Disclaimers:

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all related characters, concepts, etc. are Property of ADVision and Gainax. I only *wish* they were mine. This is a "what if" story, so take it as a divergence from the EoE Movie. So, it is an A/U story as well.

**As always, thanks go out to my pre-readers, A.Amishi, Datexan, plus some help from St.Pika!

Great Job A, Tex & Em! I will be updating this in sequence as I'm now concentrating on my three Eva stories to hopefully finish them by Christmas! This is a more character development chapter, more action in the next chappy!

Duo Awakenings

Chapter#7: Stay in Nagoya

A plan is made to travel the length of Honshu, eventually Kyushu Island and Kagoshima.

The group meets with another person emerging from the LCL … with some unusual help!

Arriving in Nagoya

The ex-Nerv survivors took the coastal road from the outskirts of Yokohama to Nagoya, which on a normal day would have been a 4-hour trip by car. But now with the stalled cars on the roads and the approach of an unusual cold snap, it took two days to cover the same distance which meant having to spend a night inside the cab of the pick-up truck.

Though the pick-up truck had a larger than average cab, it was still quite cramped for five people. Because of the weather, they were forced to say in the cab almost all of the time. They even had to sleep in it. Shigreu and Maya slept on the front bench seat in a spooned position, unaware of the former Third Child's discomfort in the back seat. A suffering Shinji, in his discomfort was the last one asleep that night as he felt like a human sandwich. On the back seat, he was sandwiched between Rei and Asuka, with the girls using him as a pillow, much to the young man's embarrassment.

The group made it to Nagoya the next day, and they decided that sleeping in a cramped pick-up truck's king cab was not going to continue, so the group quickly decided on staying in a motel. They found a Japanese style one called the Lines Hotel Miyoshi near the main Transit station in the city center of Nagoya. The rooms were traditionally big as they were shared rooms, so they all slept together in one of these rooms that night. It was decided that they would stay a few more days to re-supply and to find a parts center for their truck. Adding a plow to the front would make traveling the cluttered highways easier.

The rest of the time though allowed them to explore the area around the hotel, which they did happily. Rei stayed within a block of the hotel as the others searched for supplies that would help them on their trip. As the day passed and several trips were done, it seemed that Asuka and Maya had added some new clothes from the abandoned stores in the area. As the shopping spree was going on, Shigreu and Shinji went to the Toyota factory located a few miles north and found the parts they needed to modify the truck. They were only a few miles away at a warehouse near the port area of the city, south of the hotel.

When the two found the shovel kit near the western edge of the port, they also found another traditional hotel nearby where Shigreu and Shinji decided they would move the group to the next day.

The next day they set themselves up in their new hotel quarters as the men took on the job of installing the shovel kit onto the front of their truck. While they did that, Maya reconnected to the portable satellite link back to Tokyo-2. She learned that a few more people had in fact reappeared within the Tokyo-2 area, and more in most of the major cities of Japan. With her knowledge, Maya had easily calibrated the satellite's censors to detect the emergence of a human AT-Field from the LCL. Then she got a surprise as the satellite right above them detected a person emerging from the LCL Sea. Whoever this was, was detected not too far away from them.

"Shigreu, Shinji, Asuka, Rei, come here quick!" Maya shouted out the window of the room they were staying in. The quartet dropped what they were doing and rushed up to the second level room they shared.

"What … what's the matter Maya-chan?" asked an out of breath Shigreu when he reached her; the others were right behind him.

"The satellite's picked up a person emerging from the LCL close to our location." Maya exclaimed.

"Where is the individual located, Maya-san?" Rei asked

"100 meters down the port wall from us… that way!" Maya pointed out the window towards a pier jutting out near the warehouse where the truck equipment was stored.

Without a minute to spare, Shinji, Shigreu, Asuka, and Rei all rushed for the pier to try to help whomever the person was. While they did that Maya shut down her link and got the First-Aid supplies ready.

It took only a few minutes for the group to find the individual, who was spotted first by Rei.

