Friday, March 27, 1998 Well, here we are everybody, on the second journey of a series I have decided to undertake; we manage to meet up. If you don't know who this is, let me tell you: I am Shinji-kun; or what very well could be called a true hedgehog, RL Shinji. Yes, it's me, that fairly new fanfic writer that has actually been writing all of his life... ironic, ne? Well, I regret to inform you that this is the second draft of the first episode in this series, I had the episode all done and ready to ship when Circuit City decided to finally replace the defective computer they sold me. Naturally, the A-drive had to be lost, and I couldn't back up the files...*sigh* Well, no matter; it is said that sometimes the second time around is better. Now, about the series. For those of you who have actually read or had a chance to read my other series, Foreign Relations, this series borders along that theme; but is more intensive. Foreign Relations focuses on the whole cast, this series focuses on the intricate network of relationships between the three pilots. Thus, you may notice several more intense scenes in this series than in the other. This series takes place after the last Evangelion movie, The End of Evangelion, and focuses on the events that take place after it; which are totally new and thought up by the mind of yours truly. ^_^ It includes several new lines of thought, and a unique perspective on the growth of Shinji as a person after all he's gone through. Not to mention Rei,(my favorite female character, ever. If there was an RL Rei; I'd marry her.*you must think I'm sick now*) who gets a major facelift; done in a subtle way. As for Asuka, you'll have to wait to see what surprises I have in store for her... Well, anyway; here we go...and I need all the C & C I can get, so please flame or praise; I need both. Standard Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned and copyrighted by Gainax, all characters used from that series are thiers, however; Nosuke Tokugawa is copyrighted by ME, and is MY character.(always wanted to say that. ^_^) -------------------------------------- And now, AniRoura(tm) Productions presents an Evafic just for the pilots: Shin Seiki Evangelion: Awakenings Episode 1: Returning Shinji awakened. He awakened slowly, his tongue moving out to lick the salty taste from his lips. His slowly awakening mind soon after registered the sound of crashing waves not far in the distance, which it then connected with the cool feel of water rushing into the bottoms of his feet. Slowly, his eyes began to open, the blue-grey orbs taking the slight rush of sunlight as his heavy lids slowly raised. Then, at once, his eyes fluttered open, and he awakened fully. Shinji sat up slowly, taking in the waves in front of him, rolling forward, and then rushing back into the sea they had ventured from. The boy looked around, taking in the scenery. The beach seemed to be endless on both sides of him, until he turned slightly and noticed the thick forest that sprung up from the ground behind him. After about a few more seconds of his brain gathering more information from his massive hardrive of memories, the boy remembered what events had placed him here, which also meant... He noticed Asuka. The girl was sleeping quietly, breathing slowly; her chest heaving up and down with each breath. Shinji glanced at her sleeping form for a mere second, before the utter silence and somehow present tranquility was shattered by her awakening. Asuka woke up abruptly, immediately springing up and latching herself onto Shinji. "Shinji! Where is Unit 01!?! Where is Shinji!?! There are too many of them, they are too strong! Shinji! Ayanami... Anyone... Shinji..." she called out. The girl was shaking Shinji violently, as if she desperately needed him. "Asuka. Asuka, Asuka!" Shinji called to her, effectively ending the shaking and quieting her down. After Asuka had stopped ranting long enough to stare into the face of the boy she was shaking, she saw that Shinji was right there in front of her. The girl immediately hugged him tightly. Shinji blinked, twice. "Shinji! Oh, Shinji-kun! I missed you so much, I wanted to see you! They were horrible, horrible ugly things... nothing like our Evas... I needed you, and now here you are... Shinji, stay here with me." The girl pleaded, while Shinji's mind reeled from the massive overload of input that had just been imposed upon his fairly adequate CPU. He was so surprised, the way she was holding him, such kindness, tenderness... he had never seen this from her before. The two just sort of remained that way for a few sconds... before Asuka's slower-moving CPU started testing its' memories... which meant: Asuka returned to her Asuka-infected senses. "What? What am I doing? Have I completely lost my mind? No, wait a minute; been there, done that. *Gasp* He heard me calling for him! How dare he take advantage of me like that! That, that... *PERVERT*!" she thought, as she pushed herself off of Shinji, sending the boy backward onto his wrists in the fairly warm sand. "Hey, what was that for?!?" Shinji asked, staring at the trademark disgusted look on Asuka's face. "How dare you take advantage of me like that!?!" she demanded, glaring back at him. "What!?!? You hugged me!" Shinji pointed out, in a vain defense. "I just woke up, you know what people are like when they first wake up! That's probably why you took your chance..." Asuka shot back. Shinji's countenence fell seven points. Noticing the silence that had set in, and the way Shinji's head just kind of hung there, a shadow covering his face and eyes; Asuka realized she had gone too far. Sure, he may be inconfident, boring, and clueless by her own standards, but even Asuka could see plainly that Shinji had more respect for women than the average 14-year-old boy. Asuka let out a small sigh and turned back to facing the younger hedgehog. "I'm sorry, Shinji. I didn't mean it. I know you wouldn't take advantage of me." she apologized, a rare occurence indeed. Shinji lifted his head and looked at her strangely, as if Asuka had suddenly turned into a boy or something. "Really?" he asked timidly, still shocked fom both Asuka's awakening scene; and this new one springing forth even now. "Yes," Asuka answered, "'cause if you ever did; I'd knock you out!" she teased, making a mock punch at the air. Asuka laughed as she watched Shinji, whom started laughing as well; as soon as he determined it to be safe. "Well, I guess we should see where we are." Asuka suggested, after the laughter had died down. "You're right." Shinji agreed, and rose to his feet to look about again. As the boy turned to stare into the forest from a better position than he had breifly glanced at it before with, he gasped slightly in shock and pointed; speechless. "What? What's wrong?" Shinji just pointed. "*Gasp*" There, beyond the canopy of thick trees; sat Unit 00... ... and there was smoke