A/N: First Evangelion fanfic, and couldn't choose a better idea than to make an AU of 3.0. The events will diverge a lot from the movie just because of this little change, and I hope you're all in for the ride! Enjoy! Also English isn't my native language, so I did my best on that department.
By the way, at the beginning, the writing refers to Shinji as "it", and later as "he".
Where I am...?
What happened...?
Who... am I?
These were the questions of an entity that woke up in a coffin filled with a red liquid. The smell was familiar. It was metallic, just like blood.
Somehow, it was able to breathe even while submerged in this liquid. With its questions only increasing as the red light outside went off. Then, the sound of a metal door opening. Footsteps echoed through the room. And the liquid inside the coffin was emptied to be opened.
At that moment, rifles were loaded and pointed in its direction. Several men were surrounding it as if this entity was some wild animal. A monster. A threat.
"Look! He woke up!" A feminine and young voice said, which came from a new figure, who was a girl. This one wore a gray and white dress, a blue scarf tied around her neck, and a beret. And she had a long brown hair. "Okay, someone needs to help me put him on the stretcher."
"Yes." One of the men said, almost robotically, holding the entity's body and placing it on a stretcher. On the stretcher, there was already a ready-made garment. Putting on it while it was lying down. With a strange accessory placed around its neck.
Although its comfort was brief, as several metal ties restrained its body.
"Excellent. Now, BM-03.5, …" The feeling of someone writing on its feet occurred while the girl from before was speaking, which could only mean she was the one writing on its foot. "... ready! Now, let's take him to the captain.
"Yes!" All the men around screamed. Running through the corridors while a red screen descended to rest on the entity's face. And from the dots and squares that appeared on it, it seemed like the screen was taking note of where the entity was looking.
It didn't take long for the group to reach a part where they stopped running. With metal doors closing, they were now transported in a small compartment. It could even be considered a small train. With the thing lying on the stretcher only being able to look at the unfamiliar ceiling.
"Normal respiratory and cardiovascular functions. There is no paralysis in the limbs. Yes, the eyes are open." The person speaking was that same girl. Who leaned over so she could look at it in the eyes. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
"I…" Even though it had already started to speak, its mind seemed divided on what to say. There were so many questions it could ask, along with the instinct to answer the girl accordingly. "... where I am? What place is this?"
"He can talk. Seems to have regained consciousness." What was it doing before that? When it tried to remember, there was the strange sensation of remembering the same event but from two different angles of perspective.
"I... he... she... the Angel... Ayanami... Ikari... where is..." Those names. They had meaning. But for two different people. And what about "it"?
"Memory appears to have some gaps. Tell me, do you know who this person is?" Then, the screen showed the reflection of that entity. It... he was a boy. He already knew that face very well, but... there were some differences.
His hair was slightly longer. Or was it shorter? The ends of his hair were a blue that he knew very well. Or was the rest of it in a new brown? And his eyes, despite the blue iris, the pupils were dilated and completely red.
Just like Ayanami. Or would it be like I always had?
"Can you hear me? Do you know who this person is?"
"That… is… me? Shinji… Ayanami?" No, wait, that's wrong. The right one would be the other surname, the one the girl said before when writing on his feet. "No. My name is... Rei Ikari." Again, he mixed up the names. But why wasn't he able to say his name?
Shinji Ikari. That was his name. Rei Ayanami was someone else. Was she not? Or would it be the opposite?
"He has trouble identifying himself. He mixes the names of the Third Child with the First. And he is uncertain about his appearance." And as he looked at himself, he noticed that collar from before around his neck. Only now giving it some attention.
"What is that?"
After a few more minutes, they finally reached their destination. The doors opened, and they were now in a command room with several hatches showing a red exterior. Probably the sea.
Several people were saying things that the boy couldn't understand. He even ignored what they said. His mind was disconnected from reality. Memories, both his and from someone else. One moment, he was in Unit-01, saving Ayanami. In the other, he was rescued by Ikari.
Despite having resigned himself to the idea that he was Shinji Ikari, something in his mind insisted on saying that he wasn't. Maybe that's why he ended up ignoring almost everything around him. Until that girl spoke once again. "Specimen BM-03.5 is in our custody."
BM-03.5? Is that what they called him? Was it because they weren't sure he was Shinji Ikari? Although, to be honest, not even the boy himself was sure.
"Understood." That voice... so familiar, yet so far away. He felt like it belonged to someone important to him. At the same time, it was just another face to remember. Or at least that was what a part of Shinji said, even though the other felt that this someone was much more than that. "Remove the restraints. You are dismissed."
And with just that order, the metal restraints lifted, freeing the boy, and the armed men withdrew. This allowed Shinji to sit down. His body was numb, as if he had slept for a long time. But the biggest problem was his mind. Or so he thought.
As soon as he managed to sit down, the boy looked at the one who had spoken. It was a woman who was only wearing red. She was in a high position, demonstrating her authority from above. But the real problem was facing everyone there.
