AN: Well, here's chapter Nine.

I'm back. Sorry for the absence. Life has just been super hectic lately and honestly it just sapped my motivation for a long time. When I finally got it back, I had to read read all my fics, which took more time. I'm finally back though, so yay.

Let's get on with the show!

Deviations ~ Do Not Go Gentle

Shinji did his best to ignore Asuka screaming at him as he lied down for the night. The eye-patched girl didn't seem to be in the mood to allow that, though. She'd been pestering him since he'd confessed to this dimension's Asuka. Getting a good night's sleep had become a rarity since the festival.

That was nearly a month ago.

"How dare you! The gall! After what you did to me you dare to actually confess to her? You don't even deserve to be in the same room. To breathe the same air." Her scathing voice was punctuated by her petulant glare that was even more menacing than normal due to the bright shine hidden beneath her eyepatch.

For his part, Shinji was doing well to endure her verbal abuse. That's not to say he was getting to sleep anytime soon, but he at least wasn't reacting.

Maybe if I ignore her for long enough she'll go away.

"You wish." The third child sighed internally at her reply. He really needed to remember that thinking wouldn't hide his thoughts and intentions from her. She was a figment of his imagination after all; she was his guilt.

"Go away…" he said, tiredly. Her mere presence seemed to drain him of energy.

"Sure," she replied, voice dripping with sinister intent, "but first… first you and I have a talk."

Suddenly she was in front of him and before Shinji could even think to turn away, her hand was over his eyes, the last thing he'd seen being the bright glow of her eye-patched eye. When sight returned to him he was straddling her body, the blood was draining from her face as his knuckles turned white from the sheer force of the grip he had on her neck. His body recoiled at what he was doing, his hands flying off her in a panic born from self disgust and fear.

At least, that's what he wanted his body to do. Instead, his grip tightened further and he bared his teeth in malice. His body wanted her dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. He was shaking her now, her head slamming into the concrete beneath them. Spatters of blood started to show at the sides of Asuka's head, painting the concrete red. Her hand on his cheek went limp, but he didn't stop. He kept smashing and smashing and smashing.

When Shinji's body finally stopped moving he backed away from her corpse, red hand prints left in his wake as he crawled away from her. Turning away from the body he heaved and left the steaming remains of his lunch upon the ground. Shinji's mind was blank in shock at what had just happened as his breaths came heavy and quick. His only solace being that it was finally over.

And then he heard a foot step.

Turning, Shinji saw Asuka looming over him, bloody faced and throat bruised.

"Wha-"

That was all he could get out before she lifted her foot and suddenly he was crushed beneath the massive red boot of Unit-02.

Shinji's eyes shot open after he was crushed, cold sweat drenching him. He was back in his room. In his bed. Alone.

Or so he thought.

"You're a vile monster, Third child. A Beast; No better than the angels. You're acting pleasant now… but we both know you'll show your true colors soon enough. And when you do, I – she will put you down like the animal you are." The eye-patched Asuka vanished after that. And Shinji?

Ikari Shinji did not get to sleep that night.

Gendo, Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko, Kyoko, and Misato sat in the commander's office, grim looks plastered across their faces. Tonight was their third meeting since the festival that Shinji had managed to convince Gendo to allow the pilots to attend. It was the most out of character thing he could have possibly done and had further cemented their thoughts that he was not, in fact, Shinji. Tonight, they would finally come to a decision in regards to future actions concerning the boy. Some may wonder why it had taken them this long? The answer was simple. They needed him. He was their strongest pilot; their top asset. But that might be changing soon.

Kyoko had news.

"Evangelion's four, five, and eight have been completed. They'll be here in a week or so."

"So they're finally done…" Fuyutsuki commented. Nodding, Kyoko continued.

"They've been adjusted in accordance to what we believe would best fit their respective pilots. All that's left is sync tests and training."

"And who are the pilots, exactly?" Misato questioned from her chair near the left of the commander's desk. From the right side of the desk came her desired reply.

"Suzuhara Toji and Aida Kensuke," Ritsuko responded, gesturing for her fellow coworkers to glance at their tablets. Misato glances down as the information appeared on the screen. The lieutenant Colonel's eyes narrowed.

"These are Shinji's friends."

"Precisely," Gendo intoned a scowl on his face, "we can't kill the boy. Not yet."

"Tests to replicate the abilities he's displayed are still inconclusive," Kyoko added, "and despite something having clearly happened to him, he's still necessary… and still human. We can't simply be rid of him," she finished.

"It is as Dr. Soryu says," Gendo said, speaking up once more, "we cannot kill the boy, so until we can get what we need of him, we need more pilots. It allows us to keep him on standby unless absolutely necessary. Not to mention, with this many of his friends as pilots, it's more likely that he will remain obedient. He wouldn't want anything happening to them."