rising very near to it... ----------------------------------------------- Shinji twisted and stomped his way through the dense plant growth, slipping through the openings left to him. The snugness of his plug suit helped slightly as he struggled to get through the tightest of squeezes, Asuka not far behind. After a few more steps and squeezes, light began to filter through as Shinji broke free of the entangling forest behind him. He took a few steps out into the open and froze. A few seconds later, Asuka bumped into him from behind as a result from his lack of motivation. "Anta baka?" she commented lazily as she stood beside him. Shinji had a look of utter surprise, and his heart skipped a few beats as well as he breathed out but one word... "Rei..." "Wonder Girl?" Shinji's eyes went wide, his pupils dilated to their furthest reaches. He immediately started trembling, his hand shaking in tremors as an assault of memories breached his innermost mind. Rei's voice: "I don't remember, I am the third... I think." His memory flew back to the dimly lit room deep in Nerv, the burning sensation in his soul as hundreds of penetrating, red orbs opened and stared intently at him. The boy shuddered visibly as the memory left him, and took a step back, bumping into Asuka. "Hey, what's your problem?" the redhead spat at him, her look calming slightly when she caught the look of sheer and utter terror on the boy's face. "What's wrong with him?" she thought to herself. Asuka grabbed Shinji by the hand and began dragging him off towards Rei; muttering something about 'for a doll he flips out; for me there is only ignorance.' Shinji wanted to struggle, to break free of the grip on his wrist; but found that he had no strength. It seems that trembling renders your muscles inactive when it truly grips your soul... so he was dragged. Asuka pulled the boy on by the wrist, surprised not to get some kind of resistance; it seemed that Shinji had somehow resolved himself to her command. Indeed Shinji had, he was too disturbed to keep command over his own motor functions, it seemed the closer they got to the blue-haired girl with her back towards them, the more he sweated and the tighter the air in his throat got. Shinji gulped deeply. Suddenly, Rei turned around. Rei turned abruptly, sensing the presence that had somehow snuck up on her, she took in the sight before her with her deep red eyes; unblinking in their seemingly impenetrable gaze. Slowly, the words spilled from her mouth, as it seemed that it took quite a bit of time for them to get there. "I-Ikari? Asuka? Ikari Shinji-kun?" she asked, standing up slowly. Asuka nodded her head eagerly, now there was someone new to pick on; Shinji just could not do in his current state. "That's right Wonder Girl; and lookee here; I brought you a present..." Asuka answered, turning a mischevious grin to the girl. Asuka turned her ferally mischevious grin on Shinji, who immediately realizing her intention started struggling against Asuka's grip for the first time. Rei blinked once, a look that could be described as maybe confusion on her face at the moment. Asuka pushed Shinji into Rei... ... who stumbled gracefully into the girl's arms. Immediate silence set in, except for the sounds of Asuka snickering pleasantly and Shinji's erratic breathing pattern. The boy found himself frozen in Rei's hold, his mind trying to shut down so that any futher damage couldn't be done to his already weak nervous facilities... Rei, for the most part, hadn't moved; except to catch him so that neither he nor she would be knocked over. The girl had a confused look on her face, not unlike the second Rei; after Shinji opened a super-heated hatch with his hands.Wide-eyed and somewhat unnerved,(although one could not tell by regular standards.)she could only but stay silent and hope something would happen soon, because she had no idea what to do. Asuka started to get interested in this particular scene, this could turn out to be entertaining after all... Slowly, Shinji's mind rebooted. The boy realized once more that he was sweating, yet he was deathly cold but burning up hot at the same time, his trembling hand gripped the fabric in the back of Rei's plug suit waist lightly for support.(what little fabric there is.) Shinji then noticed the single most penetrating sound he had heard in his whole life: Rei's heartbeat. "Oh God... I can hear her heartbeat...*her* heartbeat. Oh God, please... please don't let me..." he thought as the pattern of her heartbeat seemed to override any other sound. At once a new thought pushed its way to his mind's surface..."I musn't run away...I musn't run away... I musn't run away... I musn't run away..." he repeated over and over again; to the symphony of rythym being played into his ear and soul from Rei's chest. In the space of seconds, a climax was reached. Shinji's mind had declared several new thoughts in the space in-between the rantings of his mantra, they seemed to war with each other... "I musn't run away...I musn't- You won't. It is warm here, you are cold. You won't run; you'll stay; because you need this. No! No, I don't... I don't need...I don't want... I am a coward. No, you're not. You are human. All humans need warmth. Is she human? No! No...I can't. I can't... I don't want to think about it... not about her.... I don't want to! She is human. She has a soul. She is cold, this is warm to her, like it is to you. You need warmth. She needs warmth. You need he-NO!" it finally ended. And the reaction was mirrored. Shinji pushed hard off of the warm, maybe even comfortable body that had carefully; if not apprehensively, held him up just seconds earlier. His scream of "NO!" split the air with its sharp outring as he stepped back away from the falling body before him. The same, warm and maybe comfortable body that he had just been bonded to in such a uneasy way. He watched as Rei hit the ground, falling back and landing on her wrists the way he had earlier. The boy raised his hands before him, staring at them as if they were not his own, then with a sudden movement he turned away from the eyes that were staring into his soul so intently all of a sudden; betraying no emotion, instead seemingly searching for something, a reason... Rei stood to her feet, slowly, not looking at Shinji for some reason. Asuka, baffled as to what exactly had happened, stared at the two. Shinji did not look at Rei. Rei did not look at Shinji. A silence set in. Shinji slowly calmed. He turned his head slowly and glanced at Rei. Seeing her not looking at him, his eyes fell to the ground. "-Is she human? All humans need warmth...