Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ CHANGING DARKNESS ❯ 1+1=3 ( Chapter 12 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

CHANGING DARKNESS INTO THE LIGHT

Book 1: Changing Darkness

Chapter 12: 1+1=3

On the next morning, Asuka was disoriented as she awoke. Something hot laid beside her, the room was
unfamiliar, and she felt sick.
Memories of the previous day hit her with full force.

Of her sisters.

Of Rei's origins.

Of the fate of her mother.

Tears stung again in her eyes, but this time, she wiped them angrily away.

She looked at her side, and saw the calm face of a sleeping Ayanami Rei. It looked serene, nothing like
an Angel/human hybrid should look like. The Angels were monsters, but this girl wasn't one.
It was her only friend.
Asuka's features softened as she thought on other events of the prior day.

Of the trust the blue-haired girl had placed in her.

That she had made the right decision to still be her friend.

That her sisters were saved from NERV.

After a look at the clock, she decided to let Rei sleep. She left the bed and went into the bathroom.
it was time to start the day.

Asuka enjoyed the shower. The hot water that ran over her nude body cleaned and calmed her at the same
time. She knew that Rei had much closer ties to the Sensei than herself, so she would have to ask her what
would happen with her sisters, and if she could see them.
Her thoughts wandered again to the mysterious bluehead. She comforted her last evening, as she cried like
a little girl. It was a pathetic display she made yesterday, yet Rei still helped her.
If it would have been her, she would have made fun of such a pathetic creature, then left it for good,
unworthy of her attention.
But was this really a good choice of action? If Rei would have done this to her, she would have been
completely shattered, in mind and soul. The kind act costed Rei only some time, and the will to be in the
proximity of a weakling. Yes, yesterday she was a weakling. Still, this small act saved her, gave her new
strength, gave her the will to go on.
Maybe it would be better to not dismiss others so easily, even if they are weak. Everyone can have a
complete fall-out, even she herself. She would have to think over these new revelations.

As she left the bathroom, she was surprised by a nude Rei, waiting calmly waiting for her turn.
Asuka blushed, but didn't comment on the choice of Rei's wardrobe, or rather, the lack thereof. She would
have to talk with her about that. Now, another problem was much more important. Breakfast.

A look at the clock confirmed that school had already started, so it was impossible to force Shinji to
cook something for them. And the chances that there were leftovers in Misato's apartment were slim, as
the woman had realized that breakfast was better for her stomach if it didn't consist only of beer.
Growling, Asuka made her way to their fridge and peeked inside. A satisfied grin lightened her face up
as she found several cup-ramen and fruits.
While she warmed two of them, and prepared two oranges, she heard that Rei had fully awakened and was
finished in the bathroom.

Not much later, the two girls sat on the table eating breakfast, but not before Rei managed again to stun
the German redhead.
Asuka already had learned that Rei preferred nudity, yet it was still unnerving to her when Rei wandered
around without clothes. This was something that had to be corrected, so she decided to tease the pilot
of 00.

"If you want to seduce me, you're way too blunt." stated Asuka with a smug grin on her face. She would
enjoy seeing the other girl squirm.

"Seduce?" asked Rei. "If you mean that I try to initiate an intimate relationship with you, this is not
the case."

"Yet you are parading around me."

"I prefer nudity, as I already told you. Why does this bother you so much? It is the most natural state
of our body."

"Because it is wrong."

"Why?"

"Common decency and morals are rules that anybody should abide. By running without clothes around, you
do not abide them."

"Common decency is a set of rules from humans for humans. Morals are a set of rules from humans for humans.
I am not human." Rei stated dryly.

"But I am. And with you running around, you defy the rules that are important for me."

"Rules that are made by humans, to chain them to the beliefs of the masses. Abiding by such rules is useless,
as those rules are neither grounded with logic, nor with science or other facts. They are reasoned in
beliefs, which means that they have no worth at all. You should discard those rules, it would set you
free."

Asuka sighed defeated. She had no intention of going in an argument about religion, so she had to
concentrate on the other side of her argument.

"Doesn't it bother you if I see you nude?"

"No. You are my friend. And even if you were not, this is only my body. Every person with the ability can
look at it, as I have nothing to hide."