As they neared the new arrival, he seemed to be unconscious. They guessed it was a he as the person looked like a teenage boy. He wore a multi-colored jumpsuit, gloves, and helmet that a person, who raced a vehicle like a car or motorcycle, would wear. The boy's jumpsuit was a blue and white on red. The full body suit was covered with advertisements for off-road bikes and equipment. Shinji figured out that he was a BMX bike racer. He remembered a time when Touji had shown him some BMX magazines showing these riders on of all things Bicycles making amazing jumps in the air and terrifying runs down steep hills. "He's a BMXer. A guy who rides Bikes in off road races." They all nodded in understanding, though Shinji had a forlorned look, as he wondered what fate Touji had now.

As they neared him, he was unconscious as they checked him for any abnormalities and then all four helped pick him up and they took him back to the hotel room where they were staying. They knew Maya would be ready with any basic medical help the boy would need.

As they carried him he kept mumbling something. Rei was the first to catch it. He was mumbling a name … "Skuld… Skuld where are you?"

A survivor … found

Sentaro Kawanishi was in a place that didn't feel real. More like a dream world where he was racing through the most gnarly gravity defying terrain doing jumps and wheelie's and even loop de loops with his BMX bike. To put it mildly, he was happy, very happy to finally being able to do what he loved doing, biking off road, and doing the most amazing things with a bike.

The Biker knew his friend, the girl who was watching his every move with keen interest, well more than a friend, Skuld (Goddess 2nd class Unlimited) sat a bit off watching him do his almost impossible tricks with his bike. She smiled, yet he saw a single tear slowly make its way down her young and pure face. Skuld wiped her face and waited for Sentaro to finish his latest run. She called the high-flying Sentaro over to where she was sitting.

Having just completed some very complex aerial moves with his bike, he set it down a few feet from her and smiled as he walked towards her. 'God, is it me, or is she becoming more beautiful by the minute,' Sentaro thought. Skuld sighed as she could read his thoughts easily in this place. He saw a fleeting look of anguish … that was gone just as suddenly as it had arrived.

Her smile returned as she stood up to greet him. She commented, to him, "You are getting better Sen-chan." He just smiled that shy smile of his and then she gave … a brilliant smile back, then Skuld did something that floored his soul and whatever else he had thought of as normal.

Skuld hugged him and with teary eyes looked up at his now startled face. Sentaro froze as she kissed him lightly on the lips still crying tears of anguish. After a few moments, they broke the kiss and he rubbed the tears off her pretty face with his thumbs trying to calm her down. But, after a few moments it was obvious that she was upset about something far more important.

Skuld looked at him intensely then with a deep sigh she said, "By Kami-sama's order you Sentaro Kawanishi have been given a new lease on a human life." She croaked out the next sentence. "I wish you, my friend … my love, a good life."

Then, as he started to vanish he reached out with a now transparent hand phasing through her saying, "Skuld-chan … why?" His eyes pleading as they and the rest of him vanished. His final coherent look was of a beautiful teary-eyed face crying out his name, her arms outstretched and reaching out to his fading form.

Sentaro Kawanishi then felt nothing, just a stillness and in an utter black void.

Skuld collapsed on the floor and wept loud, wrenching wails of sorrow, her soulmate was gone, her love was now going back to a desolate Earth … without her. She shouted, "SENTARO!"

Then like hitting a brick wall with his bike at 50 miles and hour Sentaro Kawanishi was startled awake in an unfamiliar room, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. He looked around to see where he was and it looked like a traditional Japanese hostel's communal room. He then saw a girl next to him, with short brown hair and the deepest greenest eyes he had ever seen. Those eyes it seemed to him almost sucked him in. For a second another face superimposed on the first with black hair framing a bright complexion and large brown inquisitive eyes overlapped the green. As the teenaged boy groggily looked at this composite girl in front of him, a voice slowly gained his attention.

"Are you all right?" the composite faded to just one as he dully stared at her. He finally nodded and the brown haired girl silently got up and went to the door of the room. She then quietly talked to someone outside of the room's sliding door then she shut it and returned to his side.