-" Shinji returned. "Okay... now... what are Unit 00 and Wonder Girl doing here, and where is here?" Asuka asked, gesturing to thier surroundings. It was her best attempt at trying to stir life back into the clearing. "I don't know how I got here. I remember falling, and then waking up; and I was here... next to Unit 00." Rei answered in her quiet voice. Shinji was silent, trying to come up with some sort of suggestion. "Does anyone know what time it is?" he asked, finally speaking, in albeit a weaker voice. Asuka glanced at the digital watch on her plug suit and said "Almost noon." "Okay, does anyone know what direction we're facing?" Shinji asked. Rei glanced at the digital compass on her plug suit and observed that it was erratically suggesting every direction at once. "It doesn't say." "Hmm... The watch works, but the compass doesn't. Compasses work on magnetics, that means there must be something wrong with the magnetic fields around here." he deducted. Asuka's jaw dropped open and her eyes bugged out at Shinji's deduction; surprised. "Shinji, I didn't know you could think that way!" she commented, still surprised. "See I told you I'm not stupid." Shinji returned, folding his arms in victory. He was beginning to settle back in completely. "But...what does all this mean for us?" Asuka asked, staring at Shinji for an answer. Shinji thought very hard and strained his memory for any piece of information that could relate to this situation and yield an answer. Shinji looked up and pounded his fist into his palm as he experienced a rare moment of intellectual blessing. "I've got it!" "Remember how Ritsuko always said how the Evas give off some kind of field wether activated or inactivated? Well, Unit 00 must be giving of that field, which is disrupting the magntics of this area!" Shinji explained as best as he could. "Hunh? She never told me that." Asuka commented. "I remember Dr. Akagi telling us about this, its a safety device that they use when the Evas have some back-up power left; but are inactive. It was added so that they could find them if they had ever been lost, or we had ever been cut off from NERV and Japan on a mision... like a homing device." Rei added. Her voice was quiet and reserved, as if there had been some great strain on it... "So you mean to say that Unit 00 has some power left?" Asuka asked, getting excited. Rei nodded softly. "That means we can activate it and move around a little to see where we are and where to find some shelter." Shinji added as well, drawing the plan up in his mind. "I have a suggestion." Rei quietly spoke. Both heads swiveled in her direction to listen; Rei was not one to disinclude when discussing matters of importance like these. "Why don't we go there?" Rei pointed to the peak of a mountain in the distance. For the second time since he had awakened on the beach, Shinji's mouth parted in shock and his eyes focused in sheer awe. Asuka was experiencing a similar reaction, as she stared in the direction Rei was pointing. Rei, who couldn't understand what was so surprising about the whole scene, looked in the direction she was pointing too, and saw what she saw before... just Unit 01 sitting on the peak of a mountain, in a meditating stance; it's back against the wall to some sort of temple... nothing shocking. Shinji was the first to return from the void of silence that set in and spoke, even though his words were soft and awe-inspired. "Evangelion Unit 01... nothing kills it, it lives even as I do." "Rei's right, we should get Unit 01 before we run out of power in Unit 00, we may be able to cover more ground with two Evas," Shinji began, "Once we reach Unit 01; Asuka will ride with me in Uni-" he was cut off. "What!?! Ohhhh, no! You're not getting me to ride in that...that... demon with you! Do you think I don't remember what happens when you get pissed in that thing, or when it gets pissed!?!" Asuka asserted in Shinji's direction. "Besides, who made you leader anyway; I say I'm the leader... after all; I am the best pilot..." she added. Shinji was about to give in to her irritating ways when Rei spoke up, shocking the group of them yet again. "Shinji will be the leader." "And why is that, Miss Honor Student? You got a thing for him, don't you?" Asuka countered. Rei didn't address Asuka's second question, but instead shut her down with a concrete reason for Shinji's leadership: Unit 01. "Shinji is the pilot of Unit 01, and his Eva is the most powerful to date. It is only natural for the most powerful to lead." she quietly spoke. Rei looked at Shinji, who tried his best to look past her. A feeling of incredible guilt overcame him, it was something about those eyes... no matter how much he tried; their gaze was not easy to tear away from. "No way! I say we vote!" Asuka tried once again. "Well, I vote for me, and Rei says me; so that's two against one..." Shinji pointed out, suddenly becoming inspired with a chance to try to ignore the gaze burning through him. Asuka sighed. "That's it Shinji, strong." "We are forgetting a detail." "Hunh?" "How are we going to get to Unit 00's plug?" All three pilots looked up at the blue giant... -------------------------------------------- Shinji grimaced as he struggled to reach forward and find a hold in the blue armor above him. The three pilots had been climbing Unit 00 for the past hour, the two girls tied to Shinji's waist. Shinji clenched his teeth as he pulled himself and the two girls up onto Unit 00's shoulder; they were more than enough weight to give him a heavy workout. The boy finally reached the shoulder and fell back onto his wrists, panting. Asuka appeared next, and took a seat as well, followed by Rei; who simply left for the entry plug jutting out of Unit 00's back. Shinji watched her go silently. Asuka shrugged. The two remaining pilots sat and breathed for a while, before Asuka stood and beckoned for them to follow Rei to the plug. Shinji stood and followed the flame-haired girl into the plug, closing the hatch behind him. Rei opened the compartment that held the emergency activation supplies and handed each of the two an oxygen mask to wear. The girl then put her own mask on and sat back in the pilot's seat as the plug screwed itself into the Eva by way of desiel power. Rei grasped the controls and breathed deeply, preparing to synch. "Are you ready?" she asked the two accompanying pilots, whom both answered 'yes.' Rei closed her eyes. The blue-haired girl focused her mind deeply, clearing it of all intruding visions and thoughts. She reached down deep, looking for the connection that usually came at about this point. The various colors and backgrounds that served as wallpaper during the critical phase of synching did not appear, and the Eva did not synch. Rei tried again, and came up with the same results. Defeated, the girl opened her eyes and spoke. "Shinji, I need you." she said. These words elicited a reaction in Shinji, one that forced a gasp through his lips. Somehow, without looking up; he knew those red orbs of light were on him, but there was a different feeling attached to that presence this time. It was still confusing, and penetrating...definitely eerie... but there was something else. A hint... a hint of... need? "Of course, baka; she said she needed you." Shinji chided himself and answered "Hai" shakily. Asuka made a point of taking mental notes. "Shinji, do you remember the compatibility testing we went through with Unit 00 and 01?" Rei asked, Shinji nodding in answer. "You could synch with Unit 01, but Unit 00 didn't like me, or either something went wrong with the test." he added. "Yes, I know Unit 00 rejected you then, but we have to try now. I need you to help me synch, as well as pilot by keeping your mind open and clear." she replied, giving Shinji a look. The boy stared back at her with his blue eyes, trying not to lose himself somewhere he did not know how to get back from. It was strange, the way she just seemed to forget about the earlier events; as if it hadn't fazed her; but somehow he knew it did. "I won't force you..." her voice came. Finally he answered "Yes. I'll try." Asuka snorted in derision. "I need you Shinji...