Neon Genesis Evangelion Higher Learning Strike Fiss, 2000 Twelfth Lesson: Stress Fractures Cold, blue light filtered in from the windows outside. White and grey steel were smooth and sterile around the only splash of colour in the entire ward. One single flare of red. Asuka watched through the glass...the light making her reflection hazy. Almost dream-like. Shinji lay on the other side in a hospital bed. His head the only part of him visible under the clean white sheets. A small oxygen tube ran across his face, and a slow IV drip stood off to the side on a metal stand. She hated this place. The footsteps of another echoed slightly along the hall; finally bringing Misato to her side. She watched with softened eyes as Asuka stared through the glass. Her mind whirling, but her eyes stark and unmoving. I wonder what she sees...Misato thought to herself. "If you're so worried about him..." she whispered, catching Asuka's attention. "Why don't you go in and visit him?" Asuka turned slowly. Her eyes low and dangerous. Her lips pursed in an angry frown. As she walked towards the older woman, Misato stepped out of her path in reaction to the sudden hostility. "I'll never be on that side of the glass." Asuka said simply, before walking off down the hall. "Not for Baka Shinji...not for anyone." Misato watched her all the way down the hall. Words failed her for the longest time. Eventually, she turned back to look into the hospital room. Shinji lay there, motionless, but alive. His heart monitor showed perfectly healthy readings, but she knew it was a false calm. Inside his mind, he was only now able to take a break from the pressures he had experienced. The doctors had induced a special kind of sleep, involving minimal brain activity. Shinji would stay alive, would wake up normally, and would continue on as if nothing had ever happened. But, dreams would also not plague him, and whatever had caused his mind to snap like it did would hopefully be leaked out. "Maybe if they'd check on his heart once in a while." she whispered to the glass, rehashing an old conversation with Ritsuko. Misato turned and left a moment later. Shinji woke to a new presence beside him. Familiar, still. As he turned to his left, he saw Rei Ayanami sitting next to his bed, reading a book. "Hello, Rei." he whispered. Rei blinked, surprised. She put away her book and turned to him. "Good morning, Ikari-kun." "Why are you here?" he blinked, looking around. "Why am I here??" his mind raced, but couldn't remember fighting an Angel since the shadow. "Stress." Rei stated simply. "The doctors reasoned you had a mental breakdown. You should be fine now, however." Shinji turned red. "Mmm...well, Toji always said it was just a matter of time..." he sighed and looked at his hand. It was bandaged up slightly. "I still feel a little strange..." "You are free to go." Rei said after a moment. "The doctors said your mind had calmed back down. Doctor Akagi has us scheduled for a Sync- Test at Twenty-One-Hundred-Hours." she paused. "Your clothes are over there. I will wait for you outside." Shinji watched Rei leave, then stood, holding a pillow to his body as he found his clothes on a chair in a neat pile. Something flashed over him as he picked up his underwear and put them on. "Sensei Miyazaki..." he whispered...angrily, as the memory returned. "Asuka-chan..." By the time he had put on his clothes again, he was resolute. He would ask Asuka about it tonight at the Sync Test. He knew enough about it to make sure she was telling the truth, too... His father wasn't the only Ikari who would be able to find out what people were hiding from him. A strange thought struck him as he slammed the door. That had to be the warmest thought he had of Gendo in a long time. It made him shiver. Ritsuko leaned up against the back wall as Misato sighed. "This is new..." "Shut up, Ritsuko." the raven-haired woman snapped, then turned back to the screens. She pressed the comm. channel button to both Asuka and Shinji's plugs. "Are you two even TRYING?!?" Shinji frowned, slightly annoyed. "Sorry, Misato-san..." he nodded, closing his eyes again. His mind had been wandering around all day, and he supposed it was probably not helping his sync ratio. Still, he couldn't help it. Asuka fumed. "What do you WANT from me? You wake me up to perform a SYNC TEST, so we can see if Shinji's brain is fried? Of COURSE I'm not going to be at my peek!" she growled, making little bubbles in the LCL around her. "That does it! I'm getting out! Let me out of here!" "End the test, Maya." Ritsuko nodded finally. "Yes, Sempai." Misato turned on heel to glare at her. "You're just letting them go with these scores?" she turned to Rei's screen, where the blue-haired girl was quietly meditating. "That is the first time Rei has ever outscored them both!" "I'm sure Commander Ikari will be pleased." Ritsuko said dryly. "But..." Ritsuko sighed and leaned forward. "We've been here for an