Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Nephilim ❯ Our Shadows Taller than Our Souls ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: AngelNoThirteenBardiel 
A goodbye will be said, battles will be waged...and in the middle of it all, two hearts will find comfort in each other...
Anime/Manga: Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.05.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.3K | Visits: 887 | Status: Completed
A goodbye will be said, battles will be waged...and in the middle of it all, two hearts will find comfort in each other...
Anime/Manga: Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.05.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.3K | Visits: 887 | Status: Completed
See Chapter 1 for disclaimer, 2 for speech/thoughts things.
NEPHILIM
Chapter 5: Our Shadows Taller than Our Souls
-----
Asuka took a few slow steps into the hospital room before stopping beside the bed Shinji was currently laying on. Before looking up at him, she mustered the most normal face she could make at the moment. "Hey there, Ikari," she said, trying to sound like she wasn’t slightly nervous. "Finally decide to come back?"
Shinji was currently trying to avoid direct eye contact with the sometimes-volatile redhead. ‘Probably didn’t think much about it,’ he thought, remembering their last conversation. "Uh huh," he answered.
A heavy silence hung over the room for several slow moments before Asuka broke it. "I’ve gotta be going...visiting hours are almost over," she said, opening the door and walking out. She got halfway down the hall before stopping to think over her actions. ‘Dammit, I couldn’t say anything...I feel so weak...’ she berated herself before resuming her trip back to Misato’s apartment.
Shinji, meanwhile, sat surprised at the girl’s demeanor. ‘Visiting hours aren‘t over for a while...’ he thought. ‘Maybe she did do some thinking after all...’
‘More than you would think,’ the familiar, deep voice of Nephilim came to the Third Child.
Shinji looked about the room for the angel, ‘Wh-where are you?’
‘Over the hills overlooking town,’ Nephilim answered. ‘I thought it would be a good idea to talk without being face-to-face. Was it not a good idea?’
‘No,’ Shinji thought, shaking his head. ‘Just didn’t know where you were.’
‘It looks like that idea of yours worked out, although it was a great risk,’ the angel brought up.
‘Planned idea fell through. That was the last resort,’ Shinji said. ‘Wasn’t too sure if it was the best idea, really.’
‘But I am glad it did work. It would pain me greatly to see you leave this plane, Shinji,’ Nephilim said. ‘I must be going now, you need rest.’ The voice disappeared, leaving Shinji alone once again.
He fell back on the bed, still feeling weakened from his stay out-of-body. ‘Should really plan these things better next time, I’m feeling too old for this...’ he thought before the lull of sleep caught up to him...
-----
Seven hours later, Shinji was awake again and had just finished dressing himself to leave the hospital when he received another visitor.
"Hey there, Shin-man," Toji said from the doorway. "Have a nice trip?"
Shinji turned to his friend, relieved to see him walking and acting normally after his encounter with Unit-03. ‘That’s one thing off my soul,’ he thought, feeling better already. "Hi Toji. Good to see you up and around."
"Hey, ya can’t keep a good guy down! Know what I mean?" Toji said with a big grin.
"I guess," Shinji said. "And about your earlier question, I guess that means you know where I’ve been, huh?"
Toji shrugged and seated himself in a chair. "I heard. Not saying where, but..." he trailed off. "Kinda like having your soul separated from its body, right?"
Shinji put his shoes on and stood off of the bed. "Something like that," he answered. "Didn’t feel like two weeks, though..."
The taller boy stood and followed his friend out of the room. "They’re releasing you already?" Toji asked.
"Uh huh," Shinji replied. "Need to get back home, anyway. Must be a mess by now." He could only imagine the shape of the apartment without his cleaning for two weeks.
"Huh? What about Misato? Or Red?" Toji asked, a bit surprised.
"Knowing them," Shinji started, "they’ve been living off of instant food or Misato’s cooking. And neither are that appealing. As for cleaning, their rooms are their business, the rest of the apartment is mine."
"How did that happen?" Toji asked, feeling the need to tease the boy a bit. "Henpecked?"
Shinji shook his head, "Nah, Misato just has an...odd way of dividing up chores. And I’m bad at rock-paper-scissors." Both he and Toji then stepped out of the hospital’s front doors.
"Uh...I think I get it," Toji answered, feeling a bit lost. "Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "I’ve gotta be going."
Shinji blinked a few times, "Really? Where?"
Toji turned away from Shinji, trying to hide a slightly red face. "Uh...nowhere in particular..."
The Third Child could tell by his behavior where he was headed. "Hikari’s waiting for you somewhere, right?" he ventured.
Toji spun around to see Shinji’s grinning face. "Red told you, didn’t she?" he asked, his face almost fully red by now.
"Nope, I could see it all along," Shinji answered. "Neither of you are that great at hiding the looks on your face when you look at the other. Took some time to put two and two together, however..."
The former Fourth Child relaxed, still surprised at his friend’s observations. "You pay attention pretty good, ya know?" he asked, the same old grin back on his face.
"I’ve been told that," Shinii said, looking toward the sky. "I think it’s good for you both. Now go, she’ll probably be mad for being late."
Toji looked at his watch. "Still got ten, but I’ll take your word for it," he said, taking off down the sidewalk. "See you tomorrow, man!" he shouted from further down the street.
Shinji waved back until he had passed out of sight, and let out the breath he’d been holding. ‘Makes me feel like I’ve done something good for now,’ he thought, before turning around and heading towards Misato’s apartment.
-----
As soon as he arrived back at the apartment, Shinji walked into the kitchen. A note was sitting on the table. ‘More work at NERV. Won’t be back until late,’ it said. Shinji put the note back and headed for his room, but before entering, he looked at Asuka’s door. "I should really say hi, at least," he whispered.
He walked up to the door and knocked softly. "Asuka," he began, "are you in there?" After getting no answer for a few seconds, he opened it slowly and saw his roommate sleeping with her back turned. ‘Tired, I guess,’ Shinji thought, walking up to Asuka’s slumbering form and pulled the sheet over her. As he did, he spotted a few dried marks on her pillow. ‘Tears...’ he thought, leaving the room. ‘something’s upsetting her.’
Shinji walked back over to his own room and entered, seating himself on the bed. "I’m home..." he said to no one in particular. He looked over at his SDAT, once his safe haven from the world. ‘Not that I need it for that anymore...but it would nice to relax with some music,’ he thought, putting the ear buds in and turning it on...
-----
On the other side of town, a phone call was just concluding. "Is that all?" the person on the phone asked. There was a pause as the person on the other end answered. "Got it," the first person said before hanging up.
Kaji Ryoji looked up at the sky and lit a cigarette , remembering what he’d been ordered to do. ‘Kidnap the Sub-Commander,’ he thought. He then reached into his pocket and removed his NERV ID card. ‘It’s red...like blood,’ he thought morosely.
Then he remembered Shinji’s words before his disappearance. ‘Maybe he was right...’ the spy thought. The words had been haunting him since he heard them. ‘I can trust him with some of these things...’ he thought, ‘and maybe with telling the others...’ Putting out his cigarette, he turned towards his old flame’s apartment...
-----
Half an hour later, Shinji had gotten up and was preparing to make dinner when there was a knock at the front door. Opening it, he was met with a slightly worried-looking Kaji.
"Hi there," the man said. "Nice to see you’re still in one piece."
Shinji smiled and greeted him. "Hi Kaji. If you’re looking for Misato, she’s at NERV right-"
"No, I need to talk to you," the spy interrupted.
Shinji couldn’t help but feel a bit tense at those words. "Uh, sure, come in," he said, returning to the kitchen.
Kaji sat himself in one of the chairs around the table as Shinji sat in the one opposite of him. "Okay, now you know some things you shouldn’t. You know that, right?" Kaji asked.
