcome his depression. "I'll just get in the way."
Forcing a smile, Misato put her hand on the back of Shinji's neck and, with a beeping sound, disconnected the choker.
Shinji felt as the icy material was removed, looking into Misato's eyes with confusion.
Smiling at her former protégé, Misato said. "You won't."
"I'm sorry." Shinji whispered in a broken voice as he bowed his head. "I let you down."
Pulling Shinji into a tight embrace, Misato closed her eyes as she felt Shinji's warmth on her body, feeling calm take over. "No, it was actually me who let you down."
Shinji could feel Misato's calm, she didn't know how he had wanted this hug, but her words left him confused. "I destroyed the world."
"Don't think about it now." Misato said as she held Shinji tightly, knowing that this would be the last time she would see him. "We'll talk when I get back, okay? We'll really talk the right way, just you and me."
Feeling Shinji nodding slightly, stepping back and looking at her face carefully, Misato smiled, "I need you, the world needs you again."
Shinji felt the weight of the words, not having the confidence he wanted at the moment. "But..."
Sensing that time was running out, Misato spoke more hurriedly. "No buts Shinji, it's now or never." Again they were rocked by another wave of explosions, Shinji looked at the walls in doubt.
"What's going on?"
Shinji only watched as Misato led him to the entry plug, still wondering what was going on, but judging by Misato's posture it wasn't good. "Misato?"
Opening and taking the nervous connectors, Misato ordered Shinji to put them on, wasting no time on anything else.
"Misato?" Shinji asked almost ready. "How are they?"
Stopping, Misato felt a shiver run down her back, turning her head again and looking at Shinji with tears in her eyes, that was enough to answer his question.
"No." Shinji said regretfully as he bowed his head and clasped his hands, even though he hated Asuka, he wouldn't accept her death, it was starting to hurt too much, she was a special person to him. "Please don't."
"Unfortunately." Misato said as she approached again, wiping away a tear that had escaped and quickly pulling herself together. "We don't have time."
Nodding as he wiped his face, Shinji wasn't going to let Misato down, he was going to fly for her, to show that he wasn't useless, he wasn't a monster.
"Please, Shinji." Misato said as she gave Shinji one last hug and a soft kiss on the top of his head. Misato was trying her best to enjoy the moment, but like all good things, one day it would have to end. "Make me proud out there, goodbye Shinji-Kun."
"Misato?" Shinji spoke confusedly as he felt her hands push him into the entry plug, not having time to adjust, Shinji only saw when he was in darkness, still having her words in his head, all he could do was adjust himself in the seat and wait.
(*)
Misato let tears run freely down her face, saying goodbye to Shinji had hurt, still feeling the loss of Mari and Asuka, she quickly turned back to the console, typing in the command that would start the separation of unit one from Wunder.
Misato only watched as the LCL pool began to empty, as the lights stopped when the Wunder lost its power source, looking with a smile at the purple giant that began to descend. "Finish them off, Shinji."
Sitting on the metal floor, Misato began to think about life, feeling that Wunder was lost, she only closed her eyes as she went to the happiest place in her life, wishing that paradise was real enough for her suffering to end, Misato only closed her eyes as she went to her safe place, keeping a peaceful smile on her face at all times, raising her hand to her chest and holding tightly to her metal cross, then she only waited.
(*)
Shinji felt the connection beginning, passed through the rainbow of colors when he saw that unit 01 was being moved, looked around to locate himself, but instead of getting out onto the deck, he simply fell.
Feeling the fall, Shinji only looked down, seeing the ground getting closer and closer and hitting the ground with a loud thud, but that wasn't what shocked him the most.
"Misato?" Shinji whispered as he saw the enormous Wunder falling from the sky, as its huge wings tore through the ground and broke apart, hitting the red soil with great violence.
"Misato!" Shinji ordered his EVA to run, he was watching everything, feeling the weight of guilt flood his body. "Sakura!"