*uucchh!* Nice try, Wonder Girl." Rei grasped her controls again and focused in front of her. "Are you ready?" she asked Shinji, who nodded slightly with a "Hm." Rei closed her eyes as Shinji did, and the two prepared to synch. Shinji looked for the feeling, the connection; that feeling of weightlesness that he experienced with his own Unit 01. Maybe it was the way he felt, uncomfortable; not because it was Unit 00's plug; but because of who he shared it with that it was not easily found at first. Rei looked deep, searching as well for the bond, her bond, her link. After a few seconds, both began to experience a feeling, not like the cold; distantness of the Eva; but different... like a presence. Rei gasped slightly as the feeling reached out to her, like a soul; probing, looking for a link with her own. Shinji tried his hardest to keep his breath from catching in his throat as a chilling presence surged through him and exited, then reached out and linked with him; as if it was bound to his soul... then everything burst into crystal clarity. --------------------------------- Shinji's Mind: Rei and Shinji after the sniper operation. Shinji: "Ayanami! Ayanami!" Rei nods slightly. Shinji: "Don't say you have nothing else..." Shinji: "...or say goodbye when you leave on a mission...." Shinji: "...it's too sad." Rei: "I'm sorry. I really don't know what to say or feel at a time like this..." Shinji: "Why don't you try smiling?" Rei catches a flash of a smiling Gendou, replaced with a smiling Shinji. Rei smiles. Rei, on the roof with Touji. Touji: "I think you're worried about Shinji." Rei: "Really? Is that so? Maybe." Touji: "I think you're worried he may be hurt." Rei: "Really? Is that so? Maybe." Rei, lying on her bed, alone. Rei: "Arigato. The word used to express gratitude..." Rei: "I've never used it before. Not even for him." Rei, with Asuka after Shinji has been swallowed in Dirac's Ocean. Asuka: "Serves that baka right! He shouldn't have gone charging off like that!" Rei: "I wonder... do you only pilot Eva for the praise of others?" Asuka: "Ohhh, you don't like it when I talk bad about Shinji... do you?" Rei, just before fighting the 14 Shitou. Ritsuko: "Unit 01 rejected Rei!?!" Rei: "I want to pilot Unit 00." Ritsuko: "But the arm.." Rei: "It's okay." Rei: "Even if I die..." Shinji experiences a feeling of great warmth Unit 00 rushes toward the Shito, N-2 mine in hand. Rei: "The A.T. Field, maximum..." *Boom* Unit 00 stands, motionless. The Shito strikes. Unit 00 falls dead away. Shinji: "Rrreeeiiii!!" Shinji and Rei, recently. Rei holds Shinji uneasily, forcing silence. "-Warm. Is she human?-" "-She is human. She has a soul...-" Rei's heartbeat is heard. The visions in Shinji's mind swirled and mixed with his own, pulling immense and great magnitudes of feelings through him. Feelings of longing, sadness, and great loneliness. Worthlessness. Shinji's mind reeled as the visions whirled to an end, thinking "This feeling... these memories, I know these. I've been here before! I don't know, but I do! This...this is the feeling of Ayanami Rei! Human! Human, she is *human*, she has a soul! She *HAS* a soul!" Shinji gasped as the final vision flickered away from his grasp, it took the feeling with it... but not all of it. As if it could not bear to tear all of itself away... "... and a heart." Shinji's eyes opened. ------------------------------------ Rei's Mind: Shinji, with Misato and Ritsuko. Ritsuko: "Oh, Shinji, could you do me a favor?" Shinji: "Hai." Ritsuko: "This is Rei's new I.D. card, take it to her on the way to HQ." Shinji: "Hai." Shinji takes a long look at Rei's picture... Rei feels...a curiousness... Misato: "You're staring at Rei's picture, aren't you Shinji?" Shinji: "Uh...no! Of course not..." Misato: "Oh, I think you are..." Shinji: "It's not like that..." Shinji: "I just find it hard to believe I know so little about her..." Shinji: "...even though we're both Eva pilots." Shinji, before piloting Eva for the first time. Shinji: "No! I can't...I can't." Gendou: "I see. Rei?" Rei's voice: "Hai?" Gendou: "You will do it." Rei's voice: "Understood." Shinji turns to see Rei being wheeled in on a stretcher. A blast rocks NERV. Unit 01 shields Shinji. "Unit 01...it moved..." Shinji runs over to Rei and holds her. Rei's blood soaks his hand... *Gasp* Shinji: "I'll do it. I'll pilot it." A warm feeling cascades over Rei. Shinji and Rei, in her apartment. Rei snatches Gendou's glasses from Shinji. Shinji trips and falls... onto Rei. Shinji stares into Rei's eyes. Rei stares into Shinji eyes. Silence. There is a feeling... a reaching out... Rei: "Will you get off?" Shinji realizes his current postion, and scrambles to his feet. The connection is lost. Rei and Shinji, on the ramp before the sniper operation. Shinji: "Ayanami... can I ask you something?" Rei: "I don't mind." Shinji: "Why do you pilot Eva?" Rei: "Because I'm bonded to it." Shinji: "Bonded?" Rei: "Yes, it's a bond. A link. My link." Shinji: "To someone else?" Rei: "To all people." Shinji: "You're strong... Ayanami." Rei: "I have nothing else..." Shinji stares at Rei. Sympathy. Rei stands. Rei: "It's time. Sayonara..." Shinji frowns. Shinji, in the dummy plug lab. Shinji stares silently at the huge vials. He gasps and breathes quickly. A mulitude of red eyes open... ... and focus directly on him. Fear. Rei gasps slightly as the tidal wave of memories cascades over her mind. A blanket of feelings covers her, smothering her in a warmth of incredible porportions. Feelings of joy, happiness, fear, worthlessness, and an incredible amount of loneliness flowed through her, all through the link somehow accomplished through this event. The link...Eva...her link... or maybe some other link? Rei's breath caught in her throat as for the first time in her life, she experienced and understood every emotion and feeling known to man for herself... and it was all thanks to one boy. The son of one whom she trusted, Ikari. Ikari Shinji. "I...I