Sentaro looks at her again and finally is able to speak. "Miss, where am I, and who are you?"

"You are in the port area of Nagoya, I am Rei Ikari." She answered succinctly and steadily.

"I'm Sentaro … Sentaro Kawanishi. Where am I?" Sentaro asked

"As I said earlier, in Nagoya. I assume as you returned from the LCL Sea for a purpose." Rei replied.

"Wait return from what? What is LCL?" Sentaro was getting apprehensive.

Rei then went into a few minutes explanation of what LCL was, and how people's souls now existed within it. Sentaro then raised his hand to stop her explanation and asked, "Ok I understand that … I think. But I want to know how I can get back to my friends at Nekomi Tech."

"Nekomi Tech? An Institute? I am unfamiliar with that one. Many Schools in coastal cities were submerged under the water by sometimes as much as 60 feet due to the cataclysms of Second Impact." The answer seemed to stun the boy into silence. As he now sat up quietly, and he didn't answer, Rei stoically sat waiting for him to answer, it soon came rather loudly.

"Second Impact! I don't understand?" said the now bewildered boy. He was now confused and a bit scared. Rei seeing this, then gave a condensed version of the events leading up to Second Impact, the various conflicts and riots that followed, and concluded with an abbreviated explanation of the Angel Wars and the thwarting of the Third Impact. This was becoming too much for the boy.

Sentaro looked stunned. "So …so the world that I knew …"

"…is gone. We are some of the last survivors that are left on Earth." Rei replied, though with a slight hesitancy as though she realized the actual predicament they all now shared.

"You mean you and me are the only ones…" He asked. She shook her head.

"My brother and three others are with us." She replied emotionlessly.

"So where are they, why aren't they here?" He wanted to see who these people were and what they were doing. Sentaro was thinking, 'Maybe she' not telling me the truth. But why would she? Maybe she's a stalker, like that book from Steven King, Oh, man I have to stop reading those American horror stories.' He was starting to disbelieve her story.

"They are scavenging for food supplies and parts to repair our vehicle. I volunteered to take care of you until they return." Rei was becoming annoyed with this boy, yet it seemed a minor annoyance, not something, which would normally bother Rei. But Rei was human now.

"Then who did you talk to a little while ago?" Sentaro was becoming more and more annoyed himself with the girls' vague answers and her tone of voice.

"Maya-san, she is in charge of our communications and first aid. She was the one who treated you when we had found you." Rei answered in her monotone voice, yet it seemed a slight quiver was now there. Was this boy affecting her somehow? He was still in his racing suit and it left as little to the imagination as her plug-suit. She glanced at him several more times. Strange ideas appeared in her head when Sentaro startled her out of her thoughts.

"So you're a military unit?" 'Oh, great' thought Sentaro, 'I'm in a real life Blue Gender like world, except the Blue are already gone, leaving just the utter devastation!'

"No, we were a part of an organization called Nerv which was a part of the UN that fought the Angels I had mentioned previously." Rei saw his face becoming more rigid. She was not amused. Rei now knew he did not believe her.

"Ok, your group was a part of Nerv. So were is the rest of the population?" He was now clearly frustrated and becoming more so.

"Still in the LCL." There she said it, clear and to the point. Now she would observe how he reacts.

He simply didn't believe her. "Well, you can understand I'm having a hard time believing this? I mean for all I know you're a crazed obsessed BMX fan of mine trying to kidnap…"

Rei held her hand up to stop his comment. "Why would I be a fan of yours? I have never met you until this morning when you emerged from the LCL. Nor am I a "fan" of this BMX sport you are talking about." Nope Rei was not amused at all. This boy was aggravating.

"Now see here, I don't even know what this LCL is!" 'Who the heck does this chick think she is?' Sentaro thought angrily, maybe she is a stalker!