"Yeah, I’ve overheard things around headquarters...being quiet makes you more observant," Shinji answered, trying to sound convincing.
Kaji took a deep breath, "You know of SEELE, right?" Shinji nodded. "Then you know I’m working for both them and your father, right?" Kaji asked. Shinji nodded again. "Then you can see what kind of a problem I’m in. I’ve been thinking over what you told me last time I saw you. And you’re right. They’re probably going to get rid of me as soon as I finish this new assignment I’ve been given. That’s why I’ve decided to leave Tokyo-3...not just for my sake, but yours as well," he finished.
Shinji took a minute to take in all of what he said. "Isn’t that running away, in a sense?" he asked.
"Heh, you’re one to talk," Kaji joked. "But seriously, I didn’t want to tell Misato directly because it would look suspicious. So, I figured I could tell you." He then handed Shinji an envelope. "Give this to Misato. Tell her it’s from me, she’ll know what it means," he said, then got up, heading for the door.
Shinji followed him over to the now-open front door. "So...I guess this is goodbye then?" he asked sadly.
Kaji put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. "Don’t look so down. This isn’t for good. I’ll be back one day, I promise." He then stepped out of the apartment and into the night.
Shinji closed the door and walked over to the couch to sit. ‘Well, I hope he’s okay...not like there was anything I could’ve done to help there,’ he thought. Then he remembered Asuka was home.
Walking over to her door, Shinji opened it to find her still asleep. ‘Good,’ he thought, ‘I’ll need some time to figure a way to explain this to her.’ Then he looked at the envelope in his hand. ‘And as for Misato...’ he began, ‘I think I’ll let what's in this speak for me.’
Returning to his room, Shinji put the envelope in a safe spot for the time being and went back to the kitchen to what he had been doing before his guest had come...
-----
The next morning, Shinji awoke and began his usual daily routine. After showering and dressing, he left the bathroom and saw Misato sitting at the table with her first beer of the day. "Morning, Misato," he said, heading for the stove.
"Morning, Shinji," she said, albeit a bit groggy. "Don’t bother, I’m not really hungry and Asuka already left." For a moment, she wondered whether or not she should ask Shinji about his conversation with Asuka before the last battle. ‘Nah, it’d be better just to let them sort it out,’ she concluded.
"Ah, okay then," he said, turning back towards his room. After grabbing his bag, he remembered Kaji’s visit the evening before. Retrieving the envelope, he headed for the kitchen. "Hey Misato," he began.
"Hmm?" she asked from behind her beer can.
Shinji laid the envelope on the table in front of her. "Someone you know wanted me to give you this," he said before stepping out of the door and the apartment.
Misato sat looking curiously at the envelope before opening it. Inside was a letter and a red-and-white capsule. Picking up the note, Misato began to read it.
‘Hey there, Katsuragi,’ it started, ‘sorry to not give you this in person, but I needed it to be inconspicuous. So I trusted Shinji with it. By the time you’ve gotten this, I’m out of Tokyo-3. I’ve been doing some thinking about my search for the truth...and I’ve decided that I need a new approach. I know if I continue the same way, they’re going to get rid of me soon. So I need to leave from here...both because I don’t want you worrying over me and I need to keep you safe. There's a capsule in this package, and inside it is a bit of what I’ve found out, a path for you. The password is our first memory. So goodbye for now, and when I see you again, I’ll tell you those three words I couldn’t say eight years ago...’ It was signed Kaji Ryoji.
Misato sat stunned by the words on the note. ‘He...he’s gone,’ she thought sadly. Going over the letter again, she silently wept for the unshaven man. Getting up from her seat, she gathered the envelope’s contents and walked to her room. After depositing them in a desk drawer, she looked out the window. ‘I hope wherever you are, you’re okay...you jerk,’ she thought with a teary smile...
-----
Three days later, a dark cloud rolled over Tokyo-3’s skies. Shinji knew exactly what it heralded. It did little for his mood, which had gotten darker in those three days. He’d seen Misato crying to herself twice and Asuka seemed intent on avoiding him. The thought of the upcoming battle didn’t help.
The school day had dragged on slowly until, a little after noon, the Angel alarm sounded and three cell phones went off at the same time in class 2-A. All three pilots started towards the school’s door and the approaching Section 2 vehicles. Before he got in, Shinji took a long look at the sky with a defiant expression.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them were suiting up for combat. Rei had already finished and left, leaving the Second and Third Children alone for the moment.
Asuka looked over at Shinji through the changing sheet. She had been avoiding talking to him for a few days because she didn’t know exactly what to say. "Hey Shinji," she said.
Shinji pressed the pressurization button on his plugsuit and turned his head in her direction, "Yeah?"
Asuka hesitated for a second before finding the words again. "After this, I’d like to have a talk. So don’t go running away again," she finished with her usual attitude.
Shinji smiled, glad to hear her sound like the old Asuka. "Sure, anything you say," he answered. After she left the room, he let out the breath he’d been holding. ‘Now I just hope this goes well,’ he thought before leaving...
-----
‘Not very different than last time, other than I’m out here,’ Shinji thought as he watched the rain from Unit-01’s entry plug.
The rain continued to pour down as tey took their positions. Asuka had the highest synch, so she would be doing the sniping with the positron cannon, with Rei manning the positron rifle used on the 5th Angel and Shinji being backup if the Angel entered orbit.
"Okay, we don’t have a lot of information on this Angel, other than it won’t come out of orbit," Misato explained through the comm link. "Asuka will take point and fire at the target, Rei and Shinji will support as backup. Understood?"
"Understood," came the three-way response.
Five minutes passed as Asuka waited for the cannon to lock on to the angel. "Hurry up, dammit. This is taking too long," she hissed, feeling slightly irritated.
Then the light came. At first, there was nothing, but then Asuka began to yell and clutch her head. Shinji had seen it happen and rushed over towards her. With a hard tackle, Unit-01 shoved Unit-02 out of the way of the Angel’s weapon...only to become its new target.
-----
In the distance, the form of Nephilim watched the scene unfold. ‘He is willing to do such things for her. He is as noble as I thought,’ he thought. Then a familiar feeling came over him, like an evil presence. Turning around quickly in mid-air, he came face-to-face with Azrael.
"We really should stop meeting like this," he said through a malicious smile.
"My thoughts exactly," Nephilim answered. "Although I would rather we not meet again."
Azrael pointed a finger towards the form of Unit-01 inside the Angel’s beam. "Do you really think they can stand against such beings? Ah, no matter, though, I have struck a deal with forces on this plane..."
Nephilim backed off a few feet with a slightly scared expression, "You didn’t...SEELE? Then that means the Eva series..."
Azrael nodded, knowing what he was thinking. "Indeed, the old men will help me see this through to the bitter end," he said.
Nephilim reached into his robe and drew his blade, pointing the tip towards his foe. "I believe we still have unfinished business from our last meeting," he said with a hint of anger in his tone.
"Ah, this is my favorite part," Azrael said, unsheathing his own blade.
The two angels locked gazes for several seconds before rushing one another, fully intent on finishing what had been started last time...
-----
Shinji, meanwhile, was doing all he could to fight the Angel’s mind violation. ‘Again, I should’ve thought this through better...’ he thought, his head pounding, ‘but I promised myself I wouldn’t see her hurt like that again. And I’ll be damned if I go back on it now.’
On the command bridge, they had been able to find out what was happening to Unit-01. "It’s using it’s AT field as some type of mind probe, attacking the pilot’s mind directly," Ritsuko explained.
Misato turned her attention back towards the video feed inside of Unit-01, showing Shinji with a pained expression on his face and closed eyes. "Shinji..." she said, barely audible, feeling completely helpless.
Asuka had awoken up and gotten Unit-02 to its feet. Looking over at Unit-01, she saw the machine convulsing like it was in pain. Aiming towards the target, she fired off two shots, both not making it near the Angel. "Dammit, not enough range," she said.