This stunned Asuka. This shy half-portion of a girl had a confidence under her stoic behavior that
surpassed anything she had ever heard of.

"And what if I'd try to get you? Running around nude can be seen as an attempt to seduce me."

Rei looked in Asuka's blue eyes. "You already brought this point up, and I answered. To make my stance more
clear, I will explain. I am not trying to have an intimate relationship with you. If my nudity arouses you, and
you wish to try such a relationship, I would have no objections."

Feeling the annoyance of Rei by having to give such a long explanation, Asuka missed the meaning of the
statement for long seconds, until her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Now treading on the completely unfamiliar ground of a possible same-sex relationship, she decided to drop
the matter instantly. Rei had a way of misunderstanding her statements that was downright creepy. If she
continued this discussion, she would end with her in bed, not even knowing how it came this far.
It was definitely time to change the topic.

Asuka needed some time to calm down, then she asked if it would be possible to visit her sisters.

"Yes." answered Rei.

"And they will be well?"

"Yes."

"Will I meet your sisters as well?"

"Most likely, as they are aboard the same ship."

"You saw the ship?"

"Yes."

"What does it look like?" Asuka asked excited. She always was a science-fiction fan, and to hear something
about a real spaceship was pretty cool. She had never thought that something like this would happen in her
lifetime, so she wanted to use this chance.

"You will see for yourself."

Asuka sighed again defeated. This answer from the blue-haired girl was inevitable.
Time for another change of topic.

"I heard that you train something. What?"

"The use of the Force."

"And that means?"

"Controlling your emotions, using your strength to control the force, using it to reach your goals."

"Sounds good. Can I learn it too?" Asuka asked hopefully.

"Possible. As a Pilot you should have an affinity to the Force, so it should be possible to train you."

Asuka grinned over her entire face. "Great. So we two can train together. Two pilots who never can be
stopped."

"We are three."

"What?"

"We are three pilots, yet the third will never receive such a training."

"Why not?

"He is too weak."

Asuka gulped. Yesterday, she surely didn't make a good impression on the Sith and the Jedi. Well, she
would ask them, then she would see what would happen.

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At the same time, Kaji and Misato met in the NERV cafeteria. They exchanged a few words, but more important
was a note that Kaji smuggled in one of Misato's sandwiches. After the last evening, they had a lot of
things to discuss, without other people listening in.

For both, the happenings only a half day prior was something shocking, but still gave them hope. NERV was
worse than they had thought, and now, two new powerful organizations had appeared on the game board.
Or whatever the Empire and the Republic were. As long as they would stop SEELE and NERV, they couldn't be
all too bad.

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They met for lunch again in the cafeteria, but left it quickly.
For the first time, they went into the geofront, wandered through the garden like nature that was brought
down there. What looked like an idle walk, was completely the opposite.

"The developments yesterday will sure make things more interesting."

Misato looked at Kaji as if he went insane. "Are you nuts? Interesting? Do you know in how much danger we
are? Not only the Angels, but now alien invaders too. Two of them, to boot. That's not a joke, and that's
no fun."

He grinned only at her. "Wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Wrong. First, there are three of them."

"One plus one is two. Have you never learned that?"

"You should know that I've never learned that." replied Kaji, which resulted in a very dark look from
Misato. Maybe it would have been a better idea if he avoided to mention that particular incident.

"Now spill it." commanded Misato.

"SEELE has an ally from outer space too. And they are neither the Empire, nor the Republic. So, there are
three."

Misato's eyes widened, but didn't comment this revelation.

"And all three have different styles. From everything I could gather, I learned that SEELE's allies are
religious loonies. Yet they are very powerful, and are currently the biggest power in the galaxy.
Also, SEELE thinks that the Republic will fall soon, along with the Empire. And they will be the allies of
the great number one. They have extensive files of those things, but I never expected to see one of them,
or another alien here. Yet it happened, and considering the arrogance the Sith uses, the Empire has some
trump card. I think the galaxy stands on the verge of an enormous war, and the Empire will start it."

"So we should support the Sith?"

"The Vong, the third power, are surely the worst ones. The Republic would be best, but they will be caught
between the lines of this confrontation and most likely crushed."

