GAINAX owns it all, but one day there WILL be a reckoning! Authored by Godsend777 All situations just happen. Standard spoiler and posting warnings, I think they're on Part three for reference. Time for the show... ** - Denotes flashback *- Denotes Phone Call ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Death of One Part 4 Life/A Double-Edged Sword ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What are you saying, Dr. Akagi?" Gendo looked as if he had seen better days. It had been forty-eight hours since the compatibility experiments, and since then, even more things had gone to hell. He had successfully avoided SEELE during this time, but they were expecting a report on the incident by the end of today. Dr. Akagi had gone over the data several times, and each time she had come up with the same conclusions. "That it would be disastrous for anyone to pilot Evangelion Unit 01, based on what happened to Asuka. Not only would we lose the pilot, but if it were to go berserk like it did the last time it reached a 400% synch ratio, NERV could be heavily damaged." She didn't look at him at all when she said this. In fact, she hadn't spoken to him much these past two days. Something happened between her and Rei, but he didn't know what. He hated not knowing vital information... "So we have a five billion dollar project that is totally useless." Fuuyutsuki said, his voice half-sarcastic, half-biting. He had been like this for over a few days now, when Gendo had informed him of his plans for Shinji. "It will work. Our main concern right now is to get Shinji back. He WILL make it work." Gendo stated coldly. 'He has to...' He had almost said this last part aloud. His control must be slipping. "We're not even so sure that plan will succeed!" Ritsuko cried out. "Dr. Akagi is correct." Fuuyutsuki agreed. "As much as I hate to suggest this, we should replace Unit-01's core with one that is fully functional. A new Children will be selected, and -" But Fuuyutsuki's sentence was silenced by the sound of the commander's fist slamming against his desk. "There will be no such action!" He growled out. It made him seem less human than he normally was, if it were possible. Ritsuko and Fuuyutsuki looked back in shock. "Now," he continued, replacing his hand to its previous position in front of his mouth, "Is the report of what happened to the Second Children finished?" "Y-yes. According to her, she 'met' with Shinji." Dr. Akagi replied, producing a file from the bottom of her clipboard. "She says she doesn't remember much, but I don't think that's the case. At the very least, this confirms Shinji's consciousness is still intact." "Is there a reason why she was almost absorbed into Unit 01?" Fuuyutsuki asked. "Apparently...she couldn't live without him." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asuka lay on her bed, crying. She couldn't stop the tears that welled up in her eyes as much as she could the memories flooding through her mind. **Live! For me!** She wanted to die so badly. **Remember that I love you most of all.** She loved him too. **If you stay here, you'll die!** She couldn't see him again. Ever. **Nothing can be gained from death!** She hated it when he was right. **Your mother is waiting...** What did he mean by that? He said he was trapped inside the Eva. **Like our mothers!** No one was trapped inside the Eva. He was the first. She rolled the thought over in her head, again and again. While she didn't know it, it had the side effect of keeping her from crying. She thought back to all the times she had talked to people about the Evas. While he hated talking about them in general, there were times when he would open up to her about them. One of them was after the twelfth angel, a day or so after he had been released from the hospital. ** "So, what was it like?" She had asked this to satisfy her own curiosity, and possibly tease him about it later. At least, that's what she thought at the time. "I...don't remember." He said, before he slipped his SDAT headphones on and retreated to his room. She grabbed him by the collar, pulled his headphones from his ears, and pushed him back to the couch. "I'm bored, Third Children, and you're gonna talk to me, whether you like it or not." "Why?" He started getting a little defensive, something that was odd for him to do. "Because Misato's at work, Kaji's off somewhere, Penpen's in bed, and there's nothing on TV." She was determined to win this little battle, no matter what. "What about Hikari?" A slight edge became noticeable in his voice. Looking at his eyes, she noticed he hadn't slept much since he woke up from the incident. She decided it would be better to switch tactics. "She's out with her sisters." Then, leaning closer to him and spoke in a teasing voice. "Why? Don't you want to talk to a pretty girl, Shinji-kun?" She leaned over further, giving him a good shot of her over-developed cleavage. He gulped, blushed, and after a second of thought, finally acknowledged defeat