"Rei, are you ready?" Misato asked.
"Yes," the First Child answered.
"Then fire," Misato ordered.
Unit-00 was knockd back a bit by the recoil of the rifle, which managed to reach the target...before being reflected by its AT field.
"No good, its AT field is too strong," Maya reported. "And we can’t get any more power."
"Then...what now?" Misato whispered.
-----
And elsewhere, another battle was being waged in the skies above Tokyo-3. Nephilim and Azrael continued to trade blows with each other, neither getting a hit on the other. The sounds of steel clanging and wings beating were all they heard.
Azrael made a dive-bomb with his sword raised, but Nephilim blocked the attack, putting both of them in a stalemate.
"Heh, I think we’ve been here before," Azrael sneered. "As stubborn as always..."
"You are doing no good trying to taunt me. It will not work," Nephilim answered, trying to keep his strength in holding back his enemy’s attack.
"And on another note, have you told the boy just what you are yet?" Azrael asked.
Nephilim backed quickly away, needing a breather. "No, I have not. But that will come at the proper time. He does not need to know yet."
Azrael laughed an evil, menacing laughter and held a hand over his eyes, "Ah, but do you think he will still trust you when he finds that you are-"
"Enough!" Nephilim shouted. "He shall know when it is right. And I still believe that he will trust me."
"We shall see then if your words are as strong as your steel," Azrael taunted. Then both rushed the other again, renewing the battle as it had been going...
-----
Meanwhile, Shinji had just about given up on fighting his mental invader. ‘Can’t...do this much longer. Head feels like it’s going to burst,’ he thought. It was literally digging up every bad, dark memory he had and displaying them for him to see once again.
Then he got an idea, Frantically, Shinji began to concentrate hard on the best memories he had, the good times of his life. In particular, the memory of the night before the 7th Angel. As he put all his thinking into it, he began to feel the warm glow from within Unit-01 again. ‘Mother...thank you...’ he thought.
Inside the command center, any ideas of how to combat the Angel had been shot down, one by one. Until the Commander spoke into the comm link. "Rei," he said.
"Yes sir," she answered.
"Retrieve the Lance," he ordered.
"Understood," Rei said, walking back towards one of the catapults back into headquarters.
Sub-Commander Fuyutski looked at the Commander, shocked. "Th-the Lance? Don’t you need the committee’s approval before-"
"There is no other way to combat an Angel which remains in orbit," Gendo answered coldly.
"You know they won’t allow this," the older man pointed out.
"They’ve already started production on Units 05 through 13. This is a chance to set them back a bit," the Commander replied.
‘You just like interfering with them, don‘t you Ikari?’ Fuyutski thought.
In orbit, Arael had met some resistance when he tried to break his first victim. It had been moved aside by another, more foolish creature that was doing a commendable job at holding back his beam. But it would not last, despite its use of good memories to offset the bad ones. Especially the one about a human girl. If it had a mouth, Arael would have laughed at such a show.
But it would not have time to do so, as while it was forcing its way into the purple giant’s mind, the Lance of Longinus had managed to strike its intended target, destroying the Angel in an impressive show of its power.
Back on the command bridge, everyone sighed at their lucky break. "Target annihilated," Shigeru reported. "The Lance reached maximum escape velocity and is being pulled into the moon’s gravitational field."
"Then there’s no way to get it back?" Misato asked.
"No, there’s no way of retrieving an object of that mass from orbit," Makoto said.
"What about Shinji?" Misato asked worriedly.
The video feed to the inside of Unit-01 appeared, showing a very worn-out Shinji. "I-I did it. I managed to help her..." he whispered before blacking out...
-----
Sometime before that, Nephilim and Azrael both stopped their battle to watch the Lance of Longinus part the clouds and destroy the Angel. As they looked on at the victory, Azrael saw his opportunity and swung a fierce blow, knocking Nephilim’s sword away and striking his left arm and side.
Nephilim grunted in pain as the blade cut his soul and left a large scar on both parts. "It will take much more than that..." he said, putting some distance between himself and Azrael.
Azrael sheathed his blade and looked on at him. "I know it well, but for now, I am finished with entertaining myself. I still have my own agenda to carry out," he said. "Until next time, then..." and with that, his form faded into the rainy sky like mist.
Nephilim returned his own weapon to its holder. ‘Yes, next time...’ he thought bitterly. Looking back at the city, he saw that the EVAs had already been returned to the cages, but the rain looked as if it wouldn’t be letting up for a while...
-----
Shinji awoke some time later with a splitting headache. ‘Yeah, should’ve thought that through better,’ he reminded himself. Opening his eyes, he saw the familiar white ceiling of the NERV hospital wing. He managed to sit up and bring his legs over the side of the bed and onto the floor. Taking a couple of steps, he could feel the room sway as he tried to walk. ‘Whoa, gonna feel that for a while,’ he thought, holding his forehead and taking a few minutes to realign his balance. As soon as he’d gotten his footing again, the door opened and Misato stepped in.
"I told you to stop worrying me like that. You’re going to make me an old woman fast," she said. "Anyway, how do you feel?"
"Not that bad," Shinji answered. "But my head feels terrible...worst headache I’ve ever had."
Misato sighed and stared the boy straight in the eye. "So, explain why you did that then," she asked him
Shinji grabbed his clothes from the top of the bed and headed for the change room. "Well," Shinji began to explain from inside while dressing, "I saw that it was going after Asuka...and I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her." He walked out of the room, back in his old clothes, and sat back down on the bed. "As for what that means..."
Misato shook her head. ‘He’s got it bad for her, alright,’ she thought. "You don’t have to tell me. Asuka explained what happened last time you two talked," she said, seating herself in a chair.
Shinji looked up at his guardian with a puzzled expression. "Then...she actually thought it over?" he asked.
"More than you’d think, young man. More than you’d think," Misato said. "And if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say she cares more than she is telling. Spent two weeks thinking your words over."
"About that," Shinji explained, looking down, "I didn’t exactly tell her the ‘full’ truth. There was more to it, but..."
"...but you’re still afraid, right?" Misato finished his sentence. Shinji nodded. Misato sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. "The same goes for me...someone I never told those things to. And they’re gone now..." she said, looking like she was going to cry.
"You mean Kaji, right?" Shinji asked.
Misato sniffled a little and looked back at him. "Yeah, the envelope you brought me a few days ago was from him. I’m still feeling sad, but I think he’ll be fine."
Shinji stood up from the bed and put a hand on Misato’s shoulder. "He’ll be okay...I know it," he assured her. "But what do you think I should do about Asuka?"
"I’ve got more work at NERV. Apartment will be nice and quiet for the night, so you two will get a good chance to talk," Misato told him.
Shinji nodded and walked over to the door. Misato stood up a second later and followed him out, both having things to do...
-----
Walking back into the apartment after being dropped off by Misato, Shinji headed towards Asuka’s door with nervous steps. Before opening it, he took a minute to calm himself and collect his thoughts. Opening her door, Shinji spotted the redhead, dressed in a red overshirt and jeans, facing away from him, looking like she was asleep.
Turning to leave, he heard her speak in a quiet voice. "Shinji...is that you?" she said sleepily.
"Yeah, did I wake you?" he asked..
Asuka shook her head and sat up in bed, "Not really...couldn’t sleep well. So why are you here?"
"You said we needed to talk, so..." Shinji trailed off.
Asuka blinked a couple of times before moving over slightly. "Well, come on. I won’t be yelling at you," she said.
Shinji sat down and looked at the girl next to him. ‘She seems so vulnerable right now...I hope what I said before didn’t worry her that badly,’ he thought. "So what did you want to talk about?" he started.
"Why...why did you do that earlier?" Asuka said quietly.