don't want to scare him." Rei opened her eyes as Shinji opened his. Unit 00 synched. -------------------------------------- Rei grasped the controls tightly as Unit 00's systems came to life, she glanced around her and spotted the mountain that Unit 01 was perched upon. Unit 00 stood to it's feet and turned in the direction of Unit 01, then took off towards the mountain. Asuka and Shinji held on tightly as the Unit rushed across the terrain, oblivious to obstacle. The Unit bouced Shinji around quite a bit, and he found himself grabing Rei's thigh to keep from flyng into the air from one such mentioned bump. Rei startled slightly but kept going, if she didn't focus the Unit could de-synch at any second. If you could have seen the stumble Unit 00 gave after this interaction, you would have known it was a blush-inducing encounter. Rei grimaced slightly as Unit 00 skidded to a stop in front of the mountain. Rei drew the progressive knife from it's sheath in the shoulderblade of the Eva and used it as a makeshift pick as the Eva gave a mightly vertical leap; latching onto the montain's side. Having scaled at least three-hundred feet with it's initial leap, the Eva climbed the craggy mountainside, striving for the peak. Rei checked her activation time left and noticed that the timer hadn't moved from three minutes yet. Shinji must have noticed this too, because he was unbelievingly staring at said timer. Asuka had been strangely quiet since she had entered the plug... Unit 00's blue hand stretched up and reached forward as the Unit pulled itself up and onto the peak which Unit 01 was sitting upon. The Eva replaced it's progressive knife in it's sheath and kneeled on one knee, it's arm stretched towards Unit 01 in a presenting manner. The Unit powered down abruptly and fell silent as it de-synched with it's pilot. Rei sat back into the chair and let go of the controls, letting out a sigh much like the one she gave after re-activating Unit 00 for the first time. Shinji felt the mental strain from being synched with the Eva release his mind from it's grip. He too let out a sigh as he sat back against the side of the pilot's seat... reluctantly letting go of the bond... the link he had felt... There was silence within the plug for awhile, until speech was birthed again. "Are you alright?" Shinji looked up into the red eyes of one Ayanami Rei,(the one was intentional.) it seemed as though there was something else there this time. They were still easy to get lost in, but it seemed as though there was more to find there... Realizing he was getting lost again, the boy hastily spoke up. "Hai, hai! I'm... fine." he answered, still recovering from his journey into a sea of red. "Red... what is it about *this* red?" he thought to himself. Asuka decided to make her presence known, because it seemed that she had somehow faded from the scene. "Oh no you don't Wonder Girl! This is *my* truth... you have to find your own." she thought as she proceeded to change the focus. "Now we go to Unit 01 and look around." Shinji and Rei turned thier attention to Asuka as Shinji nodded on agreement. "And I ride with you.. ne Shinji?" Asuka added, surprising Shinji into what could be described as a fleeting shock. "But...but I thought you didn't like Unit 01..." Shinji answered, confused. "This is your plan right, you're the leader, right?" Asuka asked. Shinji nodded aggressively, reinforcing his current authority. "Then let's go." Asuka returned, heading towards the hatch. The redhead opened the hatch and jumped out, proceeding to make her way to Unit 01. Shinji stood and walked over to the hatch, before he froze as his attention was yanked back to the pilot's seat by a certain voice, which somehow held slightly more strength. Not incredibly different, but to one who would listen closely... "Shinji. Arigatou." Shinji smiled. There was an understanding. ----------------------------- Shinji sat in Unit 01's pilot seat, grasping the controls as Asuka sat behind him. He felt that presence, even before he synched with the Eva, it was alway there. The boy breathed deeply as he readied for synchronization. It was strange the way the Evas had been just sitting here. First Unit 00 in the forest, with Rei... then Unit 01 sitting atop this mountain; back to a temple, in a meditative posture. Asuka had called it a demon... what would a demon want with meditating, or a temple? No, not a demon, something else; something... Also strange was how Unit 00 shut down immediately after coming within forty feet of Unit 01. All of these questions and observations came back to Shinji as he sat in that chair... what did Rei call it? "The throne of the soul." "Shinji. Shinji... Shinji!" "Hunh? Oh, Evangelion Pilot 01, ready!" Shinji felt the familiar weight of the Eva on his mind, accompanied by the Unit's strength and power... then there was the presence. Not like the presence he had felt while in Unit 00; but like the one he always felt when in Unit 01. It was kind of eerie, yet strangely comforting. "Is there someone? Someone beyond this?" he thought as the Unit powered up and came to life. Unit 01 stood to it's full height, the head rising even as Shinji's did. The boy looked around as Unit 00 raised to it's feet, obviously reactivated. It seemed strange to Rei though that it would only re-synch after Unit 01 had activated. Evangelion(I love that word, it sounds cool.) Unit 01 turned and surveyed the land around it before turning in one direction and seemingly freezing, as if the pilot had frozen up inside. Shinji froze, mouth open with no sound coming out, the sight before him could only be described as impossible. This was not possible, none of this was, Shinji realized. It was a dream, it had to be... Tokyo-3 was destroyed. There, beyond the ridge of a mountain they had been standing on, was the spralling fortress-city of Tokyo-3. Shinji stared, astonished at the sight before him. Asuka pointed, excited, and shook Shinji by the shoulder. "Do you see it? Do you see it!?! We're saved!" she exclaimed still pointing. Shinji still could not believe what he was seeing and expected to wake up at any moment from this dream when Rei opened a comlink. "Shinji, do you-" "Yes.. yes...but how? Where? *HOW?