"Why do you think that?"

"The Vong fear the Jedi, as they don't understand their power. But the Sith are even worse for them."

Misato asked: "What gives you that idea?"

"SEELE has orders to report any Jedi or Sith that may show up. And the reward for such information is very
high. You don't use longer life spans as a reward for nothing."

"And what should we do?"

Kaji thought over it for some minutes before he answered. "Be nice to both sides, and wait and see what will
happen. Also, it will be crucial what Ikari will do. The Sith clearly defied his authority and don't give
a shit about his status as Commander of NERV. And the Jedi either."

Misato's eyes widened as she realized another facet of this mess. "The pilots!" she yelled. "Rei trains
with the Sith, Asuka was yesterday with them too. And Shinji is also friends with him."

"So he will protect them, the Jedi maybe too. They are more secure than any of us."

This didn't calm Misato one bit, but she knew that she could do nothing.

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"So, the clones are gone?"

Gendo looked at his former Sensei and sighed. "Yes."

"Without them, it will become difficult to implement our plans."

"Those are useless anyway. Our plans were based on the scrolls, due to the meddling of several parties from
outside, they are useless, as this was not foretold. Still, not everything is lost."

"What do you mean."

"The Jedi and the Sith, both were able to communicate with Lillith. So, they are most likely be able to
talk with Yui too. Also, our sensors showed that the armored soldiers were clones. Contrary to us, they
don't need angelic DNA to successfully clone someone."

Fuyutsuki nodded. This information sets things in a new light. "So they could clone Yui, and maybe even
pull her essence out of 01."

"Possible. The main problem is that we have no sample of Yui."

"They could try to extract it from Shinji's DNA."

"Possible."

"So there is only one problem left. To get them trying this, you need to negotiate. After the least events,
it is not very likely that they will help us."

Gendo grinned. "But they want something we have, so we have a chip to bargain with."

"You are ready to talk to the person who costed you an eye?"

Gendo chuckled dryly. "I would have destroyed the world to get Yui back, so you really think that such a
little sacrifice matters if I get my wish?"

Fuyutsuki nodded satisfied.

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As the X-Wing landed in the hangar of the imperial ship, the pilot looked around to get as much information
as possible. Alone his flight to this ship hinted at very bad things, as the ship uncloaked exactly as it
was necessary.
That it was a new kind of ship class was another matter of concern. As big as an old Dreadnaught, it had
a little bit more firepower in its turrets. But 8 Torpedo launchers, along with 24 missile launchers gave
it a frightening capability of fighting, that exceeded any other known cruiser-class.
The three fighter squadrons aboard, 1 Tie/A, 1 Tie/D and 1 Assault Gunboat squad gave it a lot of additional
firepower.

After the landing, he left his fighter and was brought to his temporary quarter, where he should wait
for the upcoming mission, which should happen within a day.
He smiled as he used the Terminal in his quarter to get as much information as possible.
The Empire was often so stupid.

A few hours later, he had to change this judgement. Either the data was specifically made to fool
him, or the Empire didn't bother to let it slip, which would make sense, concerning the advancements in
ship technology.
The 'Sword', name giver of its class was only a light cruiser. The heavy counterpart, 'Katana' class, was
much more powerful and able to fight all known battle cruisers off.
Then there were hints at a new interdictor vessel, and several types of new SDs. Add to this new fighters,
and probably new weapons, and you have a nightmare for the Republic.

He copied all data, his superiors would have to decide what to do with them. For now, this wasn't his
concern.

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In his apartment, the Sith slept. After his excursion in NERV, he received the message that the first ships
of his reinforcements had arrived, along with his personal flagship.
So far, the Republic and the Vong only knew the power of destruction a Star Destroyer was able to dish out.
Soon, the would know the power of creation this ship was able to do. It didn't have the family-class name of
'Star Deployer' for nothing.

His duties as Sensei delegating to Tenel Ka, he used this day to get the sleep he had lost in the last time.
Meditations could sustain him only for a while, but where no real substitute for the relaxation only sleep
could bring to him.