"You mean during the battle? I saw that it was attacking you, so I had to do something..." Shinji explained.
Asuka looked up at him. "Misato told me what it did, she said it attacked your mind directly. The question is, why do it for me?" she asked. "It must have hurt a lot..."
"I told you before why I do these things for you," Shinji explained, "and it didn’t hurt that badly. I just kept my mind on one thought..."
"Which was?" Asuka questioned.
"That when I got back, I would finish telling you how I felt..." he finished, turning his head away from her.
Asuka sat in silence for a while after hearing that. "Yeah, you told me you cared about me. Did you mean that?" she asked, wanting to confirm it.
Shinji sighed and brought his face back towards her. "I do, but that wasn’t the whole truth...I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I’m finally done running from the feeling." Shinji shakily reached over and laid his hand on hers. "What I did out there today was me showing you that I would die for you..." he said, feeling his throat getting tight. "And that..."
Asuka sat intently listening to the boy’s words. ‘He really means this...’ was the only thought running through her head. "Yes?" she asked, feeling like she knew what he would be saying next.
"...I love you," Shinji finished, not breaking eye contact with the shocked Second Child. "I couldn’t say it before for fear of being rejected...but I decided that it should be said before something happens..."
Asuka was almost to the point of tears by now. ‘He loves me,’ she thought. "You really...love me?" she asked. Shinji nodded. "But what do you mean ‘before something happens’? You said that before..." she questioned.
Shinji took a few seconds to collect his words before continuing. "Just like what happened the last two battles. The kind of things we do...there might not be another time to tell you this. It could all be over soon, and what if these things hadn’t been said?" Shinji explained. "So now you see why I tell you this..."
The two of them sat in a long silence, until Asuka looked up at Shinji through tearful eyes. "I-I..." she choked out before wrapping her arms around him. "I never knew...and after how I treated you before..." she whispered.
Shinji laid his hands around her. "Hey, I told you, I know that’s just how you deal with things. Never took it personally," he assured the crying girl. "Can I ask you a question, then?" Asuka nodded a bit, not looking up at him. "How do you feel right now?" he asked.
Asuka took a few minutes before answering, "I...feel weak for breaking down like this. A long time ago, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry again," she got out between sobs.
Shinji put a hand underneath her chin and picked her head up too look in his eyes, which were watering as badly as hers. "That’s no reason to feel weak. You’re the strongest person I know," he said. Then he pulled her close and gave the girl a tight hug. "I’m crying right now because I’m happy," he whispered into her ear. "Why are you?"
"I guess...I’m happy right now, too," Asuka said, smiling a little. "And I...I care about you too, you idiot." She could feel a weight come off of her as soon as the words left her mouth.
Shinji released her and sat back again. "That’s more like the old you," he said, smiling brightly and wiping away her tears. "And that’s my favorite part of you." Closing the distance, he pressed his lips against hers in a tender but urgent kiss.
Asuka could feel fresh tears coming to her, but she made no effort to stop them. All she did at the moment was return the kiss as best as she could. ‘He’s not bad at this,’ she thought, liking the feel of his lips.
A quarter-minute later, the two teens pulled back from each other and looked into each other’s eyes. They had found an understanding...and something more special.
Shinji let out a large yawn and looked at the clock. "It’s getting pretty late. Maybe I should be going..."
"No," Asuka said, holding on to his hand. "Stay here with me for tonight. I need to get used to you being close with me..."
"I don’t know...it would look kinda odd to anyone who came in here," Shinji replied, already knowing what he’d hear from Misato about it.
"It’s okay...not like we’ll do anything, right?" Asuka said. "Or will we..." she finished with a wink.
Shinji could feel himself heating up at the very thought, "Heh, that’s the old teasing Asuka I know well." He walked back over towards the bed and laid on the left side, while Asuka got comfortable on the other side. "So what about the others?" he asked. "What should we tell them?"
"Let’s just keep it our little secret for now, okay?" Asuka said, getting cozy next to him.
‘I should have guessed,’ Shinji thought and smiled. "Okay..." he said, looking over the girl next to him. "You really are beautiful..." he mused out loud.
Asuka turned her head slightly too look him in the eye. "You mean that?" she asked.
Shinji nodded. "The most beautiful girl I know..." he said with a sigh.
Asuka laughed a little. "God, that sounded so corny. But at least I know you mean it..." she said. Turning away from him, she intertwined their fingers. "Good night, Shinji," she whispered.
"Good night, Asuka. Sweet dreams," Shinji answered before closing his eyes and giving her hand a small squeeze.
The two fell asleep shortly after, both knowing that something they had been missing for so long had been found...in each other.
-----
At that time, Nephilim watched their slumbering forms from outside of the window. ‘He has taken another chance...and it has become something wonderful,’ he thought, feeling genuinely happy for the boy.
But his face turned to a grimace when he looked down at the currently almost-healed wounds he sustained from his battle with Azrael. ‘He has joined forces with SEELE...that means I must hurry with my duties,’ he thought darkly.
Then Azrael’s words about telling Shinji his identity came back to Nephilim. ‘He shall know soon...before the last one comes...’ he concluded before his form faded from sight over the streets of Tokyo-3...
-----To be continued...-----
A/N: Yes! Done ahead of schedule! Definitely a first for me. Anyway, this chapter finally got to the S/A goodness you were probably all awaiting.
And then there is the deal with Nephilim’s identity. No, I’m not going to go further right now because most of you can likely guess it by now, anyway.
And on the subject of a question I received in a review, yes I knew what the Nephilims are. The name was just a randomly chosen factor, same with Azrael (although looking back now, it was a good choice, because Azrael = angel of death).
-----And now, more of ‘An Author and His Muse’!-----
As we pan inside of the room, we do not see the author at his usual spot in front of the computer. Instead, we hear music coming from Mitsumi’s practice room, in particular the author signing and Mitsumi on guitar...
Author: (singing) Into the flood again...same old trip it was back then. So I made a big mistake...try to see it once my way...
Mitsumi looks up from her strings to see the camera in the room and stops playing to bow for the audience.
Author: (turning to her) What happened? Fingers hurting again?
Mitsumi points a finger towards the camera. The author looks in that direction and jumps at the unknown arrival.
Author: (startled) Jesus, don’t you knock?
Mitsumi: (speaking to the camera) Don’t mind him. He’s just shy about his talent...
Author: Not a lot of talent, really...just something I do.
Mitsumi: (speaking to camera again) We’re having a bit of a celebration because of the chapter’s early release.
Author: Can’t believe it myself...but this had been the easiest chapter to come up with, so...
Mitsumi: What about the other works?
Author: (sighing) Ah yes. Some changes were made to those...
Mitsumi: (surprised) Really? What?
Author: Dropped "Go Back to Sleep, Precious". Just wasn’t coming to me very easily. And "Know Who I Am" underwent some evaluation... (hands Mitsumi a piece of paper)
Mitsumi: (reading) Hmm...title and song change...not a bad idea, the old one was used a lot before anyway. But I don’t think I’ve heard a lot from this band, though...
Author: (shocked) Y-you’re kidding me...(runs to his CD shelf and comes back with a half-dozen albums) It’s not quite all of them, still have another eight to go. But listen and enjoy ‘em anyway.
Mitsumi: (balancing the CDs for a second before setting the stack down) Must be good stuff. (picking up a random album and looking over the tracks) Hey, I know the chords to this one! (points to song)
Author: (looking over her shoulder at said track) Well, let’s hear it...
Mitsumi: You going to sing along?
Author: (shaking his head) Nah, I don’t have the right pitch for it.
Mitsumi: (pulling the strap over her shoulder) Oh, alright...
And so, Mitsumi begins plucking out the first few chords of "Why Can‘t I Be You". The camera once again pans away from the room...for now.