"Did I not explain that to you? Are you sure you are coherent?" Now Rei, the normally stoic emotionless girl was … miffed. And it showed there was a more stern tone to her speech. 'This boy is … a pain, no he doesn't believe me. He was from a time where the Evangelions and cloning humans is still not a reality.' Rei was jolted from her thoughts by Sentaro's next statement.

"I'm just fine, thank you, now if you don't mind I'll just be on my way." Sentaro gets up and walks out of the room leaving a perturbed Rei. He goes by a closed room on his way down the hall. It is obvious that they are on an upper floor of the hotel as he turns the corner to see a picture window on one side of the hallway. There he has an expansive view of Nagoya proper.

At first he sees a few buildings he recognized from ads on TV and his early childhood. But then he realizes something. Streets with no traffic in them, except now clearly abandoned cars and trucks. Papers of varying types and sizes strung all over the streets as if not being touched for days possibly even weeks. Then he got a chill down his spine, as he noticed that there were no people walking the sidewalks, just some funny looking stains on the concrete and loose clothing everywhere. It was obvious now that the city was now a huge ghost town.

Somehow he knew Rei was now standing next to him. He didn't glance towards her instead he speaks, "Where … where are all the people?" A hesitant Sentaro turns towards Rei who was looking out the window as well.

"Do you desire more proof?" She looked at him with a stern stare. He nodded and she led him down the stairs nearby to the ground floor of the hotel. They then turned towards the pier opposite the hotel and she leads him onto it. They end up at the edge of the pier and she points out the slick red ribbon of sea below. Then she points up to a thin ribbon of red right above their heads hanging there in the sky from horizon to horizon. "That is LCL, the essence of all souls without a body to hold it." She could have gone into more detail. But she knew Sentaro wouldn't have understood.

Sentaro simply stares for a few minutes, frozen, slowly digesting all that Rei had told him before. Then it occurs to him. 'The people… are gone, well at least in the physical sense.' Sentaro said to himself. Then he noticed that some of the cars looked different that the ones he was used to. Playing a hunch Sentaro asks, "Ikari-san what year is it?"

"It is the year 2015. Why do you ask?" This caught Rei's attention.

Sentaro looked down on his now clasped hands, wondering aloud. "Ikari-san, my last memories were … in the year 2000."

Rei raised one of her eyebrows. "Your last memories are of the past?" 'That would mean he's not one of those who died during Third Impact, he died … during the Second Impact!' Rei was surprised and now very curious.

Sentaro grabbed his head his fingers pulling at his hair. "Oh Gods, this has to be a bad dream, a nightmare, it just has to be." Sentaro slides down the wood of the side of the pier and continues to mumble to himself as he now sits on the pier's floor ignoring Rei standing next to him. She looks down at him and is puzzled at the actions of the boy.

Rei remembers that some people go into shock when they cannot accept the reality of their situation. Being fifteen years ahead of where he had been was traumatic.

Rei then decides to bring him out of his shock. She kneels and puts her hands on Sentaro's shoulders shaking them and saying, " Kawanishi-san Please look at me … look at me."(Said more forcefully this time) Finally after a few more shakes from Rei, Sentaro does just as she said, and a now concerned face greeted his gaze. The he sees those intense green eyes again and zones out for a few moments, thinking again of those soulful brown eyes in his memories. Further shaking of his shoulders eventually brings him out of his stupor.

"Oh Rei-san, I spaced out a bit there, sorry." She ignored the more intimate use of her name and stopped shaking the youth, though she leaves her hands on his shoulders.

"You were overwhelmed by our current situation, it was … understandable." He finally shakes his head trying to vanquish the cobwebs of confusion out of his mind.

Rei turns to face Sentaro. She points to the truck. "That is my brother Shinji Ikari." The truck stops and Rei introduces Shigreu and Shinji to a bewildered Sentaro. After that they all make their way towards the front of the hotel

A Heavenly Conversation

Asuka returned a short while later with some more supplies, mainly clothing for Sentaro. They then walked back into the hotel not only to inform Sentaro of his and their situation, but also to figure out if he knew why he, a person dead since the Second Impact, had been revived fifteen years later.