"We're holding children hostage?" Misato's question left her mouth with a rather heated edge to it. She couldn't say she trusted Shinji, not anymore. She was worried what may be going through the boys mind, especially since Asuka cared for him. She didn't want the girl to be hurt. Not again.

However, that didn't mean she thought it was alright to hold other children hostage as a threat to him.

"There are no other options," Gendo replied, bridging his hands before his face. Misato knew that had to be a lie. "Now that you're all briefed on our next course of action, this meeting is adjourned. Dr. Akagi and Dr. Soryu will contact the new pilots and get their agreement to join NERV. Dismissed."

The three women stood from their seats and filed out of the office, their feelings on the situation varied. Misato was obviously discontent with what was about to happen. Kyoko had a frown on her face, but nothing that really gave away how she was feeling. Ritsuko's face was a placid mask; it was almost as if she didn't care at all.

Hmm… this may be a problem, thought Leliel from where she floated near the ceiling of the office, I guess I should let brother know about what's coming…

Leliel vanished then, deciding that she'd heard enough.

Shinji's face was blank the next morning when Misato came to the table for breakfast. He was tired, disturbed, and now thanks to what Leliel had told him, he was pissed. He couldn't let Misato see all that though, so he kept his expression placid.

"Good morning," he greeted as he set the table.

"G'morning Shinji…" Misato mumbled with a rub of her eyes. Shinji sighed internally and shook his head. She was always like this in the mornings. NERV worked her too hard in his opinion. He figured that was partially his fault. The mystery that was Shinji Ikari kept all the high ranking NERV personnel on their toes.

"Long night?" Shinji inquired as he handed her a beer. Misato took it gratefully and chugged. Shinji watched on, unperturbed; he'd seen this way too many times. Slamming her beer down on the table, Misato let out a satisfied sigh, her eyes now wider and more bright.

"Yeah. Had a meeting last night. It kept me up, I guess."

"Sorry to hear that." Shinji would have fished for information if it wouldn't have been totally suspicious and if he didn't already know what happened anyway.

"All part of the job, unfortunately." The two of them ate in silence after Misato said that and soon Shinji was on his way to school. He met up with Rei, Mari, and Asuka further up the road and the four of them lapsed into conversation. Asuka was cordial, but he could tell she was still being cautious around him after his confession. She didn't stand as close to him as she used to, nor had she playfully punched him in the arm in recent weeks. He hoped it wouldn't last too much longer.

After another 15 or so minutes of walking, the school was finally in sight. Asuka and Mari were definitely happy about that.

"It's so hot today…" sighed Makinami.

"It's ridiculous. Why must it be so damn hot here?" Asuka added. Shinji considered being a smart-ass and bringing up second impact, but ultimately decided against it. He didn't need her glaring at him right now, it would remind him of the other Asuka too much and he really wanted nothing more than to forget last night.

"Guess what I overheard auntie talking about last night?" Mari commented. Shinji assumed she was trying to make conversation to take her mind off the heat as they walked through the school gates. The Third Child has a guess as to what the information could be, but decided to humor the girl.

"What's that?" He asked as they walked into the school. Their other friends were just finishing putting on their school shoes at their shoe lockers when Mari replied.

"We're getting two new pilots!" Mari exclaimed, not caring in the slightest if she was heard. Paying extra attention to his non-pilot friends, he saw Toji flinch and Kensuke didn't ask who the pilots were despite having clearly heard Mari's exclamation.

They've already been in touch with NERV, Shinji thought, annoyed. He really hoped they hadn't accepted.

Kaji stepped out of the airport, his luggage rolling behind him. It had been some time since he'd last been home; since he'd last seen his wife, but work was work. He couldn't have done anything about it. Kaji was so happy to finally be home. He was about to hail a cab when a black car pulled up. The windows rolled down and in the driver's seat, Kaji laid eyes on what was clearly a section 2 agent.

"I'm being picked up?" Kaji grinned as he put his luggage in the trunk, "awe… I didn't know the commander cared so much." The agent didn't respond, something Kaji was entirely unsurprised about. Getting into the back seat, Kaji closed the door and the car rolled off. A few turns and some street lights later, the car moved into a tunnel.

It didn't come out on the other side.

Shinji sat on the roof with the other pilots and their friends. He observed as Rei chatted with Mayumi while Mari teased Hikari with Asuka making sure her cousin didn't go too far. The two girls were the only ones who'd come to lunch. Toji and Kensuke had apparently been called home. That was a blatant lie, Shinji was sure of it. The two of them were at NERV by now, he had little doubt of that.

Father plays dirty… but that's fine. I can play dirty too. Dirtier, in fact. After all, I'm the one with all the information.

"Are you alright, Shinji?" Rei asked, prompting the others to glance his way and take note of his still present scowl.