-----End Omake (try and guess the song I was singing at the start, or the band I was hinting at...)-----
Preread was done by FinalMax, yet again.
As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way to stevebarrow@lycos.com.
-AngelNo13Bardiel
NEPHILIM
Chapter 5: Our Shadows Taller than Our Souls
-----
Asuka took a few slow steps into the hospital room before stopping beside the bed Shinji was currently laying on. Before looking up at him, she mustered the most normal face she could make at the moment. "Hey there, Ikari," she said, trying to sound like she wasn’t slightly nervous. "Finally decide to come back?"
Shinji was currently trying to avoid direct eye contact with the sometimes-volatile redhead. ‘Probably didn’t think much about it,’ he thought, remembering their last conversation. "Uh huh," he answered.
A heavy silence hung over the room for several slow moments before Asuka broke it. "I’ve gotta be going...visiting hours are almost over," she said, opening the door and walking out. She got halfway down the hall before stopping to think over her actions. ‘Dammit, I couldn’t say anything...I feel so weak...’ she berated herself before resuming her trip back to Misato’s apartment.
Shinji, meanwhile, sat surprised at the girl’s demeanor. ‘Visiting hours aren‘t over for a while...’ he thought. ‘Maybe she did do some thinking after all...’
‘More than you would think,’ the familiar, deep voice of Nephilim came to the Third Child.
Shinji looked about the room for the angel, ‘Wh-where are you?’
‘Over the hills overlooking town,’ Nephilim answered. ‘I thought it would be a good idea to talk without being face-to-face. Was it not a good idea?’
‘No,’ Shinji thought, shaking his head. ‘Just didn’t know where you were.’
‘It looks like that idea of yours worked out, although it was a great risk,’ the angel brought up.
‘Planned idea fell through. That was the last resort,’ Shinji said. ‘Wasn’t too sure if it was the best idea, really.’
‘But I am glad it did work. It would pain me greatly to see you leave this plane, Shinji,’ Nephilim said. ‘I must be going now, you need rest.’ The voice disappeared, leaving Shinji alone once again.
He fell back on the bed, still feeling weakened from his stay out-of-body. ‘Should really plan these things better next time, I’m feeling too old for this...’ he thought before the lull of sleep caught up to him...
-----
Seven hours later, Shinji was awake again and had just finished dressing himself to leave the hospital when he received another visitor.
"Hey there, Shin-man," Toji said from the doorway. "Have a nice trip?"
Shinji turned to his friend, relieved to see him walking and acting normally after his encounter with Unit-03. ‘That’s one thing off my soul,’ he thought, feeling better already. "Hi Toji. Good to see you up and around."
"Hey, ya can’t keep a good guy down! Know what I mean?" Toji said with a big grin.
"I guess," Shinji said. "And about your earlier question, I guess that means you know where I’ve been, huh?"
Toji shrugged and seated himself in a chair. "I heard. Not saying where, but..." he trailed off. "Kinda like having your soul separated from its body, right?"
Shinji put his shoes on and stood off of the bed. "Something like that," he answered. "Didn’t feel like two weeks, though..."
The taller boy stood and followed his friend out of the room. "They’re releasing you already?" Toji asked.
"Uh huh," Shinji replied. "Need to get back home, anyway. Must be a mess by now." He could only imagine the shape of the apartment without his cleaning for two weeks.
"Huh? What about Misato? Or Red?" Toji asked, a bit surprised.
"Knowing them," Shinji started, "they’ve been living off of instant food or Misato’s cooking. And neither are that appealing. As for cleaning, their rooms are their business, the rest of the apartment is mine."
"How did that happen?" Toji asked, feeling the need to tease the boy a bit. "Henpecked?"
Shinji shook his head, "Nah, Misato just has an...odd way of dividing up chores. And I’m bad at rock-paper-scissors." Both he and Toji then stepped out of the hospital’s front doors.
"Uh...I think I get it," Toji answered, feeling a bit lost. "Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "I’ve gotta be going."
Shinji blinked a few times, "Really? Where?"
Toji turned away from Shinji, trying to hide a slightly red face. "Uh...nowhere in particular..."
The Third Child could tell by his behavior where he was headed. "Hikari’s waiting for you somewhere, right?" he ventured.
Toji spun around to see Shinji’s grinning face. "Red told you, didn’t she?" he asked, his face almost fully red by now.
"Nope, I could see it all along," Shinji answered. "Neither of you are that great at hiding the looks on your face when you look at the other. Took some time to put two and two together, however..."
The former Fourth Child relaxed, still surprised at his friend’s observations. "You pay attention pretty good, ya know?" he asked, the same old grin back on his face.
"I’ve been told that," Shinii said, looking toward the sky. "I think it’s good for you both. Now go, she’ll probably be mad for being late."
Toji looked at his watch. "Still got ten, but I’ll take your word for it," he said, taking off down the sidewalk. "See you tomorrow, man!" he shouted from further down the street.
Shinji waved back until he had passed out of sight, and let out the breath he’d been holding. ‘Makes me feel like I’ve done something good for now,’ he thought, before turning around and heading towards Misato’s apartment.
-----
As soon as he arrived back at the apartment, Shinji walked into the kitchen. A note was sitting on the table. ‘More work at NERV. Won’t be back until late,’ it said. Shinji put the note back and headed for his room, but before entering, he looked at Asuka’s door. "I should really say hi, at least," he whispered.
He walked up to the door and knocked softly. "Asuka," he began, "are you in there?" After getting no answer for a few seconds, he opened it slowly and saw his roommate sleeping with her back turned. ‘Tired, I guess,’ Shinji thought, walking up to Asuka’s slumbering form and pulled the sheet over her. As he did, he spotted a few dried marks on her pillow. ‘Tears...’ he thought, leaving the room. ‘something’s upsetting her.’
Shinji walked back over to his own room and entered, seating himself on the bed. "I’m home..." he said to no one in particular. He looked over at his SDAT, once his safe haven from the world. ‘Not that I need it for that anymore...but it would nice to relax with some music,’ he thought, putting the ear buds in and turning it on...
-----
On the other side of town, a phone call was just concluding. "Is that all?" the person on the phone asked. There was a pause as the person on the other end answered. "Got it," the first person said before hanging up.
Kaji Ryoji looked up at the sky and lit a cigarette , remembering what he’d been ordered to do. ‘Kidnap the Sub-Commander,’ he thought. He then reached into his pocket and removed his NERV ID card. ‘It’s red...like blood,’ he thought morosely.
Then he remembered Shinji’s words before his disappearance. ‘Maybe he was right...’ the spy thought. The words had been haunting him since he heard them. ‘I can trust him with some of these things...’ he thought, ‘and maybe with telling the others...’ Putting out his cigarette, he turned towards his old flame’s apartment...
-----
Half an hour later, Shinji had gotten up and was preparing to make dinner when there was a knock at the front door. Opening it, he was met with a slightly worried-looking Kaji.
"Hi there," the man said. "Nice to see you’re still in one piece."
Shinji smiled and greeted him. "Hi Kaji. If you’re looking for Misato, she’s at NERV right-"
"No, I need to talk to you," the spy interrupted.
Shinji couldn’t help but feel a bit tense at those words. "Uh, sure, come in," he said, returning to the kitchen.
Kaji sat himself in one of the chairs around the table as Shinji sat in the one opposite of him. "Okay, now you know some things you shouldn’t. You know that, right?" Kaji asked.
"Yeah, I’ve overheard things around headquarters...being quiet makes you more observant," Shinji answered, trying to sound convincing.
Kaji took a deep breath, "You know of SEELE, right?" Shinji nodded. "Then you know I’m working for both them and your father, right?" Kaji asked. Shinji nodded again. "Then you can see what kind of a problem I’m in. I’ve been thinking over what you told me last time I saw you. And you’re right. They’re probably going to get rid of me as soon as I finish this new assignment I’ve been given. That’s why I’ve decided to leave Tokyo-3...not just for my sake, but yours as well," he finished.