Sentaro himself seemed to feel he was somewhere during that fifteen-year time gap but had no knowledge of it. Maya then asked, "Where do you come from?"

"I lived near Nekomi Tech." Sentaro answered quietly.

"You do know that University's underwater now, since the Second Impact." Shigreu added.

Sentaro remembered his previous conversation with Rei. She looked back at him with a small look of concern. He simply sighed. "Then everybody's gone. Yet … I remember a girl who was with me … even after I …died."

"Wait, you remember after you died? But that's … impossible." Asuka stated in disbelief.

"And you don't know who she was or where you were?" Shinji asked. Sentaro shook his head no and sat silently.

Well we can discuss this later I am hungry now. Can we get some lunch ready love?" Shigreu asked the woman whose hand he held in his. Maya simply nodded and motioned for the group to follow her to have some lunch.

"Ok how's Chicken Teriyaki sound to you all? Asked Maya to which they all nodded.

So they retired for lunch and set up Sentaro with food and provisions. They made it clear to him where they were going and after a few minutes of thinking; Sentaro's asked to join them, but he had only one request; to stop near where Nekomi Tech was or rather, used to be located. He wanted to see what was left, and for himself to say his good byes to those who were now gone.

Sentaro was still perplexed as to why he came back and, after a later conversation with the group, thought to himself, 'why did all things in this world go so wrong.'

As this occupied the mind of the newest group member, the one who he awoke to was also perplexed. Rei Ikari had been having what could be called premonitions about going to sleep.

The thought of something-important happening in her sleep seemed to unnerve the normally levelheaded girl.

As she was finishing her dinner, a vision of a girl maybe a few years younger than her with a mallet smashing what looked like six legged rabbits perplexed her. She shook her head as Sentaro had done before. Then she saw Sentaro himself riding a small bicycle through an off road course, making turns and leaps she hadn't seen before. Then they vanished as she found herself walking toward the others. Rei was confused.

These thoughts occupied Rei as the group of six had gathered on the hotel's balcony with a view of the quiet city. Shigreu had his arm around Maya's shoulder, with her leaning towards him. Asuka and Shinji were also next to each other, though shoulder to shoulder with their hands entwined. Rei stood next to Shinji, while Sentaro was on the other side of the group, next to Maya.

As Asuka kissed Shinji and left to get their bed ready, Shinji noticed the odd look on Rei's face and asked her, "Rei what's wrong, you seem distracted."

She looked at her brother's concerned face and replied, "I seem to have a premonition that something important will happen while I sleep tonight. Is that a normal occurrence brother?"

Scratching his head Shinji said, "No, not really but I wouldn't worry too much over it Rei. You will be with us in the hotel room so I don't see any harm coming from a…"

"No, Shinji-kun, I don't feel threatened … just uneasy at what might occur." Rei's stated.

"So you're not afraid, just uneasy?" He asked as she nodded. "Well I have felt that way many times, and I tried to fight going to sleep…"

"What happened?"

"I fell asleep anyway, but nothing bad happened." Shinji sounded rather sheepish about admitting it and Rei found solace in his trust in admitting it.

"Tell you what, you sleep next to me and Asuka, and if you want to talk about it then wake us up. I'm sure we can help you sort it out." Shinji smiled at her, placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.

Rei nodded once. "All right, brother I will not worry." Shinji smiled and patted his shoulder affectionately, and then they both headed to bed.

That night, in the common room, the couples were sleeping together as Rei and Sentaro were sleeping near each couple. Sentaro near Maya and Shigreu, while Rei slept next to Shinji, who had Asuka in his arms. As they all slept a certain Goddess made herself known to a former Angel in her mind and thoughts.

So as Rei Ikari dreamed,

So as Rei Ikari dreamed, she found herself in of all things a Buddhist shrine. With some living quarters right next to it. It seemed well kept but without anyone there. From what she knew, all shrines have at least a caretaker who either lives on the shrine grounds or lives nearby.

As she walked the grounds of the shrine she made her way towards the house. She searched it and found it equally abandoned. She was making her way out of the home when a voice to the right called her.