"Ah – yes. I'm fine. I was just thinking is all."

"Would you perhaps divulge the topic of your thoughts?"

"Just… it's been too quiet. That's all…"

An uncomfortable silence passed over them. They understood where he was coming from; the Angel's hadn't appeared in quite some time.

"I'm grateful for the peace," Shinji continued, "but…"

"You want this whole ordeal over with." Asuka clarified.

"Yeah…"

At that moment, Shinji received a call. He checked the caller ID before picking up, hoping it might've been Toji or Kensuke. It was neither; Misato was on the other end of the line, letting Shinji know an Angel was approaching. He said he'd let the others know before she hung up, getting back to her work he assumed.

Shinji looked at his cell with a small scowl on his lips, handling the small electronic as if worried it may ring again.

"I think I jinxed us."

The three pilots were waiting in the entry plugs of their Eva's, watching the Angel approach.

Israfel, thought Shinji, a frown on his face. His father didn't understand what this Angel was capable of and Shinji had a sinking suspicion that he wouldn't be up top with his teammates today.

Asuka and Rei haven't exactly been seeing eye to eye much lately… alone, they will not defeat my kin…

"This one doesn't seem all that impressive," Asuka commented.

"Don't underestimate Angels, Asuka," Misato chastised, causing the red head to give a slight pout.

"I know…" she sighed.

"What will be our mission orders, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Unit-01 will be on standby," Gendo cut in, causing Shinji's frown to deepen. Asuka rose a brow at the odd decision, but kept her mouth shut. She would be lying if she didn't see this as an opportunity to show her mother she was just as good as Shinji. Rei's face was impassive at the news, betraying nothing.

"As the Commander has said," Misato began, "Shinji will remain on standby for now. The two of you will head top side and engage the Angel…" Shinji tuned out the rest of Misato's orders. He knew they ultimately wouldn't matter.

This will not end well…

Asuka's fist impacted the wall of the changing room as she growled. Anger and humiliation pumped through her veins like and inferno. She couldn't believe she had been bested so easily.

"Scheisse!"

"You doing okay, cousin?" Mari questioned as she walked up to her family, passing by a silent Rei as she did so. She took a brief glance back at the pale girl as she ignored Asuka's raging and exited the room, leaving the cousins to their devices.

"Okay? Okay!? No, I'm not! I lost! I. Lost. What will mother say? Can I simply not see success without Shinji on the battlefield?" Mari watched on as her cousin rambled, calculating what she should say before opening her mouth.

"You couldn't have known it would split apart. You and Rei don't have the coordination to take both of its bodies down… especially not with how the two of you currently feel about one another. It wasn't your fault."

"Mother won't see it that way…"

"Aunt Kyoko is more understanding than you assume, I think. She'll get it. Come on. Let's go see what our next move is."

Floating overhead, Leliel watched the two of them leave the room with a hum. Her favor to her brother now complete, she went to rejoin him in Central Dogma.

The pilots gathered around Misato and Dr. Soryu in Central Dogma. They waited patiently for the two women to speak, though Shinji seemed the most impatient. He was in no rush, of course, but he was quite angry with his superiors. He could see that he was a threat in their eyes, but keeping him from doing battle was simply a detriment.

"Based on its rate of regeneration, the Angel will become a threat again in about six or seven days," said Ritsuko as she walked up to their other superiors.

"Repairs to Units 00 and 02 will be finished a day before, so you two will be able to fight at full strength again n by the time the Angel is on its feet," Kyoko added.

"Which is why I'll be having Asuka and Rei train together for the week. You'll be learning a routine that should be capable of defeating the Angel. It does, however, require teamwork and synergy the two of you don't yet have. Which is why you'll be living together for the next few days as you train."

Asuka looked outraged at Misato's words while Rei's lips twitched ever so slightly downward.

Asuka looks like she'll explode…

With that thought in mind, Shinji prepared himself to interject and ask if he could take one of their places.

"Could I take Rei's place?" Mari asked, stopping the third child in his tracks, "I mean, I've lived with Asuka for years. The two of us already have very good teamwork; we trust each other. If anyone should be performing this particular mission with her, it should be me." Her argument was sound, Shinji noted. There isn't anyone who could play this role better than her. There was only one problem with her suggestion.

"Believe me… I know," sighed Misato, "the two of you would pull this off without a hitch; I have little doubt of that. Problem is, you don't have your Eva yet and Unit-00 can be… very volatile. Even with Rei. It certainly won't accept you. Which means the only ones who can do this right now are Asuka and Rei." Mari sighed and lowered her head at the response, begrudgingly accepting that Misato was right. She'd tried to help her cousin out, but ultimately it would not be.

"Actually…" interjected Kyoko, drawing everyone's attention, "I received word a few hours ago that Unit-08 would be here within the next couple of days. The transport was far more of a simple process than expected so it will arrive early. Asuka and Mari will be able to do this… if her sync test with the new Unit goes well, that is."