Every person, whether someone familiar or new, looked at him sideways. Similar to the way those men with guns looked at him. Although in the expressions of those Shinji recognized, there was a hint of confusion and intrigue. It was as if they were surprised by something about the boy.
And maybe he knew what it was. Those blue highlights and his red pupils. They belonged to someone else they knew. And it probably wasn't him. When Shinji looked at the woman at the top again after getting off the stretcher, his doubts about her identity were cleared. "Misato...?"
"Shinji Ikari. Can we call him that?"
"I think so." Another familiar voice, although this one brought painful memories to the surface. Memories that didn't belong to Shinji Ikari. And even so, he tried to hold himself together to hear what she was going to say. "In physiological terms, he is identical to the one identified by the Third Child code. Although it is clear that he carries traits of the Ayanami Type subjects."
"Any theory on why?" The question came in a way that seemed disinterested as if such a thing was irrelevant.
"The most likely scenario is that there was contamination during the extraction process and, somehow, we brought what was left of the one identified by the First Child code. Generating this being. Anyway, other than that, we have a match with a percentage equal to 99.9% of the data from before the Near Third Impact."
"What about the DSS Chocker around his neck?" DSS Chocker? Could it be that thing on his neck? Touching it felt like a second layer of skin, and he couldn't take it off.
"We've already installed it, Captain Katsuragi."
"Captain Katsuragi...? So it's you, Ms. Katsu... I mean, Misa... no..." The way he addressed the woman had the same problem as his name. By instinct, Shinji Ikari would call this woman Misato, even if he could add "Ms." sometimes. But the other part of him never referred to her by anything other than her last name.
The confusion made he didn't realize they were programming the collar, with him holding his head in pain. Almost felt like it was going to explode. The same if he was trying to look in two directions at once, where that could make his head split in two.
"Mister Ikari, is everything okay?" The girl who had accompanied him until now held his shoulders, helping him sit down again.
"It's configured to accept your password, Captain." Shinji looked up, now able to see who was speaking. It was Ritsuko. Her hair was much shorter than before, but it was her, There was no doubt. And the memories that invaded the boy's mind weren't the best. Pills, syringes, constant exams, pain... all of this was related to that woman.
"Understood. We're done here. Take him to quarantine." Quarantine? And how come it's already over? There were still so many questions that Shinji had no answers to.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't have time to ask anytime soon, as several emergency signs appeared all over the screens, indicating a problem.
But the real problem was that alarm. His hearing seemed much better than before, and now he could hear everything louder than usual. Maybe that was the price of recovering all his senses to the fullest.
"Turn it off... turn off that alarm!" Shinji grunted, holding his head to hold back the pain, but it was useless. And the worst thing is that no one paid attention to his appeal.
"Decoys 01 and 05 destroyed! Wavelength acquired!" Would anyone turn off that damn alarm? They were in danger! Couldn't they just turn it off?! "What is that?"
"It's blood type blue! Target identified! It's from the Nemesis Series!" Blue pattern? That means an Angel, right? If so, Shinji needed to do something. But that was when all those feelings from the last battle came back.
The feeling of being swallowed that came from his other half. The feeling of going beyond human limits in search of saving someone. In addition to the anger because the alarm wouldn't stop and everyone was screaming!
"They're back..."
"Turn off that alarm, damn it! My head is going to explode!" Shouted Shinji, getting on his knees while holding his head tighter, closing his eyes, and clenching his teeth.
"What the hell?! Get him out of here!" He didn't know who screamed, but something inside the boy just wanted to hang that person with his bare hands. At least after this headache stopped.
"Come on, Mr. Ikari. It's not safe to stay here." Even that girl's sweet voice couldn't bring peace to the boy. The sound of the alarm was too much, along with that boiling anxiety causing him to lose his breath. Shinji's nose even started to bleed as he had a convulsion while on the ground. "Oh my God! Specimen BM-03.5 shows signs of a seizure!"
"Get him out of here, Lieutenant Suzuhara!"
Suzuhara...? Why is that name... so... familiar?
Before he knew it, he felt his eyes grow heavy, and the pain in his head stopped, but that was because everything else stopped too. His vision went dark, and, in the end, his consciousness faded.
Who am I?
Who are we?
We're only one?
But if that's the case, why can't we understand each other?
I am...
Shinji Ikari!
Rei Ayanami!
No! I am not you!
I saved you!
You saved me!
No! No! No!
We can't be both! We... I! I'm not both!
I am... I am...
"Specimen BM-03.5, temporary name, Shinji Ikari. Are you awake?"
The same voice he heard when he woke up the first time was now the same when he woke up the second time. His eyes opened, noticing that he was in a cube with a single bed. When he looked to the side, there she was. With her tablet and that smile. The only smile anyone had shown him since he woke up.
"Good, the vice-captain wants to talk to you." The door to that cubicle opened, and the girl helped the specimen to sit down, with him looking very pale.
"Suzu... hara..." The boy murmured, surprising the lieutenant, who nodded.