Shinji took a minute to take in all of what he said. "Isn’t that running away, in a sense?" he asked.
"Heh, you’re one to talk," Kaji joked. "But seriously, I didn’t want to tell Misato directly because it would look suspicious. So, I figured I could tell you." He then handed Shinji an envelope. "Give this to Misato. Tell her it’s from me, she’ll know what it means," he said, then got up, heading for the door.
Shinji followed him over to the now-open front door. "So...I guess this is goodbye then?" he asked sadly.
Kaji put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. "Don’t look so down. This isn’t for good. I’ll be back one day, I promise." He then stepped out of the apartment and into the night.
Shinji closed the door and walked over to the couch to sit. ‘Well, I hope he’s okay...not like there was anything I could’ve done to help there,’ he thought. Then he remembered Asuka was home.
Walking over to her door, Shinji opened it to find her still asleep. ‘Good,’ he thought, ‘I’ll need some time to figure a way to explain this to her.’ Then he looked at the envelope in his hand. ‘And as for Misato...’ he began, ‘I think I’ll let what's in this speak for me.’
Returning to his room, Shinji put the envelope in a safe spot for the time being and went back to the kitchen to what he had been doing before his guest had come...
-----
The next morning, Shinji awoke and began his usual daily routine. After showering and dressing, he left the bathroom and saw Misato sitting at the table with her first beer of the day. "Morning, Misato," he said, heading for the stove.
"Morning, Shinji," she said, albeit a bit groggy. "Don’t bother, I’m not really hungry and Asuka already left." For a moment, she wondered whether or not she should ask Shinji about his conversation with Asuka before the last battle. ‘Nah, it’d be better just to let them sort it out,’ she concluded.
"Ah, okay then," he said, turning back towards his room. After grabbing his bag, he remembered Kaji’s visit the evening before. Retrieving the envelope, he headed for the kitchen. "Hey Misato," he began.
"Hmm?" she asked from behind her beer can.
Shinji laid the envelope on the table in front of her. "Someone you know wanted me to give you this," he said before stepping out of the door and the apartment.
Misato sat looking curiously at the envelope before opening it. Inside was a letter and a red-and-white capsule. Picking up the note, Misato began to read it.
‘Hey there, Katsuragi,’ it started, ‘sorry to not give you this in person, but I needed it to be inconspicuous. So I trusted Shinji with it. By the time you’ve gotten this, I’m out of Tokyo-3. I’ve been doing some thinking about my search for the truth...and I’ve decided that I need a new approach. I know if I continue the same way, they’re going to get rid of me soon. So I need to leave from here...both because I don’t want you worrying over me and I need to keep you safe. There's a capsule in this package, and inside it is a bit of what I’ve found out, a path for you. The password is our first memory. So goodbye for now, and when I see you again, I’ll tell you those three words I couldn’t say eight years ago...’ It was signed Kaji Ryoji.
Misato sat stunned by the words on the note. ‘He...he’s gone,’ she thought sadly. Going over the letter again, she silently wept for the unshaven man. Getting up from her seat, she gathered the envelope’s contents and walked to her room. After depositing them in a desk drawer, she looked out the window. ‘I hope wherever you are, you’re okay...you jerk,’ she thought with a teary smile...
-----
Three days later, a dark cloud rolled over Tokyo-3’s skies. Shinji knew exactly what it heralded. It did little for his mood, which had gotten darker in those three days. He’d seen Misato crying to herself twice and Asuka seemed intent on avoiding him. The thought of the upcoming battle didn’t help.
The school day had dragged on slowly until, a little after noon, the Angel alarm sounded and three cell phones went off at the same time in class 2-A. All three pilots started towards the school’s door and the approaching Section 2 vehicles. Before he got in, Shinji took a long look at the sky with a defiant expression.
Twenty minutes later, the three of them were suiting up for combat. Rei had already finished and left, leaving the Second and Third Children alone for the moment.
Asuka looked over at Shinji through the changing sheet. She had been avoiding talking to him for a few days because she didn’t know exactly what to say. "Hey Shinji," she said.
Shinji pressed the pressurization button on his plugsuit and turned his head in her direction, "Yeah?"
Asuka hesitated for a second before finding the words again. "After this, I’d like to have a talk. So don’t go running away again," she finished with her usual attitude.
Shinji smiled, glad to hear her sound like the old Asuka. "Sure, anything you say," he answered. After she left the room, he let out the breath he’d been holding. ‘Now I just hope this goes well,’ he thought before leaving...
-----
‘Not very different than last time, other than I’m out here,’ Shinji thought as he watched the rain from Unit-01’s entry plug.
The rain continued to pour down as tey took their positions. Asuka had the highest synch, so she would be doing the sniping with the positron cannon, with Rei manning the positron rifle used on the 5th Angel and Shinji being backup if the Angel entered orbit.
"Okay, we don’t have a lot of information on this Angel, other than it won’t come out of orbit," Misato explained through the comm link. "Asuka will take point and fire at the target, Rei and Shinji will support as backup. Understood?"
"Understood," came the three-way response.
Five minutes passed as Asuka waited for the cannon to lock on to the angel. "Hurry up, dammit. This is taking too long," she hissed, feeling slightly irritated.
Then the light came. At first, there was nothing, but then Asuka began to yell and clutch her head. Shinji had seen it happen and rushed over towards her. With a hard tackle, Unit-01 shoved Unit-02 out of the way of the Angel’s weapon...only to become its new target.
-----
In the distance, the form of Nephilim watched the scene unfold. ‘He is willing to do such things for her. He is as noble as I thought,’ he thought. Then a familiar feeling came over him, like an evil presence. Turning around quickly in mid-air, he came face-to-face with Azrael.
"We really should stop meeting like this," he said through a malicious smile.
"My thoughts exactly," Nephilim answered. "Although I would rather we not meet again."
Azrael pointed a finger towards the form of Unit-01 inside the Angel’s beam. "Do you really think they can stand against such beings? Ah, no matter, though, I have struck a deal with forces on this plane..."
Nephilim backed off a few feet with a slightly scared expression, "You didn’t...SEELE? Then that means the Eva series..."
Azrael nodded, knowing what he was thinking. "Indeed, the old men will help me see this through to the bitter end," he said.
Nephilim reached into his robe and drew his blade, pointing the tip towards his foe. "I believe we still have unfinished business from our last meeting," he said with a hint of anger in his tone.
"Ah, this is my favorite part," Azrael said, unsheathing his own blade.
The two angels locked gazes for several seconds before rushing one another, fully intent on finishing what had been started last time...
-----
Shinji, meanwhile, was doing all he could to fight the Angel’s mind violation. ‘Again, I should’ve thought this through better...’ he thought, his head pounding, ‘but I promised myself I wouldn’t see her hurt like that again. And I’ll be damned if I go back on it now.’
On the command bridge, they had been able to find out what was happening to Unit-01. "It’s using it’s AT field as some type of mind probe, attacking the pilot’s mind directly," Ritsuko explained.
Misato turned her attention back towards the video feed inside of Unit-01, showing Shinji with a pained expression on his face and closed eyes. "Shinji..." she said, barely audible, feeling completely helpless.
Asuka had awoken up and gotten Unit-02 to its feet. Looking over at Unit-01, she saw the machine convulsing like it was in pain. Aiming towards the target, she fired off two shots, both not making it near the Angel. "Dammit, not enough range," she said.
"Rei, are you ready?" Misato asked.
"Yes," the First Child answered.
"Then fire," Misato ordered.
Unit-00 was knockd back a bit by the recoil of the rifle, which managed to reach the target...before being reflected by its AT field.
