Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness and Light ❯ Darkness and Light-2 ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter-1

Nearly a week had gone by since he escaped from the Hospital and Toky-3, but as will all escapees, people 'were sent' to track him down and bring him back. Had he stayed on the side of the highway Section 2 would more then likely have seen him and a confrontation would have been unavoidable? A confrontation that would have ended in pain, broken boons, blood and possibly death for a few personnel. That was some thing Shinji did not want to avoid the unnecessary violence. He went off the main highway and into the forest, carefully covering his tracks in the process. After three days of walking through the woods and camping outdoors, Shinji suddenly found him self-changing course. Instead of moving away from Tokyo-3, he was moving in a perfect horizontal line through the forest. Some thing with in the woods started to attract him like a magnet. Although he could not explain it him self, Shinji just did not want to resist the sudden pull. After another three days of walking and camping out, Shinji walked out into a clearing and was surprise at the sight before him. More then likely unknown to most people, in a forest clearing stood a well kept Shrine surrounded by gardens to the sides in the center stone steps lead up to the Shine it self.

; Interesting as this place is, I still don't understand why was I drawn here?; he thought to him self in puzzlement carefully look around him as he moved towards the structure. ; Whatever it is that had drawn me here is coming from the…;

"I will not permit you to defile this Shrine just to get to the gate." Boomed a firm, yet gentle voice from with in the Shrine it self.

Stopping him self from going any closer to the Shrine. Shinji focused his attention onto the doorway of the ancient structure. From with in the semi dark doorway of the structure a slender figure moved into the open. Narrowing his eyes at the sight of a girl with long black hair, dressed in a light blue kimono with white cherry blossoms moving towards him, in her left hand she held a sheathed katana.

; Defile the Shrine? Gait? What is she talking…; his thoughts were prematurely cut off as he felt a sudden and very unfamiliar power around him self. He took a quick look around. ; It is this place. The energy, it's coming from all around me, but this energy isn't what drew me to this place.; his attention focused the sheathed katana in the girls left hand and just as quickly shifted to the slender and pretty face. ; She is familiar…;

"Arcane one, I ask that you leave this holy place in peace." She said in her firm voice, her left hand tightening around the sheathed katana. "I have no wish to battle, but if I muse…"

"You." said Shinji in an intrigued tone. "You are the resin I am here." slowly he shook his head. "Not this place, or the power it generates. That is of no interest to me, but you on the other hand are of grate interest."

The girls deep brown eyes narrowed into murderess tiny slits. ; This arrogant little jerk is trying to pick me up with that lame line of all…;

"Strange as it may sound," said Shinji, snapping the girl out of her angry and somewhat incorrect thoughts. "You and I are the same, and here I thought Rei and I were the only…"

"Don't believe for a single moment that you and your girlfriend are the only ones with Angel blood coursing through their veins." snapped the girl in anger.

Upon hearing this, surprise filled Shinjis face. "You mean there are others?"

The black hair girl flinched, anger began to etch it self on her face. "Listen up you little je…"

"There are others, but not to many." Boomed a calm deep voice from with in the Shrine.

Shinji shifted some of his attention to the open door of the Shrine. At the same time, he kept most of his attention on the angry girl, and particularly the sheathed katana clinched tightly in her left hand. "Aside from the girl with the sword, are you one as well?"

; Does he seriously believe grandfather will fall for that?; the black hair girl thought to her self as she carefully began to reach for the hilt of the katana. Her eyes never moving a millimeter away from the young man standing some distance away. "Don't you think its high time you left this…"

"Mariko, that will be enough." Came the same calm deep voice from with in the Shrine. "He is a guest and should be treated accordingly."

The black hair girl shifted her undivided attention to the Shinji. "Grandfather, how could you say such a thing?" she protested. "How can you just lower your guard like that?"

"From what I've heard and observer so far, our guest is not aware of many thing." Came a reply as an old wrinkled up prune of a gray headed man stepped out of the Shrine, casually adjusting his white priests garment. "His interests are not in the power he could gait should he manage to destroy this holy place and open the gate." The old man looked at Shinji, whose expression betrayed a hint of uneasiness and curiosity. A barely noticeable grin touched the old mans thin lips. "You seem curious, but not overly interested in the gate or the power that…"

"Give him half a chance he'll kill the both of us Grandfather." Scowled Mariko.

The old man turned his attention on his ever-vigilant granddaughter as the barely noticeable grin slowly turned into a very visible smile. "But I did give him a chance to take both of our lives." He stated as a mater of fact. Ignoring the suddenly startled black hair girls tens and weary stand, the old man motioned to Shinji with a head jester. "Our young guest may seem rather out of place with that black trench coat. A dark blue hiking backpack with all the gear a mountain climber and a extended wilderness camper would need."

