Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Heaven and Hell ❯ Truth of the Heart ( Chapter 17 )

Manga - Addicts Presents:
Heaven and Hell
Revelations 1:7 - Truth of the Heart

HTML version 16 May 2008

Neon Genesis Evangelion created by, registered, and copyrighted to GAINAX, Project EVA, Movic, and any other company and/or division associated with the creation and/or production of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A.D.Vision holds the copyrights to the English version of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This work of fiction is not intended for any commercial purposes but was created for the entertainment of the Author and Fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

No copyright infringement was in any way intended.

Heaven and Hell written by Jino Turtlegod

M Rating. For mature readers only. Some scenes, themes, language, and situations are not suitable for younger readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Revelations 1:7 - Truth of the Heart

The dark pre-dawn sky began to lighten with the sunrise. Juno stood by the rooftop's parapet. She found the mixture of gray, purple, yellow, red, and orange ... pretty. She shuddered as she took a drag from her cigarette. Pretty was not a word she usually used. But to be truthful, she liked the dawn, it reminded her of Henri's painting which Allen had hung up on his room.

"He would have thought that people will overcome," a blonde boy said as he sat on the roof of the small building that housed the stairwell.

"He always cared. He came here to fight for people he didn't even know. And you know what? He was Catholic and he fought against God, they tend to be fucking fanatics y'know," Juno remarked with a sad, amused smile as she blew out a stream of smoke. The wind on the roof deck pressed the light material of her pajamas to her slim body. "Do you know why I joined up?"

Juno caught the chocolate bar Shitou casually tossed at her. "I was wondering about that," the boy confessed, a smile on his lips.

"Because I hated my bitch of an Aunt," Juno answered. "All I wanted was to get the FUCK out of that SHITHOLE! Not because I wanted to be Humanity's Defender! Not because I wanted to help people! I wanted to get away from that fucking bitchy asshole!" A shudder ran through her body.

Shitou looked down at her.

Juno spat out her cigarette and ground it into the roofdeck with the heels of her sneakers. She sniffed back a sob. "I hate her so much. And damn it, I should stop smoking. Fucking filthy habit, that. She caught me once and whipped me, saying that God would damn me to Hell for being a harlot." Juno shivered and hugged herself at the memory of having a riding crop repeatedly striking her body. "She made me say the Hail Mary while she did it. Over and fucking over again." The dam finally broke and she began to cry.

"Juno?"

Juno sobbed as she felt the arms surround her, the warm body pressed against her back. "please... just hold me..." the girl begged the boy.

"um, I got worried. You're not supposed to leave your room." Allen said. He wondered who she had been talking to since she was alone on the hospital roof when he found her. He felt her weight against him and he decided to sit both of them down on the deck while he could still support their combined weight.

"but the Bitch was wrong... i thought of doing it just to spite her..." Juno whispered as he cradled her against his body, her sobs quieting down. "but i didn't want to make her right."

"Juno? What is it?" Allen was really afraid for Juno. He didn't even know if he was the one she was speaking to or not.

"want to know something?" She had a far away look in her eyes as she gazed into his. Allen nodded, hoping that the accident the previous day had not affected her.

Her hand rose to caress his cheek. "...i'm still a fucking virgin..."

000

The sun was beginning to rise as Shinji slowly walked back to his apartment, his body was tired, his clothes were bedraggled. When the young man finally reached his door he looked at the neat little bullet hole that had taken out his door lock. Without further ado he slid his door open.

"I'm home," he said as he stepped through the doorway. "Hopefully no one's here," Shinji added more quietly as his hand went to the gun under his shirt. He carefully searched his apartment for the intruders; he noted the unwashed dishes in the sink, the wet floor of the bathroom, and the slightly ajar door of his bedroom.

Shinji glanced through the crack of his door. He saw the young woman sleeping on his futon and wearing one of his shirts. "It figures..." Shinji muttered as he holstered his gun and entered his bedroom.