"That's it... oh, right, how rude of me. With everything that happened, I didn't even introduce myself. I am responsible for your medical supervision. I'm second lieutenant, Sakura Suzuhara." Sakura. Where has he heard that name before? Well, he knew the surname very well.
However, the boy didn't say anything else. Since he felt incredibly dizzy, the headache had stopped, but he still felt like he was carrying a gallon of water inside his head. That's why Sakura had to hold his arm as they left and walked through the corridors of that place.
"Where…where are we?" He at least needed to know this, try to satisfy his curiosity, and distract himself from his current state.
"You are aboard AAA Wunder. It is WILLE's main combat ship. Which is the organization that I and everyone here work for. We were also the ones who took you out of Unit-01." It was understandable that the boy was confused by the whole situation. He woke up in a new world, and after the first few minutes awake, he immediately relapsed. "Tell me, do you remember your name?"
"My name...? I'm… I… I don't want to say." He preferred to avoid the confusion of his mind by remaining silent. Which worried Sakura a little, but she didn't insist. And, when holding the boy's arm, she realized how thin he was, almost like a doll.
Was this the boy who nearly caused the end of the world? It was hard to believe. It matched more with some other stories the girl had heard. Even though her instinct told her that this wasn't the same person she heard so much about.
"What the vice-captain wants to talk with me?" This question carried a little more conviction, which could indicate that he was already starting to feel better.
"Well, the vice-captain said she wanted to explain a few things. After all, you're pretty lost after waking up in this place, aren't you?"
"Yes. I think so." He murmured, scratching his head and soon noticing how much longer his hair was than before, especially on the sides. "My hair has grown. Or has it decreased?"
"From the records we have, it certainly grew. But only slightly. If you want, I can ask someone to cut it."
"No. It is not necessary." His tone indicated that he didn't want to bother anyone, much more than it is a matter of whether he liked the hairstyle or not. "Do you cut yours sometimes?"
"Yes, especially before a mission. I don't like having it in a ponytail. I prefer it this way. Not too long and not too short, you know?" Shinji nodded. He seemed to understand why. But didn't have any specific opinion about it. Or that's what the lieutenant thought.
"You look pretty this way." She almost tripped when she heard that. But Sakura balanced herself so she wouldn't fall along with the specimen.
Her face flushed a little. It wasn't normal for her to receive compliments since most people at WILLE were older than her. And much less did she expect such a sudden compliment. "T-thank you."
Shinji wondered why he said that. Before he would never say something so direct to a girl. Now, he didn't feel his usual inhibitions as much. It was difficult to explain, but after all that confusion, he felt free. Even though almost everyone around him treated him like a prisoner.
"By the way, are you related to Toji?"
"Ah yes, I am his younger sister. Thank you so much for taking care of my brother when he was at school."
"The youngest... Sakura... but how...?"
"It's because fourteen years have passed. Stupid Shinji." Out of the many voices he had heard since he woke up, there wasn't one that caused such a whirlwind of emotions within Shinji like this one.
His gaze lifted, and at the front of the hall stood Asuka Shikinami Langley. This one wore her plug suit, which appeared to be covered with duct tape, along with a red hoodie with a white stripe on the side of the arms. In addition to a cap, which appeared to have two ears.
"Asuka." Inside Shinji, she had a voice that wanted to call the redhead "Second". However, the voice that predominated was his. With his body moving on its own and walking towards her, leaving Sakura behind. "Asuka, I'm so glad! You're okay!"
"Mr Ikari, wait!" The nurse tried to warn him while the door on Asuka's side opened. Out of the door came Captain Katsurag, curious to see what would happen and hopefully try to stop, but it was too late.
Shinji was already too close to the girl, who closed her fist and, without any hesitation, threw a punch so hard that it would probably dislocate the boy's jaw. Keeping him from eating for maybe three weeks or a month.
But that wasn't what happened. As soon as Shinji's blue and red eyes noticed the girl's movements, something happened. And Asuka's fist was blocked.
Not by Shinji, not by Sakura, and not by Misato.
No. What blocked the punch was an A.T. Field, created right in front of the boy. Small enough for a human but as strong as that of any Angel, Evangelion, or creature that knew how to expand it and use it as a barrier. Something Shinji Ikari shouldn't be able to do.
"I can't... I can't hold it back. All these years, the anger and the sadness." Asuka gritted her teeth, feeling her knuckles hurt from punching that barrier. Looking at the dazzled look on the boy's face. "Tsk, anyway... at least we found out what this idiot is. Am I right, Angel?"
The question was full of venom, more than Shinji could imagine. Just like a deadly glare while the girl's eye patch, a detail Shinji hadn't noticed until now, glowing blue. That made the boy's red pupils glow the same way in response.
That's when he knew that the life of Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01, ended right there.
A/N: And that's about it! This is more an introduction to the idea, so I tried to keep it simple and focus a lot more on Shinji's internal monologue with himself and how he's feeling. Also changing a bit at the end so we can go for the new things right away in the next chapters.