Mariko gave her grandfather a questioning stare. "I don't understand…"

"The weight of his backpack, my granddaughter. A person would have to be very strong to carry that much equipment on him self." The old man cut her off, glanced at Shinji still standing in the same spot with out a muscle moved, his attention equally divided between the seemingly unarmed, old gray headed man and his sword caring granddaughter. "Then there is his black trench coat, it conceals his weapons extremely well…"

"WHAT??" shrieked Mariko, her right hand grabbed the white hilt of the katana.

"Do not draw the sword." Commanded the old man in his firm tone.

"But…"

"No buts Mariko." He commanded, gave his angry granddaughter a cold narrowed eye stare.

Shinji for his part remained where he was, carefully listening to the words exchanged between the old man and his granddaughter. He remained alert and ready to act should things deteriorate beyond a point he set. ; If she draws the sword this will end in a conflict.; he thought to him self, shifted his attention a little more onto the old gray headed man. ; He knows that I'm armed and he won't allow her to draw the sword. She on the other hand is very stubborn and she wants to prove a point of some…;

"Young man." Boomed the old mans firm voice, snapping Shinji out of his train of thought. "If you would kindly collaborate my point about you being armed so that this pointless stalemate will come to a end."

Shinji nodded his head. "Very well." Placing his free hands with in the trench coat, he pulled out the two fully loaded 9-millimeter guns from the holsters under his armpits.

"See for your self my stubborn granddaughter." Said the old man, once again motioned with his head towards Shinji, who held the hand guns to his sides and at ready.

Mariko did what she was told. "GUNS!?" she barked as her eyes tripled in size for the unexpected shock.

"Now do you understand what predicament you were in my granddaughter?" asked the old man.

A look of utter disgust flashed in the girls brown eyes. "Only a dishonorable thing would use a gun when challenged in the ancient way of combat…"

"Will honor keep me alive?" Shinji cut her off in a calm voice placed the guns back in their holsters. Ignoring Marikos still disgusted expression he continued with a few more questions. "Will it prevent those who want to take my life from doing so? Will honor stop others from manipulating me mentally? Will having honor stop people from using and abusing me as they see fit? Will it stop people from treating me as a thing that is less then dirt?"

Stunned by the unexpected barrage of questions, Mariko was not sure how to respond. To her honor was an essential part of life, she believed that every one else had the same beliefs when it came to honor. ; He cannot possibly have lived such an abusive life. No person could possibly live such a cruel life.; anger once again flashed in her brown eyes. ; He's making it all up….;

"The people who are after you, are they after you do to who and what you are?" asked the suddenly uneasy old man.

Slowly Shinji shook his head. "I seriously doubt they know what I am. I suspect that only one person could possibly have any kind of notion of what I am, her name is Rei and she is some thing similar to my self." He replied and took a deep breath. "As to why they are after me. Lets just say from what little memories I have that I use to pilot a giant robot..."

"You are nothing but a liar." Snapped Mariko in a venomous tone, her eyes flared with rage. "There are no such…"

"Mariko, that is enough." The old man commanded, looked Shinji over very carefully. "Your name, what is it?"

"From what I remember, it's Shinji….."

"Grandfather you can't possibly believe this nonsense." Mariko protested, pointed at Shinji with her right hand. "He's just a liar…"

"MARIKO BE SILENT." Shouted the old man startling his granddaughter into taking a few steps back. With outrage burning in his eyes, the old man locked his attention on his somewhat frightened and very angry granddaughter. "You shame your self, me and the family name by unjustly accusing a person of lying when he is in fact telling the truth."

"You can't seriously believe the jargon he's giving you?" snapped the black hair girl in a ferocious tone.

The old wrinkly face man straightened him self up and turned his worried gaze onto the unfazed young man. "That is the problem my granddaughter." He said in the most even and calm tone he could muster at the moment. "Not once did he tell a lie nor did he use deception. We both would have known immediately if told a single lie and we both would have known if he attempted a deception. On my behalf I told him of the gate and the power that could be his, he in return showed no interest, the only interest he had and still has is what had drawn him here. You on the other hand my granddaughter." He turned his attention on the uneasy girl and shook his head sadly. "You just refused to believe him…"

"No person could possibly have been mistreated as he claimed." Snapped Mariko.

Sighing sadly the old man shook his head once again. "Granddaughter you cannot believe that others are treated in such ways since you were raised differently from them…"

"Are you telling me that people actually mistreated and abused him as he claims?" she demanded.