"No good, its AT field is too strong," Maya reported. "And we can’t get any more power."
"Then...what now?" Misato whispered.
-----
And elsewhere, another battle was being waged in the skies above Tokyo-3. Nephilim and Azrael continued to trade blows with each other, neither getting a hit on the other. The sounds of steel clanging and wings beating were all they heard.
Azrael made a dive-bomb with his sword raised, but Nephilim blocked the attack, putting both of them in a stalemate.
"Heh, I think we’ve been here before," Azrael sneered. "As stubborn as always..."
"You are doing no good trying to taunt me. It will not work," Nephilim answered, trying to keep his strength in holding back his enemy’s attack.
"And on another note, have you told the boy just what you are yet?" Azrael asked.
Nephilim backed quickly away, needing a breather. "No, I have not. But that will come at the proper time. He does not need to know yet."
Azrael laughed an evil, menacing laughter and held a hand over his eyes, "Ah, but do you think he will still trust you when he finds that you are-"
"Enough!" Nephilim shouted. "He shall know when it is right. And I still believe that he will trust me."
"We shall see then if your words are as strong as your steel," Azrael taunted. Then both rushed the other again, renewing the battle as it had been going...
-----
Meanwhile, Shinji had just about given up on fighting his mental invader. ‘Can’t...do this much longer. Head feels like it’s going to burst,’ he thought. It was literally digging up every bad, dark memory he had and displaying them for him to see once again.
Then he got an idea, Frantically, Shinji began to concentrate hard on the best memories he had, the good times of his life. In particular, the memory of the night before the 7th Angel. As he put all his thinking into it, he began to feel the warm glow from within Unit-01 again. ‘Mother...thank you...’ he thought.
Inside the command center, any ideas of how to combat the Angel had been shot down, one by one. Until the Commander spoke into the comm link. "Rei," he said.
"Yes sir," she answered.
"Retrieve the Lance," he ordered.
"Understood," Rei said, walking back towards one of the catapults back into headquarters.
Sub-Commander Fuyutski looked at the Commander, shocked. "Th-the Lance? Don’t you need the committee’s approval before-"
"There is no other way to combat an Angel which remains in orbit," Gendo answered coldly.
"You know they won’t allow this," the older man pointed out.
"They’ve already started production on Units 05 through 13. This is a chance to set them back a bit," the Commander replied.
‘You just like interfering with them, don‘t you Ikari?’ Fuyutski thought.
In orbit, Arael had met some resistance when he tried to break his first victim. It had been moved aside by another, more foolish creature that was doing a commendable job at holding back his beam. But it would not last, despite its use of good memories to offset the bad ones. Especially the one about a human girl. If it had a mouth, Arael would have laughed at such a show.
But it would not have time to do so, as while it was forcing its way into the purple giant’s mind, the Lance of Longinus had managed to strike its intended target, destroying the Angel in an impressive show of its power.
Back on the command bridge, everyone sighed at their lucky break. "Target annihilated," Shigeru reported. "The Lance reached maximum escape velocity and is being pulled into the moon’s gravitational field."
"Then there’s no way to get it back?" Misato asked.
"No, there’s no way of retrieving an object of that mass from orbit," Makoto said.
"What about Shinji?" Misato asked worriedly.
The video feed to the inside of Unit-01 appeared, showing a very worn-out Shinji. "I-I did it. I managed to help her..." he whispered before blacking out...
-----
Sometime before that, Nephilim and Azrael both stopped their battle to watch the Lance of Longinus part the clouds and destroy the Angel. As they looked on at the victory, Azrael saw his opportunity and swung a fierce blow, knocking Nephilim’s sword away and striking his left arm and side.
Nephilim grunted in pain as the blade cut his soul and left a large scar on both parts. "It will take much more than that..." he said, putting some distance between himself and Azrael.
Azrael sheathed his blade and looked on at him. "I know it well, but for now, I am finished with entertaining myself. I still have my own agenda to carry out," he said. "Until next time, then..." and with that, his form faded into the rainy sky like mist.
Nephilim returned his own weapon to its holder. ‘Yes, next time...’ he thought bitterly. Looking back at the city, he saw that the EVAs had already been returned to the cages, but the rain looked as if it wouldn’t be letting up for a while...
-----
Shinji awoke some time later with a splitting headache. ‘Yeah, should’ve thought that through better,’ he reminded himself. Opening his eyes, he saw the familiar white ceiling of the NERV hospital wing. He managed to sit up and bring his legs over the side of the bed and onto the floor. Taking a couple of steps, he could feel the room sway as he tried to walk. ‘Whoa, gonna feel that for a while,’ he thought, holding his forehead and taking a few minutes to realign his balance. As soon as he’d gotten his footing again, the door opened and Misato stepped in.
"I told you to stop worrying me like that. You’re going to make me an old woman fast," she said. "Anyway, how do you feel?"
"Not that bad," Shinji answered. "But my head feels terrible...worst headache I’ve ever had."
Misato sighed and stared the boy straight in the eye. "So, explain why you did that then," she asked him
Shinji grabbed his clothes from the top of the bed and headed for the change room. "Well," Shinji began to explain from inside while dressing, "I saw that it was going after Asuka...and I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her." He walked out of the room, back in his old clothes, and sat back down on the bed. "As for what that means..."
Misato shook her head. ‘He’s got it bad for her, alright,’ she thought. "You don’t have to tell me. Asuka explained what happened last time you two talked," she said, seating herself in a chair.
Shinji looked up at his guardian with a puzzled expression. "Then...she actually thought it over?" he asked.
"More than you’d think, young man. More than you’d think," Misato said. "And if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say she cares more than she is telling. Spent two weeks thinking your words over."
"About that," Shinji explained, looking down, "I didn’t exactly tell her the ‘full’ truth. There was more to it, but..."
"...but you’re still afraid, right?" Misato finished his sentence. Shinji nodded. Misato sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. "The same goes for me...someone I never told those things to. And they’re gone now..." she said, looking like she was going to cry.
"You mean Kaji, right?" Shinji asked.
Misato sniffled a little and looked back at him. "Yeah, the envelope you brought me a few days ago was from him. I’m still feeling sad, but I think he’ll be fine."
Shinji stood up from the bed and put a hand on Misato’s shoulder. "He’ll be okay...I know it," he assured her. "But what do you think I should do about Asuka?"
"I’ve got more work at NERV. Apartment will be nice and quiet for the night, so you two will get a good chance to talk," Misato told him.
Shinji nodded and walked over to the door. Misato stood up a second later and followed him out, both having things to do...
-----
Walking back into the apartment after being dropped off by Misato, Shinji headed towards Asuka’s door with nervous steps. Before opening it, he took a minute to calm himself and collect his thoughts. Opening her door, Shinji spotted the redhead, dressed in a red overshirt and jeans, facing away from him, looking like she was asleep.
Turning to leave, he heard her speak in a quiet voice. "Shinji...is that you?" she said sleepily.
"Yeah, did I wake you?" he asked..
Asuka shook her head and sat up in bed, "Not really...couldn’t sleep well. So why are you here?"
"You said we needed to talk, so..." Shinji trailed off.
Asuka blinked a couple of times before moving over slightly. "Well, come on. I won’t be yelling at you," she said.
Shinji sat down and looked at the girl next to him. ‘She seems so vulnerable right now...I hope what I said before didn’t worry her that badly,’ he thought. "So what did you want to talk about?" he started.
"Why...why did you do that earlier?" Asuka said quietly.
"You mean during the battle? I saw that it was attacking you, so I had to do something..." Shinji explained.
Asuka looked up at him. "Misato told me what it did, she said it attacked your mind directly. The question is, why do it for me?" she asked. "It must have hurt a lot..."
"I told you before why I do these things for you," Shinji explained, "and it didn’t hurt that badly. I just kept my mind on one thought..."