to the superior being. "Alright..." He mumbled out. Asuka cheered inward at her victory. She hoped that he would at least have something halfway decent to say. She didn't want to have to revert to using him as kissing practice again. Well, maybe later... "So," she said, finally beginning the conversation, "What was it like." "I honestly don't remember much...just..." he trailed off, not sure of what to say. "C'mon, Third Children, just what?" "I just remember feeling that my...mother was there..." His eyes turned a little vacant, and at the same time, a little hurt. But he had mentioned mothers, and that was a subject she didn't want to talk about. She needed to change it, and quickly. "BOOORRRIIING!" She called out, mainly to get his attention. "But I thought-" "Look, do you want me to get bored like last time?" "Well..." A slight blush appeared across his face. "Pervert." She sneered. She noticed he had a slightly dejected look to his face, and decided to ask another question. "So what did you and Misato talk about this morning?" "Oh...She wants me to do this school orchestra concert..." ** Okay, so she had to sometimes force it out of him, but he would at least talk about it with her and no one else. Except maybe Rei. Rei. What was with her? She was a complete enigma to everyone except the commander. Misato, Kaji, and even Shinji didn't know a thing about her. Even after that talk they had a few days earlier, she still knew little about her. The only thing she was sure of was her feelings for Shinji. **I...think I love him...** Yeah, you ain't the only one, Wondergirl. She actually wished she had opened up to her. To let her know how she felt, so they both could talk about it openly, and maybe help her feel a little better about herself. Why didn't she? Oh, yeah. Stupid Pride. Then she thought about it. If her Pride was the one thing that kept others away, what good was it now that she lost the only one worthy of being with her? What good was it to drive others who might care for her away? She knew Misato cared, she knew that fact well now. The events of the past week solidified that bond, everything from Misato holding her to them talking about each other's lives. She suspected Kaji did. He had, after all, been there for her since she lived in Germany, and he too, held her when she first heard the news. Hikari was a given. She had always been nice to her, since day one. She secretly wished that she could sometimes be as open as she could. Could she add Rei to that list? She had actually missed her the other day in school. She wanted to talk to someone about Shinji so badly, but didn't feel Misato was ready, and Hikari didn't understand her feelings for him. Since she had talked with Rei about it before, it seemed natural that she should be able to talk with her again. She needed to be more open, and if her Pride stood in the way, well, Pride be damned. She decided that she will NOT let anymore loved ones slip through her fingers again, not like Shinji or her mother! Mother... She was thinking about her before she lost track of her thoughts, wasn't she? What Shinji had said about her mother waiting for her. Was mother in the Eva? Shinji was. But how would her mother be trapped inside the Eva? Wait, didn't she work on Project E before she died? Was that what she talked about before she...before she stopped being her mommy? Project E was about the Evas... ** "I really don't think it's safe to test it, Dr. Sohryuu!" "I don't care!? The Tokyo branch is already a year ahead of us in research, and we cannot wait any longer!" The scientist screamed back at her assistant. "Do you remember what happened a few months ago to their top scientist!?! She died!! And she left a young child behind!!" The assistant turned away to look at the ground. It seemed like the young man could not say his next words directly to her face. "Do you want to do the same? I know that your husband and you have are having difficulties right now, and that you're absorbing yourself in our research in order to get away from it..." "I AM NOT!!" Her mother screamed. "BUT THINK OF ASUKA!!!" The assistant screamed back. She remembered this man as being very kind to her. She also remembered that he had mentioned having a sister her age that died during the Second Impact. Was that why? "M-mama? What's w-wrong?" She had been frightened. It was bad enough mama and poppa always argued together, but now mama was being scary to her friend. Her mother turned towards her, a momentary glare of anger crossing her face. Then, in a moment of complete calm and peace, she spoke. "Go back to the playroom, honey. After this experiment, we'll have plenty of time together." It was one of the few times she had seen her mama smile. She smiled back, thinking about all the good times that would happen when mama was done. She ran up, hugged her mother's leg, and then walked off to the playroom. It was the last thing her mama had said to her before the accident made her go insane. After that, she had to be hospitalized for her problems. She was so angry with her for breaking her promise. She was so angry with her for thinking she was a doll. God, she hated her. ** She was crying again. The combined thoughts of Shinji and her mother made their way to her head. Then she fully realized it: Eva-02 had her mother, just as Eva-01 had Shinji. Tears still in her eyes, she grabbed her coat and ran for NERV. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She was thankful when she finally arrived at NERV headquarters. The rain had been terrible, and several times she had slipped in her rush to get here. She ignored the bruises and scrapes on her legs and arms as she forced her way into her plug-suit. It was the early morning shift, and few people were here, leaving her one of the perfectly few opportunities to safely board her Eva without anyone interfering. She pressed the button on her right wrist which sealed the plug-suit shut, and walked into the cage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The alarms rang throughout NERV Headquarters. Misato looked up from Kaji's computer terminal; his parting words still in her head. **You do your part, I will do mine.** Then he boarded on his plane and left for Germany. That was three hours ago. She came back here to retrieve his files that Section 2 had not gotten around to, and then start her own investigation. But the alarms distracted her, and she knew that she needed to get to the Command Bridge quickly. "C'mon, hurry up and save quicker, you stupid machine!!" She hit the monitor quickly to emphasize her point, but the computer ignored her and kept on its steady pace. "The angels would attack when I'm doing something that could get me fired. Hmmph! Men are more considerate than they are!" Her left eyebrow twitched as the screen read: FILE: 75% SAVED ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gendo stood before the tube that held the Shinji's new body, hand gently caressing its soft, Plexiglas surface. He had come down near the Room of the Guf to reaffirm his actions, when the sirens had gone off all around NERV. And due to the precautions he had placed into effect after the invasion of the 11th angel, all the shutters and bulkheads automatically closed off this area, and trapping him in this place. "WHAT!?!" He screamed angrily. He ran to the door of the room and typed frantically at the keypad. Unfortunately, this was one of the affected doors, and it didn't open. Anger, hatred...and something else filled his rage at being possibly trapped here. He was used to anger, many had been angry with him as he grew up. He was used to hatred, as those same people who were angry with him had hated him. But one emotion, an emotion that had been sneaking up on him quite frequently these past few days, one that he was not used to in the slightest, was fear. He didn't know why he felt afraid. He had been in confined spaces before. In fact, there were many times when he spent nights in jail cells. But he thought it might have something to do with Shinji's spare body, and the rest of the clones in the room for that matter. It just felt... Like they were watching him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asuka stood before Eva-02 listening to the sounds of the sirens. "Damn!! An angel would attack now!!" "Asuka! Do you read me!?" Ritsuko's harried voice blurts over the intercom. "Yeah, I read you! What's going on!?" Asuka shot back. "An angel has been spotted. Get into your Eva and await further orders." "Where's Misato?" Asuka asks. "She's not here yet. Now hurry up!" "Yes, ma'am!" Asuka replies sarcastically. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Maya, what's the status of the target?" Ritsuko asks her assistant. "Target has achieved a stationary low-earth orbit, ma'am." "Good. Hyuuga, try to locate Major Katsuragi again." "No need to!" Misato calls out as she runs into the room. "You're late!" Ritsuko shouts at her. "Sorry, no excuse! What's the status of the Children!?" "Asuka is inside Eva-02, and Rei is currently boarding Eva-00!" Aoba responds. "Where's Commander Ikari!?" "I don't know." Fuuyutsuki replies. "As acting commander, I place full charge of this operation to you, Major Katsuragi." "Thanks. As soon as Rei is ready, tell her to take point." "Hai!" Hyuuga responds. "WHAT!?!" Asuka's voice comes over the communications link. "You're placing her on point!?" "I'm sorry Asuka, but she currently has the higher synch ratio." "Dammit, Misato, I'll show you a higher synch ratio! LAUNCH EVA!!!" On her words, Eva Unit 02 launches up its catapult, arriving on the streets of Tokyo-3. Quickly grabbing a bazooka from a nearby armament building, it prepares to take aim to the attacker above. "Asuka! What are you doing!? You know you're not supposed to act without my orders!!" Misato shouts through the comm. "I'll show you that I can do this, Misato! I'll teach these things that no one takes someone away from me! NO ONE!!" "Asuka..." Misato