The old man opened his mouth to speak only to have Shinji beat him to it.

"Believe it or not, the people I've been around did exactly what I stated." He stated and waited for the girl to turn and face him. Once she brought her startled face and wide eyes in his line of sight, he continued. "To make maters even more strange, I have no memory of my childhood, the only memories I have are resent in nature and they're mostly fragmented. Most of the memories don't even belong to me. Mind you the information I have come in handy, but it belongs to another, a person I don't know…."

"That's not possible." Shrieked Mariko shacking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe that…that people would do such…such cruel things to others."

"Believe it granddaughter." Said the old man sadly, sighed heavily. "Our guest has no resin to lie."

Dismayed by what she heard, Mariko brought her attention onto Shinji and shook her head. "I…I honestly believed that…that you were lying." the black hair girl lowered her head. "I just couldn't believe that one person lived through such cruelty."

Shinji shrugged his shoulders in a dismissing manner. "It happened, it is in the past and of no consequence for the time being. The same holds for me being honorable. Honor has a time and a place, but when my life is on the line there is no place for such things. The rules are completely different. It is kill or be killed, so far I didn't have to kill, however, that will change sooner or later and there is nothing I can do about it." He said in an even tone, turned his attention onto the wrinkly face old man and looked the priest over in a curious manner. "How is it that I can fell you now and I didn't before?"

"I was hiding my self. Just as you are hiding your self." Replied the old man, watched as Shinji glanced at the black hair girl somewhat puzzled. "Mariko isn't that good at hiding her self." Stated the old man knowing very well what Shinji was going to ask, just as sudden curiosity filled his wrinkled old face. "Still you shouldn't have been able to fell her as you did."

Shinji took a deep breath and shook his head. "I honestly don't know what I should and shouldn't be able to do. I don't even know how I'm hiding my self." He took a quick glance in the black hair girls' direction. "The only thing I know for sure is that I felt another similar to my self. I didn't come here to fight with any one, I have more then enough to deal with, but a fight nearly happened. This is a lesson from the encounter. Never again allow my self to be drawn to by those who are similar to my self." Seeing the discomfort on Marikos pretty face, he took a sharp breath and gave the black hair girl and the old wrinkly face priest a slight bow. "I will take my leave now."

"There is no need for you to leave young Shinji." said the old man, glanced at his granddaughter who lowered her head and remained silent. "I am more then positive that there will be no more fighting…"

"I'm afraid that is not possible." Shinji cut him off.

Immediately Marikos head snapped up and anger flashed in her brown eyes. The older priest raised an eyebrow, but before ether one could say any thing, Shinji spoke.

"There are people still after me and I have this felling…no that's wrong." He corrected him self, squinted his eyes thoughtfully. "It's not a felling. I just know that they won't stop searching for me, I didn't know how I know this, but I just know that they won't stop, also they have Rei, and she is more then likely capable of sensing…"

"Not ever one of our kind is capable of sensing others just out of the bloom, nor are many capable of hiding them selves just like that." The old man cut him off. "It takes allot of practice and concentration…"

"I didn't have any kind of practice, nor did I have to concentrate and I'm more then capable of doing things." Stated Shinji.

The old wrinkled face man smiled. "Young Shinji you worry to much."

"Huh!?" muttered Mariko in puzzlement. "Grandfather, from what he had just said. He is well with in his rights to worry a grate deal."

The old man slowly shook his gray hair head. "He has no resin to worry as much as he does."

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that I not worry at all?"

Again, the old man shook his head. "That is not what I am suggesting in the slightest."

"Then what are you suggesting?" asked Shinji

"I to would like to know." Added Mariko.

"I am suggesting that you use common sense." Replied the old wrinkle face man smiling. "I am suggesting that you consider you situation very carefully young Shinji, and may be you your self will figure out what I already know."

Shinji took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "With all do respect to you and your position as a priest, but I'm not into the riddle solving. If you have some thing to say, say it if you're going to give me riddles. Don't say anything." Turning to the direction he had come from, Shinji took a few steps away from the Shrine, the utterly baffled black hair girl and the completely surprised old priest.

; That I did not expect him to do.; the old priest thought to him self and sighed in disappointment. ; It would seem the younger generations want every thing handed to them on a silver platter. They just don't want to figure things out for…;

"Wait." Shouted Mariko.

Stopping in his tracks, Shinji turned around and looked at black hair girl with curiosity. "Yes, is there some thing I can do for you?"

Mariko shook her head. "No, nothing, thank you." she replied politely, motioned to a barely noticeable pathway leading behind the Shrine. "We have a extra room and a extra place at the table. You are in need of both."