*" Rei scanned the city, recognizing the familiar skyline, and towering skyscrapers that characterized the fortress. Everything was in it's familiar spot; everything. Asuka giggled with happiness as she took in the sight, clasping her hands and thinking of the place she had come to know as home over time. Had Shinji been able to snap out of his current condition, he would have seen a familiar sight unfolding from the city. Two rails slid up from the ground first, which immediately tipped Rei off; having better-trained eyes. She immediately recognized what was sliding out of the ground... "Shinji, Eva!" "What? How?" Shinji gasped as the all-too-familiar white paint scheme danced across his eyes. The Eva rose from the ground, it's black wings folded behind it. Asuka stared and backed away from the screen slightly as memories forced thier way to the surface. Softly, almost silently, she spoke "No...no!" The winged Eva stepped forward from it's launch pad and waited, flapping it's wings once to test them. The familiar ammo carrier rushed from the ground and slid open, revealing the winged Eva's weapon of choice: the double-bladed lancesword. The Eva reached out and took it's weapon, planting it beside it and assuming it's ready stance. The white menace roared with a shrill cry, preparing to attack. Rei set a face of determination and made her descision. "It is better to attack than defend." "Shinji, I will fight." "Rei! Wait!" Unit 00 took off in a rush. Rei glared at the Eva she was quickly approaching as Unit 00 drew it's progressive knife from it's sheath by her command. The winged Eva noticed this threat and prepared, raising it's blade. Shinji finally snapped out of his shock and grasped the controls tighter, a look of fierce determination on his face as he set Unit 01 into a full-speed rush. Unit 01 roared as it rushed, seemingly approving and enjoying the commands it recieved from it's pilot. Unit 00 was nearing the winged Eva and took a leap, reaching forward with a dagger-like slash using it's knife. The winged Eva turned and dodged, letting the slash go past it like a matador and a bull. The white menace brought it's blade down against Unit 00, which dodged and countered. "Rei, I'm coming." Asuka shied away from the scene before them... ...a mixture of memories and emotions. Shinji watched as he powered forward, he was getting closer; just a little longer and he'd be there. Unit 00 ducked another attack from the winged Eva and brought her knife across the winged Eva's legs. The winged Eva jumped back, but took a knick in the shin. Unit 00 rised from it's crouching position to come face-to-face with the winged Eva; then it promptly locked in a strength battle with the white menace. Unit 00 used the short length of it's knife as best as it could to keep the blade from biting into itself, and was being overpowered. Shinji cursed himself as he saw this taking place, and tried to speed up; but noticed the Eva was topped out. All at once, the battle turned one-sided. The winged Eva pushed forward with it's blade, backing Unit 00 up. This gave the winged Eva room to grab Unit 00 by the throat; which it did... presenting it to the sky. Rei struggled with the pain in her neck as she fought to bring Unit 00's progressive knife up to attack. The winged Eva held Unit 00's arm down, and squeezed tighter... Shinji called out in concern for Rei to kick, struggle, do something, anything; as he was still at least one hundred feet off. Rei began to lose consciousness, the feeling of the Eva slipping in and out of her mind...slowly, the grasp on the progressive knife in Unit 00's hand relaxed... and the blade fell to the ground. Unit 00 was thrown to the ground with force. Shinji cried out for Rei. Unit 00 fell silent, and did not move. Asuka mouthed "Oh no...not again..no." Shinji cried a cry of rage, like the cry before the infamous 'snapping on the third Shito.'(the one with the laser tentacles.) Unit 01 rose from its feet in a mighty leap, crushing its weight into the winged Eva; which had been too slow to dodge. Asuka lost consciousness from the shock and fell on her side. The two crushed into the ground, Evangelion 01 roaring as it sent blow after blow into the chest of the winged Eva. The winged Eva was no easy target though; it reached forward it's wings and flapped them; managing to break free of its current position. The winged Eva struck to its feet and grabbed the blade it had dropped while being crushed into the Earth. Unit 01 rose to it's feet and snatched the knife from it's sheath, automatically activating it. The two Eva units engaged in a dogfight, feral and driven by a bloodlust; like two pitbulls fighting over a steak. Rei began regaining consciousness. The blue-haired girl's eyes fluttered open slowly, as she rasied her head from the padding of her cockpit. She turned her head to look around and slowly tried getting up. The Eva was sluggish in it's response and sowly got to all-fours. There was a sound, a sound that in any other case except for a few would mean help and a chance of victory; but in this case it meant almost assured doom... the sound of another Eva sliding from the Earth. Rei turned to see the form of the only black Eva she knew of to exist shooting from the Earth. Unit 03 stepped forward from it's launch pad and drew the blade attached to its shoulderblade... It began to approach Unit 01. Unit 01 was locked in a fierce battle with the winged Eva, giving blows and taking them; yet neither Eva seemed like it was any closer to giving in yet. Eva-01 took a gamble and let a slash go past it, digging it's knife into the arm that was graciously stretched out before it as a result. The white Eva yelled in pain slightly and spun, a wild slash following its arm. Unit-01 barely evaded, backing away and tripping over Unit 00, which was on all-fours. Shinji looked up as a long blade fell through the air towards Unit 01's throat... He covered his face in fear. The slash never came. Shinji uncovered his face. There, above him, Unit 00 was struggling to its feet while holding the arm of Unit 03 that held the blade. "Rei... Unit 03... where did it come from? I thought it had been destroyed? The pilot..." Shinji's line of thought was interrupted as Unit 03's foot came down a little too close to him, while the winged Eva's blade mirrored the action on the other side. Shinji did the only thing he could. Unit 01 pushed up from the ground in a kip-like manner, managing to kick the white Eva in the chest during the process. Unit 00 fought its hardest to keep Unit 03 from advancing onto Unit 01 while it was preoccupied. Unit 03, being undamaged and stronger; broke free and charged after Unit 01. Shinji was forced into the quickest action in his life. Unit 01 snatched the winged Eva's arm and slid down and between the winged Eva's open legs. It rose to its feet behind the winged Eva, ripping off its arm and casting it behind it somewhere. It then proceeded to flip over the winged Eva, using the white menace's shoulders as support. Still latched to the winged Eva's shoulders, Unit 01 threw it over its head into the advancing Unit 03. Unit 03 was forced to abort its advance as the winged Eva sailed by it, and the winged Eva flapped its wings in mid-air; regaining its balance in the air, while regenerating its lost arm. The winged Eva touched down in front of a battle-posed Unit 00 and prepared to battle its original opponent. Unit 01 was currently preparing to square off against Unit 03. The battle raged on. --------------------------------- Deep, below the fortress-city of Tokyo-3, in a place long-thought