He saw how the Wunder was a tangle of metal explode into an immense yellow fireball, a huge shockwave hit Shinji, strong enough to throw him backwards, the heat was so intense that it managed to melt his armor.
"No!" Shinji ignored the pain of feeling the EVA's flesh roast, punching the entry plug as he saw that everyone was dead inside what was left of the Wunder, watching as everything burned in a fiery inferno, holding his head tightly as he saw that he had lost everyone he loved. "No!"
But a sound caught his attention, a high-pitched scream came from the heavens, he only had time to dodge when a huge red spear hit the ground at his feet.
In the background, rising from the smoke that rose from the explosion, the awakened form of EVA 13 floated towards them, Shinji glanced quickly at the spear on the ground to see how it had magically returned to its owner.
"My God." Shinji spoke in horror as he saw another object speeding back towards his enemy, as EVA 13 was preparing to end it all, and with a high-pitched scream, he raised his spears to the sky.
"No." Shinji whispered as he saw the gates of Guf open again, now he knew what Misato had asked him to destroy the enemy as his last request, he nodded knowing that he would not disappoint his former guardian again, he would comply, whatever the cost.
Looking at his enemy, EVA 13 only observed the last part of his ritual, knowing very well what he had to do, keeping his iron gaze locked on EVA 01, even though they were far away from each other, for EVA, it was as if they were face to face.
Exchanging a quick glance at the remains of the burning Wunder, Shinji once again turned back to his new enemy, it was strange to look at the place where he had lost his friend, but he had to stop him, that was all he had in mind.
His heart pounding in his chest, Shinji felt sick, all this effort was taking its toll on his weakened body, he could feel that he was on the edge, even though he hadn't yet been in a fight.
Closing his eyes, Shinji remembered Fuyutsuki's words, now aware of his mother's presence within his unit, still with his eyes closed, Shinji talked to his EVA.
"Hello, Mom." Shinji spoke in a calm, hoarse voice, his throat irritated.
Feeling the presence beginning to move, Shinji smiled shyly as he imagined his mother's face, keeping his eyes closed, using the photo as a reference.
Feeling as if a pair of arms were holding him, Shinji allowed himself to travel in the welcoming presence. "I need your help."
Feeling the connection sinking in, Shinji's smile widened when he saw that his mother had accepted his request. Opening his eyes again and visualizing the enemy opening and closing his hands, Shinji felt his EVA repeating the movements.
He looked at his right hand and saw how tightly it was closed; his left hand was bizarrely unarmored, revealing the white flesh of an EVA's arm, slightly red with burns from the Wunder explosion.
Nodding when he saw that he was feeling well, Shinji looked forward again, seeing how his enemy was still standing there looking at him as he held the two spears, he just wished he could stop his father from winning.
Roaring in determination, Shinji ordered his EVA to run, feeling the ground sink with the pressure of his footsteps, seeing how the red earth rose with every step he took.
EVA 13 just watched as the enemy headed towards him, tilting his head when he saw that he had the advantage, Longinus' spears in both arms.
His body glowed a bright red as he was in a Pre-Awakening function, on his head was a halo, and with a high-pitched scream EVA 13 launched himself towards his opponent.
Seeing that his enemy was now coming towards him, Shinji quickly thought of weapons, but unfortunately he wasn't armed, knowing that they would never think of using this unit again. "Shit."
Looking forward, Shinji's eyes widened as he saw the tip of the Longinus spear being aimed at his head. He stopped and dodged it as best he could, rolling on the ground to successfully dodge it.
EVA 13 only followed his enemy's movement with his head, watching as his killing blow grazed his target, snarling as he turned and used his other spear to pin him to the ground.
Jumping backwards a little, Shinji could see how each spear hit the ground hard, large cracks opening up with each impact, seeing that these weapons were more dangerous than usual, Shinji was thinking about how he could have an advantage.
Jumping away, EVA 13 only watched as Shinji moved away to gain some ground, looking at its prey with hungry eyes, the large creature knew it needed Unit 01 to complete the instrumentality ritual as it had been constructed.