This time, sleep didn't give him the peace he would have need. Dreams and visions of love and lust, gaining
and losing, happiness and decent into madness. He awoke several times, bathed in cold sweat.
Something big was bound to happen, and he didn't understand what.
No, this was not a peaceful sleep.

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In the evening, Asuka lay again in Rei's arms, cuddled against the other girl. After a great act of strength
in the morning, the events of yesterday came back to her two times on this day, both times, she cried.
The first time, Rei comforted her again, the second, on afternoon, she managed on her own. She needed to,
as Rei was gone for a short time. So she did the same as always, she decided that this event never
happened.

While grateful for the support of the other girl, she despised herself for the weakness she displayed to
her. She had to be the best, the number one, not a crybaby. If she would have been in Rei's position, she
would have kicked herself out, disgusted by such a pathetic creature.
Instead she lay here, snuggled against the other girl, feeling her breathing, the warm and silky skin,
smelling the light stench of LCL that every pilot had.

"Rei?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you put up with me?"

"I don't understand."

"Why do you comfort me? I am weak, pathetic, disgusting. Why do you still support me?"
It was hard for Asuka to say this words, but she needed to know.

"You are a pilot like myself. This gives you value in the minds of a lot of other people."

Asuka shut her eyes and suppressed upcoming tears. So it was again only her status as pilot.

"But not for me." continued Rei. "For me, you are a friend. Friends support each other, even in times
of distress. Those hard times are forging the only valuable friendships, as they show if the other person
is willing to support and to help you, despite your own bad shape."

This sounded way better to Asuka. "Yes, that's what friends are for. I thought you didn't know anything
about that."

"I didn't, so I went this afternoon to the library and did some research."

"You went to the library and searched for information regarding friendship?" Asuka asked stunned.

"Yes, among other things. My knowledge was limited, so I had to learn."

"What other things?"

"Seduction, lust, same-sex relationships, lesbian love and cooking."

Asuka sat straight up in the bed and looked shocked at Rei. "What? Why?"

"To understand your behavior towards those topics. You see my nudity as attempt to seduce you. You are
implying that I want a relationship with you, which would include lesbian love. So I searched for those
topics. For the cooking, we don't know how to, so at least one of has to learn. Even if Shinji is currently
doing it for us, there could be times were he is unable to. And you showed no inclination to learn."

"Cooking aside, what you cannot learn out of books, by the way, what did you learn about the other topics?"

"You already know the definition of seduction, there is no need to repeat it."

"Okay, and the others?"

"Lust, the instinct for initiating sexual actions. A leftover from the animal stages of evolution. A toy
to ensure the survival of the species by forcing the species to mate. Still, lust can be sated otherwise
too. Humans and a lot of animals can also have same-sex relationships, with their own ways of sating their
lust. For two females, it would be lesbian, or sapphic love. The intimate relationship between two females.
I have to acquire some videos with such activities to learn more of it, for now, my information is
incomplete. So far, I still do not understand your fears. Beside religious beliefs, I was unable to find
anything that would explain your strange behavior. Also, I do not know why you fear that I want to seduce
you. As far as I understand, sex is something that should be consensual. Which would not be the cause
if you do not want it."

Asuka blinked. This was very long explanation from the normally silent girl, this topic must have worked
her up for good.

"Why are you so interested in learning this stuff?"

"We live together. I do not know what is acceptable in this situation, and what is not. A lot of information
I found is confusing. So I have to search for more."

"Like what? What is confusing?"

"Kissing for example. Friends do kiss, mostly on the cheeks, sometimes on the lips. Yet, a long kiss on
the lips is labeled as an act of lust, not friendship. And the term of 'frenching' is something I don't
understand too."

Not willing to continue this talk, avoiding this way possible irritation and improper actions, Asuka simply
said: "Then you have lots of reading to do." , before she laid back. "Good night."

"Good night."

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The next day didn't start as peacefully as everybody had hoped for. The wailing of sirens heralded the
arrival of a new Angel, a new gigantic beast with the iron will to kill all humans.
At least, that's what most people believed anyway.

But few of them, with the knowledge behind those facades, knew better.

"Sword, prepare the fighters for attack. The pilots are hereby ordered to not target the core. Send two
Starwings MkII to retrieve it. We'll study it aboard."