to be dead, there was turmoil. In the section of NERV known as Central Dogma and the Command Room, a puple-maned woman was currently torn between a rock and a hard place. Misato watched as the battle ensued onscreen, she had sent Unit 03 to deactivate Unit 01, by any means except self-destruction, only minutes ago. The two Eva units were engaged in close-qauters combat as it was now; as well as NERV's newer Unit 07 and its oldest Unit 00. At this point, it seemed that maybe Unit 00 was not as old as everyone thought... but none of this was what plagued Misato's mind and heart. It was only Unit 01 and its pilot. Who was its pilot? That was the only question that could be answered to calm Misato. Misato knew full well that Unit 01 could be just going on a rampage, as it often did; seemingly oblivious to the fact that it had a pilot... or maybe catering especially to that fact. She just couldn't bring herself to belive that however, and never had been since the day Shinji and his respective Eva had disappeared, along with Rei and Unit 00. Strangely, Asuka had disappeared as well; but her Eva was left behind. "Shinji could be in there...If he is, he could be hurt." this was the only thought Misato was concerned with at the time. Needless to say, Rei had disappeared from the picture totally. She knew that she could not just allow Unit 01 to run loose in Tokyo-3 for the simple fact that it couldn't be Shinji, but if on the other hand it was... she could not take the thought of him being hurt... or possibly not making it back to her at all. There, amongst the bustle and activity of NERV, Misato silently prayed. With a single tear in her eye, the purple haired woman bowed her head as much as possible without being noticed, which she was ayway. She didn't care. "Shinji... bring him back to me. If he's out there, bring him back! I don't care if I die the next day, just bring him back first..." she ended, raising her head and steeling her gaze. Misato looked over to Ritsuko, who turned away and tried to become involved in some sort of statistic. The purple-haired commander scanned the control room, until he eyes landed back on the viewscreen. The battle raged on. -------------------------- Shinji's breath was ragged, having to keep up with whoever was piloting Unit 03 was definitely tiring him out. He glanced at Rei and saw that she was faring OK, but dearly paid for it. Unit 03 was quite literally kicking the crap out of Unit 01. Shinji tried as hard as possible to fend off the blows, but they still got in. Unit 03 was somehow faster than Unit 01, the latter having been fought a long battle before the arrival of Unit 03. Shinji managed to sneak in a good hit and faded back a little to try to gain some strength back, but Unit 03 recovered too quickly, and renewed its attack. The Evangelion Unit took massive damage as Unit 03 plastered it to the ground with raining blows. The same pattern of blows was evident: a short jab, kick to the knee, a blow to the gut, another jab, and an overhead blow. It reminded Shinji of his onetime fight with Touji... and that's when it dawned on him. The pilot was Touji. Shinji began to feel the pain and fatigue of such a long and hard battle like this one. The fact that his opponent was his friend was even worse. He felt another calvacade of blows rain down on him and Unit 01 and started to lose his grip on the controls. The sound of tearing metal filled his ears as Unit 03 drew its knife and ripped open Unit 01's chest; exposing the red core. Shinji began to lose consciousness as that sound, that sound he hated, began to ring in his ears. Unit 03 assaulted Unit 01's core, pounding on it without relent. It plunged its knife into the core and left it there as a token. Shinji remembered why he hated that sound, because it reminded him of something he wanted to forget. It was an awful night... awful. Unit 01 was in this same position... as much as he tried, Shinji would never forget that day. The boy slowly slipped out of consciousness as the march of metal blows carried on. --------------------------------------- Shinji was in a dark room. It wasn't totally dark, because he could see there was someone else there with him. When he looked hard enough, he found that it was a mirror image of himself. The boy cautiously raised a hand and stretched it forth, trying to see as if this other boy, this other Shinji was real. The other Shinji smiled and said "Yes, I am you." as if he had read Shinji's mind. "Where am I? Why am I here?" Shinji asked, waiting for an asnwer. "You are here to take me with you." "What?" "You have grown. I am a part of that growth." "Grown? I have... gotten stronger?" "That, amongst other things..." "It is time for you to realize that growth." A bright light shone in the distance. "Come, it's time." Both Shinjis entered the light. -------------------------------- Shinji's eyes fluttered open immediately. He could still feel the blows from Unit 03, but he distanced them from his mind and grasped the controls of his own Eva. Shinji prepared to launch a dynamic plan, to save Touji, and himself. Unit 01 blocked Unit 03's blow and twisted its arm, using it to get up. Unit 03 wrenched free and launched another blow, which Unit 01 dodged, reaching out and grabbing the arm Unit 03 had used; forcing it behind Unit 03's back. Unit 03 struggled to break free of the hold, but Unit 01 forced it to the ground, and held it there. The purple samurai yanked the power plug from Unit 03's back and watched as it froze momentarily, then continued struggling with its backup power. Unit 03 struggled as hard as it could, but with a strengthened resolve; Shinji held the Eva down. Unit 03 stopped struggling. Shinji let out a breath of relief as Unit 03's power failed, but he realized the battle was not over yet when he glanced at Rei and saw that the winged Eva had taken the upper hand. Unit 01 began rushing towards the battle. Unit 00 ducked a slash from the winged Unit 07 and was caught off-gaurd when Unit 07 back-handed it to the ground at its feet. Unit 07 raised its blade for the final stroke, as Rei caught out of the corner of her eye, a rushing Eva-01. Realizing Shinji's intent, Rei grabbed Unit 07's legs, so that it couldn't run, or fly out of the target path. Unit 01 took a rushing leap into the air and dropkicked Unit 07 dead in it's open and vulnerable core. Unit 07 reared back in agony and anguish. Unit 01 scooped up Unit 00 quickly, and stepped back as quickly as possible. Shinji put as much mental strain on the Eva and his mind as possible, trying to get the A.T. Field to deploy. With a loud sound like rushing wind the invisible barrier spread. Unit 07 fell back and staggered to its knees, in its death throes. Shinji watched as the Eva screamed loudly then fell silent. All was silent for a few seconds... And then the explosion came. --------------------------------- All eyes were on the viewscreen. It