can now do little more than stare back in shock. "Ma'am! You should come see this!!" Maya calls out to Ritsuko. "What is it?" She begins to read the data, a surprised look across her face. "Asuka's synch ratio is increasing! How is she doing this!?" Her question is soon answered as a steady mantra starts to waft its way through Eva-02's communications screen. "Hate you kill you hate you kill you hate you kill you hate you kill you..." "Asuka!" Misato yells. "Rei! Are you ready!?" "Hai." "Equip yourself for long-range firing, and take position 500 meters east of Eva-02! Use the railgun!" "Hai!" Eva-00 launches as well, and upon arriving takes its place on its ordered position. Grabbing the railgun from its compartment, it mounts it on the adjoining buildings and loads a fuse into it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, Asuka impatiently waits for the angel to come into her range of firing. "Hate you..." The crosshairs begin to center on the target. "Take away my Shinji..." They focus for a second, giving the vengeance-crazed pilot all the opportunity she feels she needs. "DIE!" She screams, pulling the trigger three times. The orb-like bullets fly through the clouds, making circular holes appear and briefly distort the weather patterns. They fly above the stratosphere, into the low earth orbit range, only to fall short of their target. The angel uses this time to attack as a beam of light shines from its core. (1) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asuka looks on in frustration as her screen data shows all three shots missed their target. She prepares to fire again when the angel's beam hits her Eva. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" "Asuka! What's wrong!?!" Misato calls through the comm. But she doesn't respond. Instead, she empties her clip into the air, each shot driving her Eva back from the force of the kickback. The first three make it over the horizon, the last four explode throughout various parts of the city. Dropping the weapon altogether, Asuka clutches her head in pain. Her Eva does the same. "AAHHH!! OH GOD!!! IT'S IN MY HEAD!!!" "ASUKA!! WHAT'S HAPPENING!?!" Misato shouts again. Again, the young girl cannot respond. She claws at the top of her head to try to stop the flow of information into her brain. Images flash in her mind. Images of her mother's death, and her father abandoning her. "NO!! DON'T SHOW ME THESE THINGS!!!" The warm smile on her mother's face when she found her... "I DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM!!!" ....hanging from the ceiling. "PLEASE!!! STOP!!!" She looked so peaceful. "DEAR GOD IT'S RAPING MY MIND!!!!!" "ASUKAAAA!!!!! DAMMIT!!" Misato turns her attention to Rei's viewscreen, a look of horror and revulsion clearly visible on her face. "REI!! FIRE AT WILL!!!" The girl pauses a second to wait for the crosshairs to lock onto their target, an act that seems to take an eternity. Asuka's last words echo through her mind, causing her to feel angry. She knew the feeling Asuka was going through. Eva-00 had done the same to both her AND Shinji. That feeling of intense pain, followed by another's presence forcing itself onto your mind. She had never verbally admitted it, but it was one of the worst experiences of her life. Gritting her teeth, she pulls the trigger. Strangely, it is not the face of the angel she sees on her viewscreen, but rather that of the presence that had invaded her mind, that of Naoko Akagi. However, all thought are shook from her mind as the kickback of the railgun forces her Eva's body to jolt backwards. Thankfully, her sniper position protects her from serious damage. She feels the heat one second after the energy weapon discharges, its energy hurtling towards its intended target. A bit of hope crosses her mind as the beam flies through the clouds above to its target, but are instantly dispelled as it clashes against the angel's ATField. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The angel's ATField neutralized the positron beam! There's not enough power to break through!!" Hyuuga shouts from his station. "Damn! Rei! Change the fuse! We'll try again in another minute with more power!" Misato commands. "I don't think Asuka will last that long!" Ritsuko shouts. "Her synchro-graph is fluctuating rapidly!!" "C'mon Asuka..." The major mutters under her breath. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asuka lay in the fetal position in the entry plug. She tries to shut out the memories that the angel keeps making her see, but she can't. The Angel's will is too powerful for her to resist. "No..." Her mother. "Please..." She hangs from the ceiling, a peaceful smile on her face. A slight breeze from the doorway causes her to sway a little. "I don't want to see this..." Her father. "Don't..." She sees his back as he walks down the aisle with his new wife. "Someone help me..." The doll her stepmother gave her. "Kaji..." It lies ripped open on the floor. Its cotton guts spill out onto the carpet. "Misato..." Shinji. "Shinji...?" All the times she hit him. "Wha...?" All the times she insulted him. "Don't touch...him" All the times she yelled at him. "They're...mine..." All the times she never told him how she felt. "They're...my memories..." The time she screamed she hated him. "Don't defile my memories..." Her voice becomes angrier, as the fire in her soul re-ignites. Her head lifts up ever so slightly. The angel fights back by showing her how she reacted when she learned he was dead. "They're my memories..." She raises her head higher, and relaxes her arms. The angel retaliates even greater, showing her both her mother and Shinji. "They're my memories." She puts her hands on the plug's handles to use them for support. The angel finds another memory to torment her with. "They're my memories!" She looks up at her attacker. She looks beyond the light that pierces her mind and defiles her soul. The angel, desperate to continue its attack, shows Asuka her mother swinging from the ceiling again. "Mama!" Asuka's face turns to a look of pure defiance. The angel retaliates by reminding her of her meeting with Shinji. "Shinji said you're here! Help me!" The angel reminds her of all the times she thought of suicide. "Don't let it do this to me! These are my memories, and I'll live with them!!" It shows her the time she actually tried. "I want to live with them!!" The way the razor looked in her hands. 'Do you want to live?' Pressing it against her soft flesh. "Yes! I want to live!" The blood that flowed freely from her wrist. 'Do you want to live?' The way it trickled off the edge of her hand, and the sudden fear she felt. "Yes!!" The young assistant who found her. She had begged him not to let her die. "I WANT TO LIVE!! I WANT TO LIVE!!!" Shinji, again. "MAMAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I WANT TO LIVE!!!!" 'Then we will live.' "Mama!" 'Open your mind to me...' "Mama..." 'Open your soul...' She does. A million warm feelings course through her body, each one reminding her of one thing: Mother. The Eva raises its head to the heavens and lets out a large roar. A large, purple, cross-like explosion surrounds it's body, expressing the warmth that Asuka feels inside her. The angel's attack stops briefly, giving a certain operations director an idea. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "REI!! FIRE NOW!!" Rei obliges her commanding officer for the second time, pulling the trigger and firing the gargantuan weapon. Again, it's energy screams through the heavens toward the angel, but falls drastically short of its goal. "DAMMIT!!" Misato screams. "We won't get another chance!" However, Rei does not intend to give up. Hefting the burden of the railgun in the Eva's arms, she raises it up to correct the firing angle. The angel sees this, and throws up it's ATField to block the oncoming assault below it. But as its field unfolds, it forgets that the ATField is only a two-dimensional barrier. The positron beam hits the ATField, skidding off into other parts of space, but immediately corrects after it passes the barrier. The angel lashes out with another light attack towards Rei, but it never reaches her as the beam neatly slices the angel in half, scoring a direct hit on its core. The angel explodes in the cold void of space, no scream to mark its passing. The NERV staff would have immediately dispelled any sound of pain that might be heard as they cheer on their latest victory. "Silence!" Misato commands. Everyone stops their yelling, and turns to the major. They notice her looking up at the viewscreen before her, straight at Unit-02, as if waiting for it to reply. A shaking hand pushes the communication button, as Misato starts to speak. "A-Asuka? Are you okay?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asuka looks at the screen display in her entry plug. The angel is nowhere to be seen. A quick data readout confirms that Rei destroyed it with the railgun. She doesn't care. She has her mother. She now knows that her mother has always been there for her, protecting her with the ATField. She still feels a little alone, but knowing that her mother's presence is nearby feels... Reassuring. Misato's worried voice comes through the communications screen. "A-Asuka? Are you okay?" She had her mother. But at what cost? She felt violated, dirty. And angry. The angels had hurt her in every way she could think of. Their appearance in this world had caused man to create the Evas. In doing so, they had taken her mother from her. They had taken her Shinji from her. They had violated her mind, her own personal space. But her mother was with her. And not only that, but she felt a certain hope for Shinji. "Am I okay?" She asks aloud. Happy. Angry. Hopeful. Dirty. How ironic. A situation where you both win and lose. Like a snake devouring it's own tail. How did the Americans put it? Oh yeah. Just like a double-edged sword. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hello?" Misato asks as she answers the phone. *Hello? Misato-san? Is Asuka there?