Shinji stood over Asuka's sleeping form. The young woman lay sprawled over the futon; her shirt had several buttons undone - revealing the naked flesh underneath, the sheets were twisted around her legs after being thrown off during her fitful sleep.

Carefully, Shinji reached between Asuka's legs and pulled the blanket over the young woman.

Moments later Shinji went out dragging a blanket and a spare pillow. On his futon, Asuka mumbled as she turned in her sleep.

000

Ritsuko sat in the middle of a tangle of cables and spare keyboards. She leaned back against the towering, battered, metal casing of the last remaining original MAGI unit.

Ritsuko blew out a stream of smoke, the cigarette still stuck to her lower lip.

"They don't know about this little side-project of yours do they?" Misato said as she stepped out of the shadows.

"Shit!" Ritsuko exclaimed as she looked up at her friend. "Is coming out of the shadows a trademark thing for Neo NERV? Personally I think it's a sign of a creepy mind with a penchant for sado-masochistic tendencies."

Misato ignored that comment. "So, do they know?" Misato offered a mug of coffee to her friend, keeping another one for herself.

"If you know, that means that they know beforehand," Ritsuko saw Misato flinch from the insult. "But they haven't stopped me yet. You know why? That's because they've planned this."

Misato carefully cleared a space beside her friend and sat down. "I'm listening."

"Third Impact. We stopped it at its most critical point, before the Messiah of Moses was able to choose... Salvation through destruction. They plan to continue with Third Impact." Ritsuko took a sip of the warm coffee. She grimaced as it became apparent that Misato brewed it herself.

Misato stared into her mug, as if searching for enlightenment within its murky depths. "And you want to stop it?"

"We've placed too much faith in miracles, paradise is a myth. More than five billion died for this war, just because a handful of men decided to play world saviors."

Misato looked at her friend as Ritsuko looked wistfully at the machine they shared the room with.

"Mother and I would try our best to stop them." Ritsuko stood up and laid a hand against the cold metal. She glanced at Misato who was staring hard at the floor. She smiled. Ritsuko knelt down before her friend. "Now, you're the only one who could guard the Children."

Misato's mug shattered on the ground as she covered her face with her hands as Ritsuko slumped over, fallen to her enemies. She cried at betraying her friend.

000

Corrie yawned and stretched as he walked into Central Dogma to begin his day in the admirable profession of protecting Humanity. Or something to that effect. God's in His Heaven, All's right with the World. Or some bull like that.

`Three of the Four have been defeated. The Herald - Rafael, The Warrior - Michael, The Host - Jibril.' He looked down the long corridor. `One more Trial, and then what?'

The huge blast door opened before Corrie, the noise of the wind in the main transit hall was deafening against the relative silence of the corridor he had just came from.

`Destruction or Salvation. Is there a difference?'

The Lieutenant was startled from his thoughts as the escalator he was on neared a walkway that passed over its path. On the walkway, an unknown boy stood. Spiky golden hair was visible under the peaked cap the boy wore. His black oversized school jacket fluttered gently in the breeze. Even at a distance Corrie could see the boy's red eyes, and the golden sparkle of the earring on the boy's left ear. The boy was looking straight at the soldier.

And then Corrie passed under the walkway.

Corrie turned in the escalator to look once more at the walkway. The boy was no longer there.

"Corrie! Good morning!" Lt. Yamazaki greeted as Corrie disembarked from the escalator. "Hey, what's wrong? Looks as if you've seen a ghost."

"Eh? No, it's nothing Takashi," Corrie replied as he walked distractedly past the older man. Lt. Takashi Yamazaki just gave him his usual mischievous fox smile.

And then darkness.

000

Lt. Antoinette St. Croix looked over to Lt. Miyuki Kata. "Hey, Miyuki, are you sure you can handle another shift?"

"Not unless you have a pet lemming that can take my place," Miyuki replied curtly.