"Yes, Grand Admiral." answered the Captain of the cruiser.

The Sith smiled. "Everything is prepared."

Tenel Ka looked annoyed at him. "I hope so."

"Don't you trust me?" he asked chuckling. It was so much fun to goad the Jedi into the dark paths of
emotional responses.

"Of course not." she spat.

"Fighters launched. The pilots are instructed to not target the core. Starwings are on their way to
retrieve it. The different characteristics of the weapons are put into the equation."

"Very good, Captain. Proceed."

The Jedi looked again at the Sith. "Why are you so certain that the EVAs will lose?"

"Israfel has some intriguing capabilities. They won't succeed."

"What if the pilots are hurt?"

"Unlikely. Still, Rei doesn't pilot, so it is no concern of me."

The Jedi mumbled something darkly, then looked at the screen too.

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Misato had a bad day. After the revelations in the last two days, followed by severe lack of sleep, an Angel
was the last thing she needed. Informed of the attack some minutes before the sirens started, she woke
up Shinji, then went to the neighbouring apartment to get Rei and Asuka.
Finding them nude in the same bed didn't help either.

She woke them, promised to talk with them later, forced them to put some clothes on and herded them to
her car. She already made it halfway to HQ as the sirens started.
Shinji, still not fully awake made the mistake to ask Asuka why she had such a red face, which was answered
with a rather hefty slap. Rei looked calm as usual, while Asuka was in state of inner turmoil.

Her great chance to show her capabilities had finally come. But her day of victory was already tainted.
Misato's look as she awoke her and Rei spoke volumes what the purple haired officer thought.
She forced those thoughts out of her mind. Now wasn't the time for this, now she had to concentrate for
her first big battle.
She would have to fight with Shinji, as Unit00 wasn't fully repaired from the ordeal with the fifth Angel.
This didn't fill her with happiness, only Rei's trust in the abilities of the Third gave her hope for
some teamwork.

Misato walked to the Command Center, followed by Rei, while Asuka and Shinji changed into their plug suits.

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01 and 02 were brought to the shore where the Angel should land. That they had to wait for its arrival
gnawed on Asuka's patience. She wanted this to be over with, victorious of course, then giving Misato a piece of
her mind for insinuating something perverted between her and Rei, and then finally go back to sleep and feel the
warm body of another person beside her.

Her eyes widened in shock as she recalled this last part of her thoughts. Searching for an answer to this
desire, she came to the conclusion that it was simply a way to end her loneliness. Asuka wanted to grin
satisfied, as she realized that the Angel had already shown up, and that 01 was charging it.

Asuka cursed, then brought 02 in motion. With a few fast leaps, she was ahead of 01, her lance in position
to strike. A last large jump, and she hit the Angel with a full overhead blow that sliced it into pieces.

"A fight should be short, without waste and victorious." she announced, proud of her outstanding
performance.

"It is still alive!" yelled Shinji, forcing her to turn around. To her shock, he was right. The two halves
twisted and turned, changed into a new shape. Within seconds, two smaller versions of the Angel stood
in front of them, charging both EVAs at once.

The following battle was short, fiery, and ended with a clear victory. For the Angels.
The Israfel twins used a synchronized attack pattern to take the EVAs out, which were unable to counter
the precision, speed and agility of those new foes.

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"01 and 02 are down!" shouted Aoba, followed by Hyuga with: "Pilot life signs stable. EVAs are unable to
continue the battle."

"Tell the UN to bomb the Angel." commanded Misato.

"Not possible. All communications are scrambled." informed Hyuga. "And there are no bombers in near
airspace."

Misato cursed as she took her modified handy out and dialed a number she was very unsure of.

"Yes?" asked a calm and collected voice.

"The EVAs are down. Can you stop them?"

"Watch and see." With this, the line was cut.

"WHAT?!" shouted Hyuga, drawing all attention to him.

"Multiple incoming targets from orbit. Speed Mach 30, decreasing fast. Targets will reach the Angel in 2
Minutes."

"Put them on screen." ordered Gendo. He suspected what he would see, however, it would be interesting if his
suspicions would be confirmed.