* "No, I'm sorry, she's not here, Hikari." She reaches over and grabs a nearby beer. *She hasn't been to school since that last angel attack, and that was over five days ago. Do you know where she is?* "She went to Shinji's marker." Taking a quick swig, she sets it down on the table. *Do you know why? I'm really worried about her.* "No, she said something about visiting him in a 'proper' Japanese manner." She scratches her head lazily, silently wishing that she could crawl back into bed. Damn job. *Will she be back soon? Last I spoke to her, she sounded kinda angry...* "She'll be back in an hour or so. If you want to visit her, that would be a good time. If not, I'll leave a message. I've got to go to work, so you two can talk alone if you want." She pulls out a tablet and begins to write on it. *You'll remember to leave the message, right? I know you sometimes forget when you're hungover.* "OF COURSE I'LL REMEMBER!!!" She slams the phone down on the hook, trying to ignore the light giggle that was on the other line. "Smart-ass kid!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before Shinji's marker sits Asuka. Beneath her is a checkered blanket, and sitting on it are various simple foodstuffs, such as sandwiches and some tea, and a picnic basket. She sits there, not moving to touch any of the food, just staring at the marker. After a full seven minutes, she finally speaks. "I know you're not here, but this is the only place I can go..." She picks up the sandwich and begins to nibble at it. "They won't let me near Eva-01, and it would be odd to have lunch in front of it." She reaches for the picnic basket to her right, and draws a dozen red roses, in full bloom from it. "I don't know what flowers you liked, or if you even liked them, but I thought I'd put these here. After all, all the flowers that were here either died or were blown away by the wind. I hope these stay." She gently lowers the flowers onto the ground before the marker, as if she is unsure quicker movement will somehow hurt them. After that, she picks her sandwich up and begins to nibble on it again. "Misato told me about how the Japanese visit with the deceased person's tombstone, and talk with them like they were still alive. She herself never did it, but apparently sometimes you have lunch with them, bringing foods they liked to them. I know you liked ramen, but I'm out of cash, and all we have is the instant stuff Misato buys. It just didn't seem right. So, I remembered the time I made us some tuna sandwiches, and you said it was nice, so I brought these." She takes a sip of the tea next to her, then resumes talking. "Stupid Japanese customs! In Germany and America, we just throw some flowers on the grave, say a prayer, and leave!" She pauses again, thinking about her words. "But I suppose that's rather cold, isn't it?" She takes a larger bite out of her sandwich, then chugs half of the tea. "A lot has happened to me since you...left. I now have my mother back, well, kinda, but the angel..." A tear slides out of her left eye. "It hurt me...I thought that nothing could hurt me more than losing you and mama, but it made me relive all the bad things I did to you and her!" Her sandwich falls to the grass as she clutches her yellow sundress in her fists, her gaze falling to the ground. She takes a few moments to regain her composure. After doing so, she speaks again. "I'm sorry. I went out and bought this to remind me of you and my mother." She pulls a locket off the choker she normally wears with this particular dress, and opens it. "It's a picture of you on one side. I had to get from your NERV ID Card, but it's still you. The other one's of my mother. Now you see where I get my looks, don't you?" She gives a quick wink to the marker, but frowns when it doesn't respond. "I didn't think it would..." She fastens the locket back on to her choker. "I feel lonely without you, but I hope I see you again. I've been so mad about the angels for what they've done. I almost exploded at Hikari the other day!" She picks up the sandwich and puts it back in her basket. "Me and Wondergirl speak to each other now. It's weird. Also, she spends a lot of time with Dr. Akagi now. That's really weird. But otherwise everyone's okay." She finishes off her tea and places it in the basket as well. "I don't know why I came. Yeah, I do. I miss you, plain and simple. Also, I want to live, and I want you to see that. I want you to smile at me from wherever you are, because I'm doing what you asked. I'm going to live, no matter what." She gets up to leave, turning her head to look back at the marker once more. "Oh, yeah. Red roses have a meaning, baka-Shinji." Looking ahead of her, she begins to walk away again. "They say, 'I Love You...'" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Dr. Akagi, are you ready?" Gendo Ikari asks as he hands a syringe to the pretty doctor. She shivers nervously, the room bringing back memories for her. This was where she had brought back Rei the time she died. She didn't like it. "Yes, sir." She replies. "Good. Then, we will proceed as planned." Behind him, Rei Ayanami stands, glaring coldly at his back. Ritsuko offers her a reassuring, yet apologetic, glance before testing the syringe for blockage. Rei didn't like this situation. Gendo had finally overstepped his boundaries as Supreme Commander of NERV. This was simply unacceptable, but yet she still could not betray him. Instead, she watches silently as Gendo tries to bring back his son. Ritsuko felt the same as Rei. They had spent much time together lately, the young girl going as far as to stay over at the older woman's apartment after they had spent most of the night talking. One of the things she knew well now was how Rei felt about Gendo's plans, and asked Ritsuko if she should tell Asuka. Ritsuko said no, it would not be wise to get her or the major's hopes up. 'Better to see what happens, since we can't defy him.' She said to Rei. Now she was regretting it. She should stop this, but like the young Eva pilot, she could not defy Gendo. She could only help him. Gendo, on the other hand, was ecstatic. His plans were now going to be back on track, and eventually he would be able to see Yui again. He had to stifle the smile that crossed his face, as well as the laugh that he wanted to just let loose every time he thought of Shinji coming back to him. He watched intently as Dr. Akagi stuck the syringe into Shinji's arm, the final step complete. Now, to wait. For the next three hours, they wait, all in silence. No one speaks a word. Rei didn't move an inch. Ritsuko smoked some cigarettes. Gendo gave glances to the other two females in the room, but didn't move much else. Until finally, Shinji's eyes open. They all gasp in surprise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The boy opens his eyes, the dim light paining them. He remembers almost nothing, and wonders where he is. He slowly gets up, knocking the covers off his naked body. He wipes his eyes, and tries to open them again. The first thing he sees is an older blonde women in a lab coat. He thinks nothing of her, but notices that she slightly blushes as he stands up. He looks to his left some more, and notices another female, this one a young girl. He stares at her for a while, which elicits a confused look from the older woman. The young girl stares back, until the boy breaks it off to view the last person in the room. He hadn't wanted to break the gaze, as looking at the girl felt pleasant for some reason, but the other figure was advancing towards him. "Shinji. Can you speak?" The boy brings his full attention onto the man, eyes instinctively narrowing when he sees him. For a reason he cannot explain, he feels angry. No, he feels hatred. Raw, powerful, and very unpleasant to his still awakening mind. He tries to hold it back, but it brings itself up to the surface, and he is unable to control it. A pale arm lashes out at the man, striking him square in the face and knocking him to the floor with a loud thud. "SHINJI!! What's wrong with you!?!" The older lady screams. He looks down at the man, who clutches at his face. Blood pours out of his nose and mouth, and he spits up what appears to be a tooth. Then, sneering at the older man, he finally speaks his first words. "I don't know why..." Shinji clenches his right fist tightly. "...but I hate you." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes: Here's part 4! Sorry it took so long, I have been busy. I was originally trying to make this a weekly thing, but several factors have prevented that from happening. Oh, well. I know Asuka decided that her pride was not going to get in her way, but then she charged the angel, but that was out of anger towards the angels rather than pride. Just clearing that up. The next fic may not be out for awhile, as I have recently purchased Lunar: The Silver Star Story and am currently in RPG heaven. But as far as I'm planning, there will be three more chapters, and then finito. But that's it. (1) The angel's beam did come from its core. The Newtype 100% Eva collection confirms this. Up next: Shinji meets everyone again for the first time; Kaji starts planning something; we go through Shinji's head when he plays the cello; and another life is viciously torn from its loved ones, with no hope for return. It's all next on: Tears/Don't Cry For Me That's about it. Thanks to these guys for inspirational material: Alain Gravel - 'The One I Love Is...' (Go read it now!) Axel Terizaki - 'The Child of Love' (Go! Read! Pronto!) Toh E. Loong - 'HERZ' (READ IT!!!) And to my pre-readers: Mirei Ikari - My first pre-reader! Greg Thomas - Owner of the Everything Anime website. A1-1-Bus - Author of 'Imagine Normality' and various fics, all suggested reading material Axel Terizaki - Author of 'The Child of Love' and 'An Amnesiac Angel.' Both are suggested reading material as well. And to everyone who reads this. Thank you.