With another high-pitched scream, the beast launched itself towards its opponent's new position. Shinji only watched as his enemy approached, counting down the seconds before he could act, he knew that he would only have one chance to cause damage.
"Let's go." Shinji watched as EVA 13 approached quickly, running like a wild animal, ready to intervene at the right moment, but before he could do anything else something happened. "What?"
Looking horrified as other pairs of arms began to circle his body, his eyes widened at the sight of the infinite flaws trying to do something. "Let go of me!"
Using all the strength he had, Shinji tried to throw punches and kicks in the hope of freeing himself, feeling the enemy even closer to him. "Here!" He shouted in rage as he threw a powerful punch at the face of the flaw closest to his fist.
Turning his body and kicking the abdomen of another miss, but there were too many of them, again having to jump to get free, seeing how the shadow of EVA 13 loomed over him, looking up with eyes of fear and shock, Shinji could see when EVA 13 jumped with both spears facing down.
"Shit!" Shinji jumped as best he could, he saw when EVA 13 missed the blow hitting one of his allies, but it didn't seem to hinder his movements at all.
Looking all around, Shinji saw as more infinity flaws joined the fight, as these flawed EVAS approached as best they could at a moment like this, some were moving only with their arms, others were without their arms.
Walking backwards, Shinji could look around, desperately searching for any alternative, he felt that he was once again at a disadvantage and once again fear and despair took over his body. "What do I do?"
Feeling the presence inside his EVA, Shinji could feel the desire to continue, he could feel that he had to fight until his last breath, that would be his body's wish, that was the last wish Misato had given him, he would not let his enemies succeed in their goal, he would fight until the end.
Clenching the fists of his EVA, Shinji ran towards his enemy, throwing powerful punches at any target that might be within his reach, feeling the flesh of his enemies being crushed by his punches and kicks. Shinji had a mental image of everyone he loved in his head.
- Mother! - Shinji thought as he crushed the head of one of the flaws with his feet, using what was left of his body as a weapon.
- Misato! - Shinji shouted as he turned the body of one of the blunders, seeing how he managed to knock a few down, shouting as he jumped and used the full power of gravity to punch his enemy in the head.
Seeing how his body was about to explode with the effort, Shinji could feel his heart pumping hard in his chest, starting to feel sick with everything that was happening, but he couldn't stop.
- Rei! - Shinji thought of his blue-haired colleague, he didn't care that she was a clone, still remembering how the model Ayanami crumbled in front of him as he walked beside her on the red earth, using a heavy stone as a weapon, Shinji hit the back of a new enemy, taking out all the anger he felt at losing the person who was closest to a blood family for him.
- Asuka! - Finally thinking about the fiery redhead, Shinji still wanted to understand what he felt for her, he wanted to understand for sure, but one thing he knew, the feeling was good, the feeling was completely different, having never felt this way about anyone before.
- All my other friends. - Shinji thought as he got back on his feet, looking at his next prey with hungry eyes, running towards him and using anything as a weapon, smashing his new enemy's head in.
Running and tearing at the arm of an enemy who was within reach, feeling his head getting cloudy with the effort, shaking as hard as he could, but the effort was taking its toll.
In a moment of carelessness, Shinji roared in pain as he felt his arm being bitten. "There!"
Trying to shake off the death grip, Shinji tried, but another set of teeth held his other arm, feeling that he was now helpless, and soon he felt himself being put down. "No!"
Seeing how he was completely immobilized by his enemies, Shinji's eyes widened as he saw two Longinus spears rapidly approaching.
"There is!" Screaming in pain as he felt his hands being pierced, watching as his body began to be lifted to the heavens. "No!"
Pulling hard on the controls, Shinji wished he could react, but his EVA no longer responded, higher and higher he was now, closer and closer to Guf's gates. "No! No! No!"
Holding his head tightly, Shinji couldn't believe it, he hadn't managed to defeat his new enemy, all he could see were the colored rings that surrounded the center of Guf's gates.