At first, the screen only showed two bright balls of plasma, revealing slowly two different shapes.
One, a strange but still halfway recognizable fighter design with 4 wings in an X-shaped fashion,
was the first to come into full view. The difference to the fighter planes they knew were there, but not
as extreme to make the craft intimidating.

A gasp filled the Command center as the second craft came into view. A round cockpit, sitting in the middle
of three wings, or more panels that were arranged around it, looked much more dangerous than the first.
The camera followed those two for some time, changed then to the other pair, whose were a study in elegance
and beauty. Five wings, forming an uneven star if viewed from front or behind, and a sleek hull made them
the most familiar and beautiful form of all four crafts.

At first, the X-Wing fired a warhead. A blue streak made its way towards one of the Angels, covered half of
the distance as the dark abomination fired. The second warhead, gleaming brighter, but in a darker shade of
blue, flew twice as fast as the first one.
Both hit their targets at the same time, with spectacular results.

The warheads penetrated the Angels AT-field with ease, then their armor, detonating in the middle of the
Angels. Their bodies were vaporized in an eyeblink, the two cores flew away, only to be caught by the second
pair of fighters, using a strange beam that held them.
Then, all four of them flew up again, leaving the atmosphere a few minutes later.

And Gendo smiled.

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The republican pilot left the formation as they reached the dark side of the moon. He had learned a lot in
his short time aboard the imperial star ship, and the joint attack on those things called Angels.
The Empire was on the rise again. Outfitted with new weapons, under an Emperor Thrawn, the Republic was
in greater danger than he could have even imagined.

For now, the Vong would occupy the Empire's interest, but after them, the Republic would be the next target
on the list. He needed to make a report soon, sending it to the high command of the republican Navy.
And another copy to the Jedi, plus one to the Intelligence division.

He had joined the republican forces as soon as he was old enough, to take revenge for the death of his
parents, whom died in an imperial assault in his home world. Believing in the freedom the Republic
always praised, he was ready to give his life for his ideals.
During training and his first missions, he saw behind the bright facade, saw the decaying corpse of the
republic, eaten away by corrupt politicians, and incompetent officers.
Still, the old Republic had lasted 25.000 years, now it was on the verge of collapse after only 25.
He vowed to change this if possible, still not giving up his ideals. He saw world after world fall
to the Vong, fought the battle at Coruscant, where cowardly Commanders lost a battle because they were
unable to destroy some transports with hostages that shielded the Vong fleet.

And this was the time he had given up hope for the Republic, and for the numerous races of the galaxy.
Now, a new Empire was on the rise too, and while he still believed in the freedom and the right to choose
the Republic stood for, he asked himself if an Empire that was able to defeat the Vong wouldn't be better.
He hated himself for those thoughts, but the clone-troops, new ships, new fighters and new weapons
of the Empire spoke a clear message. War was coming, and it would change the galaxy again.

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Tenel Ka looked at her evil counterpart. "And now?"

"Scanning the cores, lots of research and some training."

"Training? Oh, yes. You took an apprentice."

The Sith grinned amused at her.

"And, will she become a violent, homicidal maniac like all Sith?"

The Sith snorted angrily. He had enough of the belittling speeches of stupid Jedi who praised traitors
and despised the real defenders of the galaxy. "No. She will become a violent, homicidal maniac that turns
Jedi to the dark side, and kills your beloved democratic elected politicians." he replied angrily.

Tenel Ka, unused to such outbursts from this particular follower of the dark side, blinked. Sadness washed
over her as she realized once again that it was for a large part her decision that sent him down this dark
path of anger, hate and fear.
It was time for her to make some amends, not because her mission needed it, but because she felt guilty.

"I'd like to see you train her."

"Why?" he asked.

"You always said that you are a lousy teacher. I want to see if that is really the case."

He gave her only a shrug as answer.

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"You are in an awfully good mood, Ikari." stated Fuyutsuki, who was still baffled about the events during
the fight against Israfel.

"I have all reason to. We have a new scenario to work with, and if my assumptions are correct, we do not
need an impact."

The Sub-Commander looked shocked at his superior. "What do you mean?"