Antoinette blinked. Miyuki seemed pissed off. `Is she having...'

“YAWN!” Lt. Hanano Miyazawa greeted her co-workers as entered the control theater. This of course set off a train of yawning all over.

"Don't do that again Lieutenant," Colonel Makoto growled in annoyance at the control officer. Most of the staff were currently on their second straight shift. "Lt. Hayes won't be coming in?"

"Um, yes, Sir. Lt. Takashi Yamazaki just got off double shift and Sgt. Megumi Sadamoto is still in the hospital, so I was the only control officer free to substitute. I just got the call from the Personnel Division about an hour ago and --"

"Lieutenant..." Makoto interrupted the younger woman.

"Um, Sir?"

"Did I really need to know all that?"

"N- No, Sir," Hanano almost whimpered.

"Then go take Lt. Hayes' place."

Lt. Hanano Miyazaki looked sheepish. "I - I can't, Sir."

Makoto almost lost his temper at this point. "Why?"

"I'm trained for Communications and EVA operations, Sir. Not Tactical Operations Support."

" ... " Makoto looked at his choices. Antoinette tried to look indifferent but he could see her excitement. He looked over to Miyuki. He knew the more competent officer had no training for Corrie's duties. Miyuki on the other hand... Well, the woman had actually started pulling her weight these past few days. "Lt. St. Croix, take Lt. Hayes' position." He then fixed her with a glare. "Don't screw up."

"SIR!" Antoinette stood up and saluted smartly. She almost bounced her way to Corrie's workstation while Hanano took hers. She was a bit bothered that everyone was in a foul mood, but of course, she couldn't help but feel delighted at the chance fate had given her. `I wonder why Corrie couldn't make it...'

000

The forest was an inferno. The sky was red as blood. And in the midst of the conflagration lay the bodies of demons, those fallen in the battle that caused the Hell on Earth.

Yuriko saw the lance coming at her head. With a deft flick of her wrist, her EVA brought up its own lance to deflect the enemy weapon. Sparks flew as blade slid against blade, and then the blades were once more separated.

With a scream of fury the young girl drove the shaft of her lance under her opponent's guard, forcing the other EVA to the ground. It will never rise again. Yuri took a step forward as she spun the lance in an overhead move that decapitated her enemy.

"HAH!! Is that all you've got?" the girl challenged.

A mini-screen appeared in front of her. Toji glared at her in annoyance. "Oi, don't be too cocky. We're sending you one more."

"Bring it on!" Yuri cried out in defiance.

Toji smiled at her before he shut off the screen.

Yuri twirled her lance, the progressive edge hummed as it vibrated near the speed of sound. She kept turning, preparing for an attack from any side. "Only one? Come on, don't think so little of me! I've been doing well against four!"

The girl paused, her eyes widening as she felt the AT Field washing against her own. She looked up and screamed in horror at the sight of the blue EVA falling towards her.

"So, how did it feel to get your butt kicked?" Toji laughed boisterously as he ruffled his little sister's damp hair.

"Shut up!" she snarled as she pulled away from her brother. Toji stepped back as droplets of LCL were shaken from the girl's plugsuit. "No fair! Rei is way out of my league!"

"So are the Angels," Rei added, startling the sibling who hadn't noticed her arrival. The blue haired teen was drying the LCL from her hair with a towel. "Pray that you will have no need to fight pilots of your level."

Yuri nodded in understanding. The trio walked towards the elevators.

"Toji, I heard you were getting married," Rei said as the elevator doors opened and the Suzuhara siblings stepped aboard while she stayed behind.

Rei's eyes glanced away from the pair. "Don't lose hope," she said softly. Before Toji could ask her what she meant, the elevator doors closed.

000

He could hear the screams.

Misato's kiss.

Nine white EVAs circling.

The remains of Unit 02.

Spreading his wings.

Rei.

"Shinji."