hour, and all you've done is yell at them. We'll try again tomorrow." she leaned forward, though, and said the next part very quietly: "Two pilots operating at half their normal sync rates is unacceptable. I am in charge of the Evas, and YOU are in charge of the Children's well-being. I have never told you how to do your job before...but I would suggest that you un-FUCK whatever situation is between the Second and Third Children before we all die because of it." Misato registered a look of complete shock as Ritsuko walked past her...much too close for comfort...and then out the door. "Easy for you to say, Ritsuko." she smirked to herself. "At least the Evas only get their limbs ripped off and their skin fried." she turned to the screen where Asuka was now poking her head into Shinji's plug and yelling at him at the top of her lungs about keeping them there so long. Shinji sighed as Misato drove them back to the apartment. So much for confronting Asuka. "AND ANOTHER THING!" she yelled in his ear. "What the hell was wrong with you! If you were having a mental breakdown, you could have SAID so, and not been all acting like a zombie! You scared the shit out of me!" "The married couple..." Misato whispered to herself. Too loudly, though. Asuka instantly turned to Misato and growled, face now bright red. "I DIDN'T ASK YOU, MISATO!" She said nothing, opting to drive. Shinji sighed as the wrath of Asuka turned back to him. He would have given anything for his SDAT at the moment. "I...I couldn't really help it, Asuka...I'm sorry..." "You ALWAYS say that!" Asuka sat roughly back down in her seat. "When it IS your fault, you say it isn't...but when it's NOT your fault, you say it is to try to make up for it! AAAAAAAARGH!" "AAAAAAAAAGH!!" both Asuka AND Shinji yelled as they flew out of their seats, impacting in a heap on the floor of the back seat. Had the pain not been so amazingly intense, the position of them collided might have given even Misato some ideas about her next time out with Kaji. Misato, however, slammed on the emergency break, then reached behind the back seat, grabbing Asuka's ear and hauling her off of Shinji. Then, she did the same for Shinji, hauling him back into his seat. "That is E-NOUGH!" she screamed. Both Children were dead quiet...scared for their lives. "I have been listening to BOTH of you non-stop for the entire day! Shinji! If all you can say is 'I'm sorry' then SHUT UP! You should at LEAST know by now that it's not going to help! And Asuka...LET IT GO!" she yelled. "Whatever is up BOTH of your asses, you should both just LET IT GO! NOTHING IS WORTH ALL THIS YELLING!" Shinji looked up, dead serious. "That's easy for you to say, Misato..." That remark even surprised Asuka, who was unable to speak. She had never seen Misato this angry before...and yet spineless Shinji Ikari just talked. Misato even looked shocked. "P...what?!" He was hiding his eyes from the two girls, but did not waver in his voice. "I should have stayed in the Angel and died..." he sniffed. "Nothing's changed..." Misato fell back into her seat, silent. Asuka was shivering as a car honked and passed them, angry they had stopped in the middle of the road. "Shinji..." Asuka whispered. "...don't say that..." "Why NOT!?!" he yelled. "Nothing's changed! I'm better off drowning in LCL than staying here! Every time I think anyone's being nice to me it turns out to be a LIE!" Misato opened up the driver's side door and got out. Asuka watched her leave, then turned back to Shinji. "Shinji! What are you talking about?" she whispered quickly. "I...I mean...I like you! I don't want to see you like this..." She was cut off as Misato opened Shinji's door and hauled him out, almost throwing him onto the street. "Get out here, Asuka." Misato demanded. Asuka nodded quickly, not daring to disobey her guardian when she was like this. The three of them were now standing in the middle of the road as cars honked and drove past them. "We're going to get this over, once and for all." Misato stated loudly. "I will not put up with either of you acting like this!" she sighed, gathering her thoughts. "Ritsuko showed me your sync scores today. Rei beat both of you!" Even Shinji looked a little surprised. Asuka, downright horrified. "If we all get killed by an Angel because you two are constantly fighting...what a wonderful testament to the Human Race that would make!" Misato yelled. "You both know Rei can't hack this by herself. It takes a will to live and skill to win against those bastards. Rei only follows orders." Shinji cringed like he was about to be hit as Misato knelt down in front of him. "Shinji-kun. You have to realize that we DO like you. I care for you like a little brother. I'm sorry that every day, you are forced to fight for all of us...but that's something nobody can change. It is your destiny." she sighed. "Just find what you need to keep going. But do it soon..." Asuka was staring at the ground as Misato