"Oh, it will. It has to," Mari grinned.

"Change of plans then," Misato smiled, "Asuka and Mari start training first thing in the morning. We'll crush this Angel. Dismissed."

Mari sat in the cockpit of Unit-08. Three days had passed since Kyoko got word of the Unit's arrival and Shinji only had one thing to say about it now that he got a look at the bio-machine.

"It's… very pink." Asuka shrugged at his observation, not at all surprised. The two of them were off in a corner of Central Dogma. They wanted to see Mari's test results, but didn't want to be in anyone's way. As it stood, none of the adults were really paying them any mind. Clearly, they were doing a good job at not being nuisances.

"Her favorite color. It was a request. You get some leeway when your aunt leads development of the Units." Shinji hummed at Asuka's reply. He wondered…

"Would be nice if I could change up my colors a bit… something more… black would be nice."

"Maybe… I can ask my mom for you…?" Asuka offered, an awkward tentativeness in her voice. She wouldn't look at the young Ikari, which ultimately caused him to smile.

Seems I'm not quite out of consideration yet.

"Thanks. I think I'd like that."

From the other side of her brother, Rei watched this exchange with little expression.

"Mari, how does it feel so far?" Ritsuko asked as she monitored the girl's sync ratio. The test had been going on for a solid hour already and Mari was holding in the 60s. It was a solid start, a strong one, in fact.

"I'm good. I bet I'll be hanging with my cousin and cutie in no time," she grinned.

"Good. We'll be doing a string of sync tests for the next few days after your practice with Asuka. We need to make sure you're capable of performing come Monday." Mari nodded and let herself fully focus again.

The sun had just barely risen Monday morning, but all NERV personnel were up and active. The four pilots were within their Evangelion's, though Shinji was still on standby. Asuka and Mari, on the other hand, were fully ready to sortie.

"Are you girls ready?" asked Misato.

"More than ready," came Asuka's reply.

"What my cousin said." Smiling at their responses, Misato said "good" before giving the go ahead for the mission to start.

"Both of you, dance like you want to win! Launch!" As Asuka and Mari shot towards the surface, Leliel appeared above Shinji.

How goes things, sister? Shinji inquired, prompting Leliel to frown somewhat as the fight began on the surface. Music blared from the comms as the girls up top fought in perfect sync. A jump here, a kick there. Block, twirl, punch. Their combat truly was a dance.

So-so, you could say… I completed that favor of yours… as for the other thing… I've informed the kin that I trust, but are you sure you want to do this? You will be entering the Angelic plane. And while our more… narrow minded brethren may be unable to hurt you, the sheer force of their might – which you will still be fully capable of feeling – may be too much for your first visit. This could cause quite a bit of mental strain to you. Potentially force activate your AT field. Should that happen, all of your current efforts will essentially be for naught.

Shinji remained silent for a moment as he watched Asuka and Mari fell Israfel. His Angelic brethren slipped into eternal sleep in silence, something that was fine with Shinji. Not having to worry over Israfel speaking to him was a great feeling. It did bother him just a little, though; it was weird. Israfel would be the first Angel to have no words with him since Sachiel. Seemed suspicious.

Shaking the unpleasant thoughts of Israfel from his mind, the Third Child listened to Kyoko congratulate the two girls as they stuck a graceful landing not far from Israfel's body following the final kick that put it out of commission. Asuka preened at her mother's praise.

I'm sure, Shinji replied, finally, Everyone seems to think I will fall. That I will simply let them have their way. Our kin, my father, SEELE. It's about time I show them that nothing will go as they planned. We won't let them have their way with the world. I'll kick, punch, and bite; I'll fight until I win. And if I do happen to fall? It won't be without a fight. I won't go down gently – and if I do fall to one of these forces, I'll go down swinging until my very last breath, taking as many of them with me as I possibly can.

Even if they win, I'll make them regret victory. Their days are numbered, sister. And I intend to let them know – starting with our kin.

Leliel took note of her brother's resolve and merely nodded.

Kaji groaned as he sat up in his bed. He looked around, taking note of his luggage sitting at the foot of his bed and the picture frame on his nightstand. He and Misato were smiling at a camera in the park.

He was home, for some reason waking up on his side of the bed.

"Ikari isn't going to be pleased at all…"

So, that's the chapter! This one isn't entirely action packed, but it has some important info for later. Not all of it is entirely clear of course, but it's there. Also, this chapter marks the beginning of the story truly getting into the serious stuff. It's also merely part one of a three part mega chapter. Deviations II will be our once I finish the rounds in my other two fics.

Anyway, there's some fairly significant foreshadowing done in this chapter. Anyone who can figure out what it is gets a plate of cookies. See you in the next chapter.