was impossible to believe this was happening. Misato watched, a worried look on her face as the flames spread and engulfed the view on the screen. Ritsuko was watching as well, for the first time wide-eyed. If there was a pilot in Unit 01, it had to be the best ever born. Slowly, a sound began to filter through the debris of explosionary sounds. Like a marching, a stomping; pounding sound. It was all but too reminiscent of Shinji's first battle. A light twinkle was seen as an object started coming closer to the camera, it grew bigger and bigger until it landed with a loud *thunk* in the ground right in front of the camera. All breathing caught. It was Unit 03's progressive knife. Some were scared to death. Others cried. Most of them just fell silent. Then there was the stomping left. A form began to come forth from the dark flames. Misato peered intentedly and waited... hoping. First the shoulderblades... Then into full view. Unit 01 stalked from the flames as before... Unit 00 was draped across its left arm. Unit 07's blade was in its right hand. The Eva stopped advancing. Unit 07's blade was planted into the Earth with a mighty impale, like a trophy. The Eva Unit roared, its mighty call echoeing through all. Misato cried with joy. "There is no one else... no one. That was *his* Eva out there." "You've brought him back." "Shinji... you have returned to me." ******************************* -End Episode One- ******************************** -Author's Scene- It wasn't very bright in the room, but it wasn't dark either, the sun's rays peeking in through the blinds and shades. Shinji-kun and Shinji sat on the bed, Shinji-kun reading a print-out; while Shinji layed at the foot of the bed; reading a print-out as well. It seemed strange to have two Shinjis in one room, especially since they didn't look that different from each other. The only major differences between the two were that Shinji-kun was older; had curlier hair, and wasn't full-blooded Japanese.(he's a mutt; like Asuka.* I use that term affectionately* ^_^) As far as everything else, their eyes and hair were the same color, same complexion, same height and build, you could even go as far as to say thier personalities were similar; yep, just two peas in the same pod. The silence went on for a little while longer, until Shinji yawned and put his print-out down; having finished reading it. Shinji-kun lowered his print-out and gave Shinji a look as to say 'well?' "I don't know...no one's ever tried to put us in this setting before. I do like the fact that there's a certain mystery element to it; seeing as how I have no idea how Unit 01 and 00 got in the forest, or how Tokyo-3 survived Third Impact..." Shinji answered. "Well, I can't tell you the solution to the mystery, but I can let you know that you guys are going to have a lot of fun doing this series." Shinji-kun replied. "Well, maybe." Shinji added. It grew silent for a little while, before Shinji spoke up again. "Hey Shinji-kun?" "Hai?" "Do me a favor... don't screw Rei up, okay?" "Hunh?" "You know... don't just all-of-a-sudden make her full of emotion..." "I see..." "It should be done gradually..." "I know what you mean, and I've already resolved not to 'screw her up...'" "... but what about Asuka? What do you think about her?" "I don't know. She confuses me sometimes, they both do." "Hmm." "Shinji-kun?" "Hai?" "What happened to my father... and Misato?" "You'll have to wait. I can't tell you everything, otherwise there's no plot." "Okay. I guess it wouldn't be right anyway." The room grew quiet again as the two boys just sort of thought about things, each gave a sigh at exactly the same time; which sort of scared them both into freezing up. After a few tense moments of silence, laughter burst into the room as each boy cracked up; tickled at how they could be scared by something like that. The laughter died down a little as the door was thrown open and a merry Asuka bounced into the room. She gave a polite wave and greeted the two boys. "Konnichiwa, Shinji! Konnichiwa, Shinji-kun!" she greeted, smiling brightly. Shinji stared at her a little, one of those 'confusing' moments coming on. The boy smiled slightly and returned her greeting, a little pleased and happier. Shinji-kun smiled. "Shinji, we have training today, ne?" she asked, flipping her hair nonchalantly. "Uh..I think so, yeah; we do." Shinji said, as he got up from the bed. "Well, let's go; othwerwise we'll be late." Asuka suggested. Shinji nodded as Asuka grabbed him by the wrist and began leading him from the room. The younger hedgehog blushed in reaction but didn't protest as he was carried off towards NERV. Shinji-kun watched them go and smiled, it was nice to see things working out OK. Shinji-kun sighed as the room returned to silence and got up. "I might as well start the next episode..." he said to himself and went over to the computer on Shinji's desk.(its a SONY PentiumII *drool*, he's letting me keep it there.) The boy began to type at once, putting his ideas onto pap-er hard drive. It grew silent, except for the clicking of keys. Shinji-kun smiled slightly. ***********^_^************** **************************** -Author's Notes- Gee, there's a lot of sections to this series hunh? Well, there's the first episode; all rewritten. You know what? I think its true, about things being better the second time around. Anyway, I know you're probably wondering about a few things in this series already, like how the Evas got in the forest, how Rei got in the forest, what happned to Tokyo-3, and where do NERV, Gendou, and the Angels fit into all of this. Plus, you've still got Misato to consider. *Sigh* Sorry, I just can't tell you! You'll have to read the whole series to figure it out completely; kind of like Shin Seiki Evangelion itself, you couldn't figure the series out completely without seeing all of it. Anyway, there are a few things to announce and clear up. First, I promise to come out with at least one new episode every two weeks, and don't be surprised if it gets out earlier. Second, I know you all probably think I'm nuts with the whole favorite female char/Rei thing, but I had to get it out somehow; just thank God I don't write lemons and never will. Third, the Unit 07 mystery will be explained in the next episode. Lastly, I am sorry if I offended any fanfic author anywhere with what I said about 'screwing Rei up.' I did not mean to criticize anyone, but if the shoe fits; wear it. We all need criticism, especially me; because I want to improve and get stronger. So if you've got flames, or praise, please send it to one of the addresses below. Until the next episode, Ja mata ne! Or as Rei would say: "Sayonara." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ikari-shinji@mailcity.com(send mail and files here.) Shinji@Ani-MUD (telnet to: animud.humble.net 6969 *Ani-MUD is in open.*) ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////