Pulling his legs to his chest, Shinji was gasping heavily at the knowledge that he had failed. "No." His body felt strange, his heart was getting heavy, his vision was getting strange.
Feeling that he was losing the strength in his body, Shinji closed his eyes, he could feel that the atmosphere was getting strange, the sensations were unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
"Ikari-kun."
Shinji lifted his head as he heard a thin, delicate voice, a familiar one to him, having heard it not long ago, but there was something different about this voice, the way his name was pronounced and the softness it brought.
Feeling the entry plug being flooded with a warmth, it wasn't sexual at all, but the pure and simple warmth of affection and welcome, looking around as the darkness of the entry plug began to be replaced by a pure white.
"Son."
Finally, looking up with weak and tired eyes, Shinji could see that there were two people waiting for him, two identical people, only one thing separated them, their age.
On one side was Rei, the same Rei he had tried to save that fateful day, she was simply standing there, with her intense red eyes and blue hair, but her face bore the gentle smile he had only seen once before, she was dressed in her school uniform.
On the other side was Yui, the person who had been used to create Rei, they both looked the same, but Yui had brown hair and soft green eyes, she was dressed in a medical coat, on her face, the most beautiful of maternal smiles, she just raised her arms inviting Shinji into a hug.
Raising his hand with all the strength he had left, Shinji wished he could get there, could finally leave the world of pain and suffering, his vision closed as he felt a hand on his, after which he felt nothing more.
Outside, wings sprouted over Unit 01's back, it grew taller and taller in the shape of a cross, its armor glowing a powerful, almost angelic white, putting on a good show for the people watching, too bad they didn't have any.
Around them, dozens of infinity gaps followed their movement, unit 13 was standing in front of unit 01, its hand being projected into the core of the crucified purple giant.
(*)
Gendo was smiling, he was standing in front of Rei, another one of the hundreds of clones he had created to do his bidding, knowing that everything was going according to plan.
The new Rei had a lifeless look in her eyes, her mind was clouded, but somehow, she could feel that this was wrong, she looked at the man in front of her and felt nothing, only disgust, not for his naked form, but for the simple fact of repulsion she felt inside.
"King." Gendo spoke coldly, his cool, icy posture showed nothing but control, his hand was in his trouser pocket, he was ready to make Lilith's connection with Adam.
"Yes." Rei replied in her delicate, thin voice, she was looking at the man in front of her, but her mind was far away, she could feel the presence of unit 01 calling her, she could feel the love and affection that was coming from there, not from this man.
Removing his hand from his pocket, Gendo held the Adam embryo, looking at Rei with determined eyes. "It's time."
Rei was about to protest, but Gendo put his hand on his chest, feeling repulsed by the touch, and increasingly disgusted by the man.
Gendo just watched as his hand entered Rei's body, smiling as he saw that the connection was being well accepted by Rei's artificial body, knowing that the half of Lilith inside her would do the rest.
Rei grimaced when she felt Gendo's hand inside her, a new sensation took over her body, she could feel the Adam's embryo, the power she was beginning to feel, but again something was wrong, a new face appeared in her head, that of a shy, smiling boy, she had never seen him, but somehow, he felt the desire to protect this person.
"King." Gendo spoke again as he sensed victory, smiling as he felt that his desire to be with Yui again was now possible. "Take me to Yui."
Raising his red eyes and staring at Gendo coldly, Rei knew what to do. "No."
Gendo lost the look on his face. "What?"
"Don't touch me." Rei spoke coldly as she used her powers to break the connection, it wasn't that touch she wanted, taking a small step backwards, the sound of flesh being cut echoed through the room.
Gendo roared in pain as he felt his hand being cut off, the physical pain was intense, but so was the emotional pain of seeing Rei turn around and deny him his main objective. "What are you doing!?"
Not receiving an answer, Gendo took a step forward, he wanted to do something, but he could see that Rei was now a goddess, nothing could stop her from doing her will. "Stop!"