"I have sighted all sensor readings we got from the armored soldiers, all the actions the Sensei has done,
and all the possibilities he have at hand. It is clear that he has access to highly advanced cloning
technology, advanced enough to make a perfect clone of Yui. He can do this at an secluded location, far
from the grasp of SEELE. The little display today made this clear. The only remaining question is if
he is able to free Yui from 01."

"And if he is?"

"He isn't here for nothing. He needs something, so we can bargain. He gives me Yui back, we kill SEELE
together, and he can have what he wants. Everyone will be happy. No impact, no great risk of killing
humanity, no need to go further along this dark, risky path."

Fuyutsuki sighed relieved. He was never a fan of the impact scenario, only supported it because it seemed
the only way. "I hope you are right, Ikari."

"We will see. But first, I need to make an invitation."

"Despite the way your first one went?"

"Back then, I underestimated him. This will not happen again."

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Early next morning, they waited for his apprentice to come. She came punctual as usual, but not alone.
Behind her, Asuka came into sight.

"Master." greeted Rei.

"You brought a guest?"

"Yes. She has the potential, and the will to learn."

"She is too weak for a Sith."

"I am not weak!" yelled Asuka.

He glared at her. "Answer me two questions truthfully, if the answers fit, you will receive your training."

"Ask." spoke Asuka confidently.

"Since I informed you about the betrayal from NERV, since I showed you your sisters, some time has gone.
Enough time to decide how you want to react to those acts from this organization. Tell me, what do you
want to do? How will your revenge look like?"

Asuka swallowed, this topic wasn't her favorite. She forced the unpleasant memories into the back of her
mind, then answered. "I will uncover NERVs secrets. I will reveal the truth to the world, and watch how
they will be punished."

Before Rei or Tenel Ka were able to speak, he asked the second question. "As you recovered from the truth,
how do felt? What were your emotions, what did you do?"

Asuka pondered the chance for a successful lie, then scratched the idea. "I felt hurt, betrayed, sad.
To know what had happened is like an open wound, but it gives me the will to go on. I cried, but now, I am
stronger than before."

"Rei?" he commanded.

Rei sadly shook her head. "These were the wrong answers, Asuka."

"Why?

"The first answer should have been: To gain the abilities to punish them. Find them, get them, kill them
in the most painful way possible. My revenge shall be bloody and final, and I will do it alone."

The German redhead, stunned by such a bloody speech from the otherwise shy and gentle girl, looked
dumbfounded at Rei, unable to talk back.

"The second answer: It hurt, I felt betrayed. Anger started to rise in me, hate gave me the will to punish
them. I cried shortly, then cried for the blood of the criminals. And this I will get, no matter what."

"You may have the ability to control the Force, but despite your arrogant exterior and your fiery temper,
you lack the cold determination a Sith would need. I will not train you."

Asuka's body shook, out of anger, and out of the realization that she had failed. She didn't know if she
wanted to hit the Sensei, or start to cry again, as Tenel Ka interrupted the scene.
The Jedi shot dark and disapproving looks to the Sensei, then spoke to Asuka.

"Becoming a Sith is not the only way of serving the force. You have every right to be hurt and to feel
sad, it is not wrong to have other feelings than anger, hate and fear. Your plan to deal with the persons
who hurt you is more sophisticated than the brutal actions the followers of the dark side prefer.
Your thinking would be very fitting for a servant of the force, a Jedi."

She shot an annoyed look at the Sith, then continued. "If you want, I could train you to become a Jedi."

Asuka's eyes widened in joy, then darkened again. "But as far as I have heard, Jedi and Sith are enemies."

The Jedi didn't understand, the Sith did. "Darkness and light cannot exist without each other. They are
the two sides of the coin called reality. We all are gray, we stand between the shadows and the light.
Some of us on the darker side, the others in the light. As long as you understand that both sides have the
right to be, that black and white are colors that do not exist, you can still be friends with Rei,
despite her apprenticeship as Sith."

Tenel Ka looked in awe at the Sith. She would have never expected such a speech from him. She had heard of
some ideas from Brakiss, his ideas to blur the difference between Jedi and Sith, yet she never understood
the logic behind it. Now she did, and it frightened her.