"Rei Ayanami, I want to talk to you." The feminine voice said within Rei's dream.

"Who are you?" Asked the former Eva pilot. She saw in front of her the same girl in her vision, but now seemingly her age. She was sitting on the porch of the home facing the shrine. She motioned for Rei to come and sit beside her. Rei thought for a minute then made her way to the porch.

"My name is Skuld Goddess 2nd class Unlimited; you were Rei Ayanami, now Rei Ikari."

Rei was a bit disturbed. How can this entity, this vision know about her? "A Goddess? Are you related to the Angels that attacked Tokyo-3?" Rei asked the now visibly teenage looking Goddess in her dream world.

"No, they are separate from us, but they were created by Kami-sama for their predestined purpose." Skuld then smiled warmly at Rei. "Even you and your previous life was predestined Rei Ayanami." The Black haired Goddess stated with a rye smile on her face.

Rei had a darkened look as she said more sternly, "I am human now, I am Rei Ikari." She looked down for a few moments then looked back up to the other girl. She then realized something, "Was that also predestined?" The former half-Angel asked the heavenly entity.

The Goddess had a more inquisitive looked on her face. "That was a decision made due to your brother's wish for you. He wanted you to be given the chance to live a human life. Kami-sama simply chose to grant that wish, as was his prerogative to do so." The Goddess gave Rei a warm gaze.

Rei nodded. "What is it you want of me?"

Skuld realized Rei wasn't interested in small talk. "Sentaro Kawanishi is now with you, is that right?" Rei flashed a concerned look on her face but went back to her emotionless mask almost instantly. But … Skuld caught it.

"Yes, he emerged from the LCL next to the pier wall earlier in the day." Rei waited intently for Skuld's answer

Skuld then looked down to her now clasp hands and Rei noticed a slight hesitation in the body language of the Goddess. It was confirmed by the slightly anguished look the Goddess had on her face. "Sentaro, was my friend. He and I lived near Nekomi Tech and he died when the seas and earthquakes hit the region during Second Impact, 15 years ago." She then hesitated again. "He … died in my arms." Rei noticed two tears make their way down Skuld's face travelling over the marks on her cheeks and dropping to her glowing garments gathered now on her lap.

"H … he … had been with me in Limbo these last 15 years which he now has no memory of."

Rei sympathized and nodded at their Goddesses anguish. But she wanted more information.

She finally had something she wanted answers for, plus it got the subject changed, which she thought would calm the Goddess. "What is Limbo?" Rei asked. 'Was what she had been told of heaven and hell wrong?' Then she remembered Commander Ikari told her 'That was of no consequence.' Another lie from her former father figure. She put these thoughts aside as she listened for Skuld's answer. Skuld though read her thoughts and also put those thoughts away for a later conversation. This was a very unique girl. She then returned with her answer.

"It is a place where a soul, a spirit waits to either ascend to what you call heaven, or descend to the other place called hell." Skuld saw Rei's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

'A place of waiting until you go to either heaven or hell. I'll have to talk to Shinji about this.' Rei thought. She then asked, "But … why was Sentaro … Kawanishi-kun returned back here to Earth?" Rei was now curious at the reasons behind Sentaro's rebirth. Skuld caught the gaff, but continued on.

"That was due to the fact that he was not supposed to have died when he did." Skuld answered now in more control of herself. Still, she remembered arguing with her father, the Kami-sama who also knew of his daughter's feelings for this boy, but even after a heated discussion, Skuld could not change his mind. She had broke down and cried then as she was losing her soulmate. But she didn't dare allow Rei to know that. So she put her memories away and continued her discussion.

"A mistake?" Rei said

"An error, in our system." Skuld replied, she sighed, then continued. "That same system deemed him eligible for Reintroduction."

"So that is why he appeared from the LCL." Rei nodded now understanding the situation.

"It was a convenient way to reintroduce him back to earth." Then it occurred to Rei why Skuld was talking to her. Her mannerisms and actions were clear. She had mentioned that she knew Sentaro and that her questions showed Rei that Skuld seemed to care for him. Now all the pieces fell into place.