Floating away, Rei began to meet her object, using her powers to finally become Lilith, Gendo only widened his eyes as he saw Rei's small body transform and how its size doubled every second.
Falling to his knees, Gendo only looked at his cut and bleeding hand, but the taste of defeat was too strong, he never imagined that in the end he would be betrayed by someone he himself thought impossible. "No."
(*)
Outside, Rei protruded, her giant body now hundreds of meters long, she could see the ritual of the impact taking place, rising until she could face Unit 01 now in the shape of a cross.
With a soft smile, she lifted her hands and gently wrapped them around the beloved unit. In her palms, openings were made, closing her eyes as she felt the connection with the surviving souls, but her mind focused on one in particular.
"Ikari-Kun." Lilith said as she located Shinji.
(*)
Shinji didn't feel anything, he felt like he was floating but he didn't feel anything, no tiredness, no sadness, nothing.
"Ikari-Kun." A soft voice called out to him, and he opened his eyes to see a person in front of him, looking into those intense red eyes of Rei/Lilith.
"Ayanami?" Shinji asked confusedly, still trying to understand what was happening in front of him.
"No." Lilith spoke in a delicate voice, she had no feelings, nothing, bringing her hands to Shinji's face, she held him gently, still maintaining firm eye contact. "I'm not her, I'm just her heart."
"Heart?" Shinji asked tiredly.
"Yes." Lilith replied with a neutral face. "What do you want most?"
Shinji was still looking at her face, still thinking about the answer he was going to give, his eyes never leaving Lilith's
(*)
Outside, the entire Geofront was rising, now in front of Lilith's hands, small red dots began to circle the small black sphere.
Great wings projected themselves over Lilith's back, six long wings now sinking into space, she was just waiting.
(*)
"Yes," Lilith asked again. "Show me your feelings, show me your thoughts."
Shinji only closed his eyes, he wished he could ask more, but Lilith was getting what she wanted, he didn't have the strength to deny her wish, he slowly gave her permission.
Feeling the connection deepen, Lilith slowly felt, she could finally perceive what was going on in Shinji's head, gaining access to all his innermost memories and feelings.
"Someone please understand me!"
Seeing and feeling, Lilith could see the love Shinji felt for his mother, even though he had no memories of her, and how he wished he could remember her.
The feeling of abandonment when his father left him with his uncles.
"Dad! Please! Don't leave me!"
The feeling he had when he was looked down on by the other students at school, no one wanted to get close to him, the fame his father carried made people afraid of him, not wanting to get close to the man who murdered his own wife.
"Please! Stop it!"
"Somebody love me!"
Lilith stopped the connection momentarily, looking at Shinji as she felt his head resting on her legs. "Has anyone ever loved you?"
Shinji was using Lilith's leg as a pillow, he didn't know, but being with her was fine. "I don't know."
Images of two people echoed through Shinji's mind, Lilith for seeing, she watched as the image of a smiling Misato crossed the path of memories, quickly changing to a person with red hair, everyone was always smiling.
"The only person who ever loved me is no longer here." Shinji spoke with sadness as he remembered his mother, but he couldn't deny how he felt when the image of Misato and Asuka flashed through his mind. "All the people I once loved are now far away."
"Love is a strange thing." Lilith said, running her hand through Shinji's hair. "Just as it warms, it hurts, just as it heals."
"Unfortunately the world is a cruel place, it's full of sadness, which always ends up eating away at the souls of pure-hearted people." Lilith spoke again as she looked Shinji in the eye. "Loneliness eats away at people, it always leads to emptiness."
(*)
Outside, Lilith projected her AT anti-field, sensing all the souls left on earth, using her power, one by one she took them.
Seeing how giant crosses were taking over the world, a sea of light and energy was in control, all the souls that survived the third impact were now returning to their creation, small red globes were meeting the goddess.
Looking up as she felt the souls in her body again, Lilith smiled as she felt the power again.