Asuka smiled and turned to the baffled Jedi. Seeing that she was out of commission, she waved her hand in
front of the Jedi's face, which led to a reaction.

"Yes?"

"Then I would like to learn the ways of the Force." stated Asuka, much to the Jedi's dismay. She never
wanted to have an apprentice, despite her duties as a Jedi to take one. But now she was unable to avoid
it any longer. She saw the victorious grin of the Sith, how much he enjoyed to have her staged up,
she wanted to tell Asuka off and hit him, yet it was impossible.

"I will take you as my apprentice." answered Tenel Ka, accepting her fate. And the Sith laughed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
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Misato was far from happy. Yesterday, she had a long yelling match with Asuka. The nerve of that girl.
She found her nude in the bed with Rei, yet the brat still claimed that nothing has happened. Bull.
And as she wanted to make her clear that such things are not allowed, it developed to a hour-long
yelling match that Asuka won.

Then she had to prepare an emergency briefing for the press to minimize the damage from the events during
the last attack, only to see that her work was in vain as a strong EMP wave destroyed any unarmored camera
in a wide radius. And there was nothing to complain about if nobody was able to prove anything.
The PR-department already made a nice cover story, and without evidence, the press had to swallow it
without salt.

And today, she was awoken two hours early by the Commander himself, only for a mission as a delivery girl.
After a morning beer, she went upstairs to the apartment of the Sensei. She understood now that he was
dangerous, and very capable of inflicting a large amount of damage.

Sighing, she knocked on the door, that opened for itself. Cursing his ability to play such tricks, she
made her way inside, finding him sitting on the floor and watching TV.

He turned around to face her. "Yes?"

"Commander Ikari send his greetings, he would like to have a meeting with you."

"When?"

"Today, after school."

"Accepted."

This said, he stood up and walked to the purple haired Captain. "Why so hostile?"

"You are dangerous."

"Everyone is dangerous. Driven far enough, even the greatest wimp is able to kill. I just don't hide
behind a false facade. Beside that, I am not more dangerous than any other person."

Misato snorted, wanted only to leave the apartment.

"I still haven't properly thanked you for showing me how to drive."

This caught her on the false foot. "Hm?"

"Isn't it normal to thank someone who has helped?"

"Yes." she replied unsure.

He laid the index finger of his right hand against her forehead, and a strange, but not uncomfortable
sensation washed over her. "What was that?" she asked frightened.

He smiled at her. "Something good for your health."

She looked at him carefully. "Thanks." Then she left him, fled back into her own apartment.

He chuckled evilly. The most amusing way of doing something evil was to pervert a good intention. Yes, he
had done something good to her, but in the most evil way possible.

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Back in her apartment, Misato grabbed another beer and opened it. Setting it against her lips, the amber
liquid flooded her mouth.

Her eyes widened in shock as she spat the incredible foul and bad tasting liquid into the sink. Using some
mouthwash to get the offending taste out of her mouth, she drained the can in the sink too.

After this was finished, she grabbed another one, with the same result.
Unsure of what has happened, but still needing more alcohol, she left the fridge and went into her room
there she grabbed a bottle of wine, which she opened. Not bothering with a glass, she set the bottle on her
lips, wanting to gulp a good part of the bottle down at a fast pace.

The taste of it was even worse than that of the beer. Unable to make the way to the bath or the kitchen
sink, she spat it out and messed her room even more up. The foul stench of the liquid, along with the
horrible taste in her mouth made her run to the bath, where she vomited violently into the toilet.

After some time of recovery she started to think about what had happened. The beer tasted awfully bad,
but they were fresh cans. The wine was worse, yet it should have been in excellent condition.
And it had more alcohol, so it should have been better anyway.

"Something good for your health."

She blinked as she recalled this sentence from the Sensei.

"Something good for your health."

"Something good for your health."

"Something good for your health."

It repeated in her head, over and over again, until a realization hit her. In complete panic, she run into
her room. Opening frantically a box of chocolates, she grabbed one filled with liquor, only to spit it
out again.

"Something good for your health."

"Something good for your health."

"Something good for your health."

Now she realized what had happened.

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!& quot;

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Preread and by Ezstarius
Useful comments and encouragement to write by Kuracao
Domo arigato.