Shinji gave her a deep bow. "Thank you for the invitation, but I must decline. My life is on the line and the longer I stay here, it is more then likely that both your grandfather and your life are being placed in danger…"

"I assure you young Shinji, neither my granddaughters, mine or your life are in any danger here from the people who are after you." The old man cut him off.

"Excuse me?" said Shinji in surprise.

Mariko for her part gave her grandfather a puzzled look. "Grandfather, you lost me as well."

The old wrinkle face man allowed him self a chuckle. "It is very simple but the two of you just can't see what is in front of your eyes." He stated as a mater of fact, turned his attention on Shinji more then confused face. "Think about it young Shinji. If this Rei girl possesses the ability to sense, don't you thing those people who are after you would have used her gift to track you?"

Shinji stiffened, his expression immediately changed from confusion to very thoughtful.

"Grandfather, it is possible the Rei girl is refusing to cooperate." Said Mariko in a mater of fact tone. "It could very well be just a mater of time before she is forced to cooperate."

The old man nodded his head. "That is a possibility…."

"No." stated Shinji thoughtfully. "From what little memories I have. Rei isn't the kind of person who would disobey orders, if any thing she would obey orders with out question." He said and suspiciously scrutinizing the old man. "How did you know that she doesn't posses the ability/"

"Knowing had nothing to do with it. Common senses on the other hand had every thing to do with it." Replied the old man chuckling. "You your self stated that they were after you. Common senses dictates if they have a person with near identical abilities as your self, they would use that person to track you down."

Shinji thought about it for a moment and slowly nodded his head. "True, very true."

"Of course it is young one and you have no resin to leave so soon." Stated the old man, moved in front of Shinji and offered his hand. "I am Tatcuo Nakida." He said motioned to the black hair girl still standing in the same spot. "That is Mariko Nakida, she is my granddaughter."

"Ikari." Said Shinji, bowed slightly. "Ikari Shinji, at list that is what I remember."

"Well young Shinji now that you know your self to be safe, would you reconsider staying?" asked Tatcuo.

Shinji nodded his head. "For now." He replied glanced at Mariko who gave him a slight smile. "Sooner or later I will have to leave and deal with matters that will arise. I will not have a choice."

The smile vanished of Tacuos wrinkled old face and was replaced by a serious expression. "None the less you will have place to return to and if you choice, a place to call home."

Shinji narrowed his eyes into tiny suspicious slits. "More like a place to guard and protect for others, if I'm understanding you correctly."

Tacuo grinned. "It would seem you are capable of using common sense after all." He said in a impressed tone, placed his hands behind his back. "Yes you would have to guard and protect as you would do with any home, the choice is yours. I will not force you to do anything against your will."

"Who would I have to protect against?"

"Those who are like us, those who would destroy the Shinji just to assure that the gate is no longer guarded so they could use the power of the gate to there own ends."

"Hmm." Muttered Shinji glanced at the somewhat anguishes girl and returned his attention back on the old man. "I'll have to think about it carefully before I make my decision."

Tacuo smiled brightly. "That is the answer I expected, had you answered differently, I would have asked you to leave…"

"For all you know I could decide to leave." Shinji cut him off. "As I said before, I have very little choice in what is going to happen. They will not stop looking for me and I will not go back with them."

"You will do what must be done and I'm sure that it will not be here, but never the less you will deal with the people who are after you, and you will do so in the harshest manner possible." Said Tacuo sadly and took a deep breath. "Enough of what will be, let's get you settled in and we can talk further during tea."

"That would be welcomed." Replied Shinji.

"Good." Said the old man and took the lead.

With out a word Shinji followed him, as he walked up the steps Mariko moved to his left.

"It's good that you decided to stay." She said softly.

"I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do." Stated Shinji, turned to his left, looked the suddenly quit, long black hair girl over, and locked his eyes on the sword sheath. "Is that the only weapon you use?"

Mariko gave him a even eye stare. "These weapon is the only honorable way to battle." She focused her attention on the path before her. "I know that many people will use weapons such as the ones you have, but I have a few surprises of my own."

Shinji focused his attention on the path as well. "There isn't much I can say about honor. To me personally I don't know what it means."

"Honor is not some thing that can be explained just like that." Stated Mariko in a even voice. "I can explain it to you but it will take time."

"Perhaps another time when I've dealt with a few of my pressing problems." Said Shinji politely.

With out another word said between them, Mariko and Shinji walked the path, following Tacuos lead to the back of the Shrine where the fairly dissent size home stood hidden.

To be continued….