turned to her. "And you, Asuka. If you're so damn perfect, maybe you should try HELPING Shinji for once...and not yell at him for every little thing!" she smiled suddenly. "You have so much passion that you take it for granted." "Hai..." Asuka whispered back. "Now..." Misato sniffed. "Shinji...come here." Shinji complied weakly, but was suddenly dragged into a rough hug by Misato. Before he could struggle free, Misato grabbed Asuka's arm and hauled her into the hug as well. "Now, both of you, hug each other." she smiled. Asuka and Shinji looked up at each other, then away quickly. Finally, though, Misato forced them together, and they, mostly accidentally, hugged rather tightly, heads on the other's shoulder. Misato smiled happily with teary eyes. "Now, both of you, please, just try to get along? I promise once all these angels are gone, you can go your own ways...but...at least try not to kill each other in the meantime." Shinji swallowed hard as Asuka pressed up against him. "...okay..." Asuka nodded slowly, trying her best not to shy away from his heartbeat...it had just doubled in the last three seconds, taking hers along with it. "...okay..." Misato let them go with a happy/proud look on her face, oblivious to the fact they were both still hugging. "Well, come on, kids...tomorrow is Monday. I don't want to keep you out too late." she sighed and walked back to the driver's door. Shinji wasn't sure what to do. Asuka wasn't letting go...and therefore...he didn't want to either. "Asuka-chan..." "I didn't know..." she whispered. "...that you felt like this...I'm sorry." she sniffled. "I shouldn't be yelling at you...you've been through a lot..." "J..." he swallowed hard. "Just be kind to me...okay?" Asuka finally let him go and held him out at arm's length. She was smiling softly. "Okay..." They got back into the car and all drove home together. At least the silence now wasn't forced. Ritsuko felt a shiver run all the way through her as she walked into the room. The door labelled it as the "Dummy Plug production plant". She liked to think that the: "Reiquarium" was a more fitting name. Gendo was there...as he had been a lot lately. Had the scenery been different, the small part of her mind that came up with such ideas suggested she sneak up behind him and wrap herself around his back, surprising him with an embrace. But there was nothing romantic about the room with that....that... Rei... Rei's eyes opened and she smiled softly. Gendo noticed and turned. "Good evening, Doctor..." he echoed Rei's soft smile. "You may be pleased to know that Rei-chan got the highest sync score tonight." Ritsuko smiled slightly at Rei. Rei in turn looked very pleased. "Really...?" Gendo turned back to Rei. "That is good news." "Unfortunately, it was mostly due to the Second and Third's inabilities to concentrate." she sighed. "I think it's just stress. I wonder if it would hurt to give them all a vacation?" "It is irrelevant." Gendo smiled. "If the dummy-plug works, we will no longer have to rely on them. We shall be able to test the system soon." Ritsuko's eyes went wide as she heard that. "An Angel is on it's way, isn't it?" "There will be more." Gendo said. "Sooner or later. We will be able to test it." Ritsuko turned and began walking. Sooner or later? He knew...he had to know... "Goodnight, Dr. Akagi." "Goodnight, Ikari..." To be continued...... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahh, that feels sooo much better. ^_^ A nice group hug. You may also be noticing I'm using lines from End of Eva Mindfuck scenes prematurely. It is because that, even if this does conclude at another Third Impact, so much has changed that it would be different anyway. So enjoy! Anyway, not much to say this time around except thanks for reading! More on the way! I promise! I actually get some time off this week ! WHOOHOO!! OMAKE! Courtesy of Jonathan Gaters--------------------------------- SCENE: In Terminal Dogma, Gendo stands inside the Reiquarium, now emptied of LCL. To his right stands Ritsuko, giving orders to the technicians walking around with scrub brushes, cleaning the walls and floor of the Reiquarium. To his left stands Rei II. The Rei clones stand around looking ahead with empty smiles on their faces. Rei XIV: (Suddenly becomes animate as her facial expression turns from an airhead smile, into a serious expression) Umm... Rei II: Yes? Rei XIV: Well... It's just that... you're me. I feel closer to you than anyone else. You're more than just a sister figure to me, you're more like a part of me! You understand me like no one else does. I feel a since of sisterhood with you that can't be equalled! Rei II: You're not getting my soul. Rei XIV: (Turns to Gendo) Gendo: Don't even think about it. Wait your turn. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ^_^ Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110 e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000. Khattam-Shud, EOF.