"Which was?" Asuka questioned.
"That when I got back, I would finish telling you how I felt..." he finished, turning his head away from her.
Asuka sat in silence for a while after hearing that. "Yeah, you told me you cared about me. Did you mean that?" she asked, wanting to confirm it.
Shinji sighed and brought his face back towards her. "I do, but that wasn’t the whole truth...I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I’m finally done running from the feeling." Shinji shakily reached over and laid his hand on hers. "What I did out there today was me showing you that I would die for you..." he said, feeling his throat getting tight. "And that..."
Asuka sat intently listening to the boy’s words. ‘He really means this...’ was the only thought running through her head. "Yes?" she asked, feeling like she knew what he would be saying next.
"...I love you," Shinji finished, not breaking eye contact with the shocked Second Child. "I couldn’t say it before for fear of being rejected...but I decided that it should be said before something happens..."
Asuka was almost to the point of tears by now. ‘He loves me,’ she thought. "You really...love me?" she asked. Shinji nodded. "But what do you mean ‘before something happens’? You said that before..." she questioned.
Shinji took a few seconds to collect his words before continuing. "Just like what happened the last two battles. The kind of things we do...there might not be another time to tell you this. It could all be over soon, and what if these things hadn’t been said?" Shinji explained. "So now you see why I tell you this..."
The two of them sat in a long silence, until Asuka looked up at Shinji through tearful eyes. "I-I..." she choked out before wrapping her arms around him. "I never knew...and after how I treated you before..." she whispered.
Shinji laid his hands around her. "Hey, I told you, I know that’s just how you deal with things. Never took it personally," he assured the crying girl. "Can I ask you a question, then?" Asuka nodded a bit, not looking up at him. "How do you feel right now?" he asked.
Asuka took a few minutes before answering, "I...feel weak for breaking down like this. A long time ago, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry again," she got out between sobs.
Shinji put a hand underneath her chin and picked her head up too look in his eyes, which were watering as badly as hers. "That’s no reason to feel weak. You’re the strongest person I know," he said. Then he pulled her close and gave the girl a tight hug. "I’m crying right now because I’m happy," he whispered into her ear. "Why are you?"
"I guess...I’m happy right now, too," Asuka said, smiling a little. "And I...I care about you too, you idiot." She could feel a weight come off of her as soon as the words left her mouth.
Shinji released her and sat back again. "That’s more like the old you," he said, smiling brightly and wiping away her tears. "And that’s my favorite part of you." Closing the distance, he pressed his lips against hers in a tender but urgent kiss.
Asuka could feel fresh tears coming to her, but she made no effort to stop them. All she did at the moment was return the kiss as best as she could. ‘He’s not bad at this,’ she thought, liking the feel of his lips.
A quarter-minute later, the two teens pulled back from each other and looked into each other’s eyes. They had found an understanding...and something more special.
Shinji let out a large yawn and looked at the clock. "It’s getting pretty late. Maybe I should be going..."
"No," Asuka said, holding on to his hand. "Stay here with me for tonight. I need to get used to you being close with me..."
"I don’t know...it would look kinda odd to anyone who came in here," Shinji replied, already knowing what he’d hear from Misato about it.
"It’s okay...not like we’ll do anything, right?" Asuka said. "Or will we..." she finished with a wink.
Shinji could feel himself heating up at the very thought, "Heh, that’s the old teasing Asuka I know well." He walked back over towards the bed and laid on the left side, while Asuka got comfortable on the other side. "So what about the others?" he asked. "What should we tell them?"
"Let’s just keep it our little secret for now, okay?" Asuka said, getting cozy next to him.
‘I should have guessed,’ Shinji thought and smiled. "Okay..." he said, looking over the girl next to him. "You really are beautiful..." he mused out loud.
Asuka turned her head slightly too look him in the eye. "You mean that?" she asked.
Shinji nodded. "The most beautiful girl I know..." he said with a sigh.
Asuka laughed a little. "God, that sounded so corny. But at least I know you mean it..." she said. Turning away from him, she intertwined their fingers. "Good night, Shinji," she whispered.
"Good night, Asuka. Sweet dreams," Shinji answered before closing his eyes and giving her hand a small squeeze.
The two fell asleep shortly after, both knowing that something they had been missing for so long had been found...in each other.
-----
At that time, Nephilim watched their slumbering forms from outside of the window. ‘He has taken another chance...and it has become something wonderful,’ he thought, feeling genuinely happy for the boy.
But his face turned to a grimace when he looked down at the currently almost-healed wounds he sustained from his battle with Azrael. ‘He has joined forces with SEELE...that means I must hurry with my duties,’ he thought darkly.
Then Azrael’s words about telling Shinji his identity came back to Nephilim. ‘He shall know soon...before the last one comes...’ he concluded before his form faded from sight over the streets of Tokyo-3...
-----To be continued...-----
A/N: Yes! Done ahead of schedule! Definitely a first for me. Anyway, this chapter finally got to the S/A goodness you were probably all awaiting.
And then there is the deal with Nephilim’s identity. No, I’m not going to go further right now because most of you can likely guess it by now, anyway.
And on the subject of a question I received in a review, yes I knew what the Nephilims are. The name was just a randomly chosen factor, same with Azrael (although looking back now, it was a good choice, because Azrael = angel of death).
-----And now, more of ‘An Author and His Muse’!-----
As we pan inside of the room, we do not see the author at his usual spot in front of the computer. Instead, we hear music coming from Mitsumi’s practice room, in particular the author signing and Mitsumi on guitar...
Author: (singing) Into the flood again...same old trip it was back then. So I made a big mistake...try to see it once my way...
Mitsumi looks up from her strings to see the camera in the room and stops playing to bow for the audience.
Author: (turning to her) What happened? Fingers hurting again?
Mitsumi points a finger towards the camera. The author looks in that direction and jumps at the unknown arrival.
Author: (startled) Jesus, don’t you knock?
Mitsumi: (speaking to the camera) Don’t mind him. He’s just shy about his talent...
Author: Not a lot of talent, really...just something I do.
Mitsumi: (speaking to camera again) We’re having a bit of a celebration because of the chapter’s early release.
Author: Can’t believe it myself...but this had been the easiest chapter to come up with, so...
Mitsumi: What about the other works?
Author: (sighing) Ah yes. Some changes were made to those...
Mitsumi: (surprised) Really? What?
Author: Dropped "Go Back to Sleep, Precious". Just wasn’t coming to me very easily. And "Know Who I Am" underwent some evaluation... (hands Mitsumi a piece of paper)
Mitsumi: (reading) Hmm...title and song change...not a bad idea, the old one was used a lot before anyway. But I don’t think I’ve heard a lot from this band, though...
Author: (shocked) Y-you’re kidding me...(runs to his CD shelf and comes back with a half-dozen albums) It’s not quite all of them, still have another eight to go. But listen and enjoy ‘em anyway.
Mitsumi: (balancing the CDs for a second before setting the stack down) Must be good stuff. (picking up a random album and looking over the tracks) Hey, I know the chords to this one! (points to song)
Author: (looking over her shoulder at said track) Well, let’s hear it...
Mitsumi: You going to sing along?
Author: (shaking his head) Nah, I don’t have the right pitch for it.
Mitsumi: (pulling the strap over her shoulder) Oh, alright...
And so, Mitsumi begins plucking out the first few chords of "Why Can‘t I Be You". The camera once again pans away from the room...for now.
-----End Omake (try and guess the song I was singing at the start, or the band I was hinting at...)-----
Preread was done by FinalMax, yet again.
As usual: good comments will be appreciated, bad ones will be ignored (or kept for firewood). But I do favor good/helpful criticism, so send it my way to stevebarrow@lycos.com.
-AngelNo13Bardiel