"You have feelings for Kawanishi-kun?" Rei stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes … he … he died on my arms, his body crushed by a falling building. I was there and not allowed to do anything because our system and our rules had not allowed it. All I could do was hold him, comfort him, as his life, his soul left him, and I was not allowed to do anything. A powerful Goddess like me not able to do anything" Skuld was sobbing now her arms encircling her knees. Her head lying in them.

Rei hesitantly put an arm around the crying Goddess's shoulders, Skuld instinctively laid her head on Rei's shoulder Latched on to her waist with both her arms and cried. Rei was taken back by the Physical contact. Even if they were in her dream she was a bit stiff at first. Then she calmed down and tightened her hold on Skuld's shoulders. After a few more minutes Skuld regained her composure and thanked Rei for her kindness, Rei simply nodded in return.

As the Goddess calmed Rei asked again, "What is it you want of me?"

Skuld sighed, "I cannot return to Earth now that I'm a Wish-Goddess assigned to a different dimension, on a different Earth." She then looked at Rei intently. "I will await him when his life ends, but he will need someone to be his friend … while he is alive here on Earth."

Rei looked perplexed. She was not clear on what the Goddess had insinuated, then something dawned in her mind. "Are you designating me for that purpose?" Rei had a look not many people would have ever though she would have, Surprise!

Skuld now had the stoic demeanor as she said, "Is it not your brother's wish for you to live a full and happy life, Rei Ikari?" The implication now was clear.

She looked down in concentration then replied "That is his wish for me."

Skuld continued, "And what do humans do in their lives?"

Rei thought a bit then answered in her usual manner. "They survive, form relationships of various types and try to make a difference on themselves and others." Skuld was smiling a satisfied smile though a twinge of regret was also there." I simply want him to have friend again, since those he had before are all gone. I would have thought someone who had gotten a second chance at a life would be a good friend for Sentaro who also got the same second chance."

Rei sighed and nodded "I understand, I will promise to become his friend."

Skuld smirked, "As long as you can be his friend I will be forever grateful, Rei Ikari. Rei nodded then noticed the name change from the Goddess.

"Well I'd better let you rest some before you wake up." And Skuld and their surroundings began to fade away. But Rei raised her hand stopping the Goddess.

"Skuld-san, you said that you grant wishes?" Skuld nodded.

"To those who deserve one, yes." Skuld was thinking, 'Now why did she ask me that?'

"Will I deserve one?" Rei said with a hint of sadness in her eyes as though she would get a negative answer.

Skuld giggled and smiled at the slightly surprised girl. "The way you're going, I'd say so." The smiling Goddess said as she faded from Rei's mind.

Trapped!

As the week drew to a close in the deserted city of Nagoya, the group made plans to head towards Kobe, Okayama and Hiroshima with their final destination of Kagoshima on Kyushu Island.

They would follow the Shinkansen Highway, which ran down the middle of Japan itself until they reached Kobe. From there they would cross Osaka Bay, and the inland sea to reach the Island of Shikoku, cross it in a few days and again cross the sea to Kyushu where their final Destination of Kagoshima was located on it's southern end.

But, just before they were ready to leave a sudden rainstorm similar to a mini-typhoon hit the area. They had to evacuate inland away from the sea and the port hotel they were staying.

They eventually made their way to an abandoned military base on the outskirts of Nagoya. It was there that the first real danger since the Tokyo-2 incident took place.

Even though they were provisioned for most things, the storm caught them without fresh bottled water. Even though a gailing storm was pounding the area, Shigreu decided that he would go out to find some fresh water. He had remembered seeing a water bottling plant located near by the road they had been on. So he volunteered to go, but Maya was not happy about it and made some clear protest. But then something unexpected happened, as they argued Asuka asked to go as well mainly to be a second pair of eyes as Shigreu would have a tough time driving through the torrential rains.