(*)
"I can't help them." Shinji said as he closed his eyes, feeling the weight of guilt over the third impact taking over his body. "I killed people."
"No." Lilith said, sensing Shinji's guilt. "You can only be guilty if you did it intentionally."
Shinji wished he could believe those words. "It doesn't matter, the point is that I was there."
"Yes." Lilith spoke in a calm voice, sensing Shinji's desires and the power she now had. "But you can't let it take over your body and your soul."
"It would have been better if I had left earlier." Shinji said as he felt the sadness returning. "Misato, Asuka and everyone else wouldn't have to deal with the shame."
Lilith concentrated on these souls in particular, feeling everything they felt for him, smiling when she saw that her suspicions were right.
"Shinji." Lilith showed Shinji the feeling of love and affection, but she didn't show him the minds of Asuka and Misato, that Shinji would have to find on his own. "Life isn't easy, pain and sadness will always be there."
Shinji allowed himself to smile as he felt the affection and love, he just wanted to be able to see whose it was. "I just wanted to stop suffering, a world without suffering."
"That could happen." Lilith said as she stood up, holding out her hand to help Shinji to his feet, both of them not caring about his naked state.
"Shinji." Lilith spoke fondly as she stroked Shinji's face. "What do you really want?"
Closing his eyes as he imagined it, he was flooded with images of the past, the moment Misato took him in, the moment he made friends, the day he saved Rei's life, the moment he taught her to smile.
The day Asuka came into his life, the good times they had before hell broke loose, the pain of believing he had caused her death.
"I just wish I could do things differently." Shinji said ruefully as he imagined life without his bad choices.
Lilith smiled at this, still holding her hand to her face. "Is that what you want?"
Shinji nodded, Lilith spoke as she let go of his face, still smiling. "Ikari, can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Shinji said, feeling strange and confused.
"Can I hold your hand? Just once more?" Lilith said, still smiling, a genuine smile.
Raising his hand to her, Shinji could feel her soft, delicate touch, how smooth and warm her hand was, but his mind was strange, the world was strange around him, he wanted to ask what it was, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth.
"Thank you." Lilith said as she smiled even more, still feeling Shinji's hand. "Thank you very much indeed."
Shinji was closing his eyes as he felt the emptiness taking over, he only heard her last words before the world closed in, but Lilith's words echoed through his mind.
"Time to go back Ikari-Kun, find the happiness your heart desires, find happiness with the right people, find happiness in yourself."
(*)
Shinji blinked as he stared ahead at a public phone, his eyes were confused, he could recognize the place, this was the moment he had met Misato, it was the moment everything had started for him.
"Time to go back." Shinji whispered as he remembered Lilith's words, looking around to locate her, that's when his eyes caught sight of her.
She was standing in the middle of the street, staring at him with her intense red eyes, wearing her school uniform. Shinji wanted to scream, but he was paralyzed.
Blinking and listening to the sound of flapping wings, Shinji looked again, Lilith was gone, turning his attention back to the phone and putting it to his ear, it was exactly as he remembered.
"All lines are blocked due to the state of emergency, find a shelter nearby."
Shinji looked at the mouthpiece of the phone again, seeing how the recording was repeating itself. He sighed as he understood what had happened, knowing full well that it would only be a matter of time before the fourth angel appeared. "Come back."
He nodded as he put his hand in his pocket and immediately pulled out a photo, the same photo as before, Misato standing in a suggestive pose on top of her beloved Renault Alpine, smiling at the sight of the smile he had loved for so long.
Nodding again, he knew that now was a new era, he couldn't fail this time. "I'm not going."
Hearing a sound in the background, Shinji looked up, watching as military jets passed close to the ground, launching their missiles at an enemy, looking at the black beast, Shinji knew who it was, closing his fist in determination.
"A angel."
Author's Notes: Hello Calborghete people here, we finally have chapter 02 - A Angel, I hope everyone liked it, as always be sure to follow it and save it to your favorites so you don't miss any more future updates.
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