Now Shinji was clearly not happy. Normally Shinji would go with Shigreu on any scouting expedition and everyone had accepted that. But Asuka pointed out that other than Maya, Shinji was the most experienced person in survival training, and had to stay to protect the group while they were gone. Especially now with an inexperienced Sentaro with them.

After several minutes of loud vocal debate, and some heated discussion from Maya and Shinji the group reluctantly agreed to let the two go. Sentaro watched the whole thing like an invisible viewer, taking in all the arguments and dramatics as he sat next to Rei as the discussion took place.

The ex-BMXer was slowly integrating into the group with his knowledge of the areas highways and terrain, (He had grown up in Nagoya before he moved and found his friends at Nekomi Tech) he was a great source of knowledge for them all.

As this was going on Sentaro was still having a hard time thinking that his friends were gone. Here he was in the future a devastated one at that, now with a small group of survivors in a typhoon. Plus he had a nagging feeling that some of his memories were missing. Sort of like voids within his head. Yet it seemed to not bother him much.

One clear memory was of a face, a cute smiling face of a girl with long black raven hair and three droplets shaped marks on her forehead and cheeks. She looked at him at first with a cheerful happy smile, but morphed into a crying grieving look just before darkness claimed him. "Skuld." He whispered silently, but not quite soft enough.

"What did you say?" Rei Asked knowing clearly what he had said.

Sentaro smiled weakly and replied. "I remembered … a girl. Her name was … Skuld just before…"

"…Darkness claimed you?" Rei replied completing his line.

A surprised Sentaro asked, "How … did you know?" perplexed at Rei's answer.

"Do you remember our earlier discussion about LCL?" She said calmly.

"Yeah, I remember. So what does that have to do with your comment?" Sentaro was now curious.

Rei sighed. That in itself signified that emotions now welling up in her new human form were starting to affect how Rei interacted with others. She looked at her make companion

"I will explain something to you about my role in the Angel Wars then you will understand." Sentaro nodded as Rei began her explanation.

Meanwhile some three miles back towards Nagoya, Shigreu and Asuka were heading into the water bottling plant to fetch several crates of fresh water. As the storm raged around them the temperature slowly began to drop and the rain slowly turned to sleet. Though they were inside of the plant's warehouse many vents and windows were open, letting in the water and the dropping temperature. This hampered the loading of the borrowed Army truck as Asuka and Shigreu struggled with about 20 crates of bottled water they were loading into the back covered bed of the truck.

After a half-hour they had completed their task and were heading back when a rumbling sound came from one side of the highway they were on. The road itself was on the side of a steep mountain and the noise was heard from above them. Shigreu rolled down his window which drenched him as he stuck his head out to see what was making all the noise. What he saw was a terrifying site.

A wall of mud, stone, seemingly half the mountainside was racing down the mountain … towards them.

He barely had time to swing the truck around so the back of the truck would take the initial hit from the mudslide. He then grabbed a startled Asuka and laid her flat to the bench seat in the truck cab then laid on top of her to shield her from what was about to hit them from behind. Asuka didn't protest as she had seen the wall of mud and stone heading their way, as she was forcibly ducked down on to the flat seat. They had forgotten to secure the back flaps and she saw that wall of earth coming. She simply prayed that she would see Shinji again in this world, while Shigreu thought to himself. 'I'm sorry Maya I should have listened to you, I love you!' then all noise to them stopped. With that a 10-foot high 40-foot wide wall of mud, stone, and trees hit the highway and their truck like a Pistron rifle discharge

Chapter#8: Remembrance and Prayer

Will they make it out alive, or will nature take away their second chance at life?

Author's Notes: It seems some do not like the choice of Sentaro in becoming the 6th survivor in this story. Though he is a minor character on OMG it seems he has his critics as well as his supporters. Either way he will stay in this story and grow as will the other characters and hopefully be the better for it.

Oh, and Thanks Steve Vader on pointing out a big flub now fixed!

Thanks all of you for reading this and hopefully future chapters of this story.

Watch for an update on my other stories soon.

dennisud