Was he dreaming? The boy slowly opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar silhouette against the sunlight streaming in through the open door to the balcony. He couldn't see the features but he knew the person.

"Yes?"

"Do remember? Can you tell the lies from the truth? Reality from dreams?"

Shinji thought for a moment. Then slowly he shook his head.

"It will all come back to you," the figure said. "It must."

"Or else, all will be lost," Shinji murmured sleepily.

Blood.

Darkness spreading over the Earth.

Rei.

"Shinji."

Was he dreaming? The boy slowly opened his eyes and saw a familiar silhouette against the sunlight streaming in through the open door to the balcony. He couldn't see the features but he knew the person.

"Asuka..." Shinji tried to sit up but he was pulled back by the pain in his arms. He took note of his body. His hands were handcuffed above his head to the cushioned steel frame of the couch he had slept on.

His eyes widened as the knife Asuka held caught the sunlight. Asuka walked up to him. He could see her face now, the cold look in her eyes. Then the freezing kiss of the knife on his cheek. He tried to hide the terrified look in his eyes but he couldn't close them.

"Don't resist," she said as she knelt on the floor beside the couch he lay on. Shinji felt her warm lips on his.

"I've caught you," the girl whispered as she sat back on her heels. The knife slid down his face, past the trembling knot in his vulnerable neck, and finally rested against the first button of his shirt.

"For a long time I've hated myself, after my rape I couldn't know how anyone could love me." He closed his eyes as the knife sliced off one button.

"I thought that not even you could love me." Another button.

"You're the only one who could possibly love me." A third button.

"You were there after it happened." One more left.

"But I was too messed up to know what I really felt till the day you left." His shirt fell open and he looked up at her eye to eye.

"I was afraid because you might not want me if you knew what really happened." With a deft flick of her wrist Shinji's belt buckle flew from the severed belt.

"But, there's no problem really," an icy glint came into Asuka's sky blue eyes. Shinji gasped as the knife slid between his pants and his skin. "You already took what you wanted!" she hissed as she slashed.

"Asuka... please... don't..." came Shinji's strained voice, he couldn't look at her.

Asuka stood up and looked down at her handiwork. She smiled a cold, soulless smile.

000

Atop the roof of the First Municipal Middle School stood a young man of about seventeen years of age. He had spiky blond hair and a gold cross earring on his left ear. His irises were completely red. Like diluted blood. The parts of his body which were left exposed by his black plugsuit showed that he had pale skin. His black oversized formal school jacket caught the wind and billowed behind him in a theatrical way.

He had a sad, determined look in his eyes, and the line of his lips was grim. He watched as the lights of the city began to come to life as the bright sun died. He watched the arrogant pride of man to fight against the beauty of the night.

He sighed as he took a chocolate bar from the inside of his jacket and slowly unwrapped it.

And Shitou smiled.

000

"I just wanted to visit Mom," Allen nodded towards the monolith.

Santiago smirked. The man's eyes fell upon the white rose he had placed before the memorial.

"You know your mother's name isn't on the memorial."

With lips tightly pressed together, Allen turned on his heels.

Santiago's strong hand grabbed his arm, preventing the boy from leaving. Allen gasped as the man pulled him to his chest. The boy struggled against the strong arms but he was just a child. He wanted to cry in panic as he lost control of the situation.

Then the boy felt it.

Something warm and wet fell on his cheek. Allen's ear was pressed against Santiago's chest and the boy could hear the suppressed sadness within.

And then the boy remembered.

He was a small child. It was in the plaza of some city. He had been to too many of them to remember which one. All he could remember was the fountain and the big church.

He played by the fountain, mesmerized by the ripples made by the cascading water spouting from the statues. His mother sat on a table, reading a book as she watched him play, making sure that he did not get lost in the milling crowds.

He watched as a man sat down beside his mother. The man looked scary. The man was well dressed and looked clean, but the man still looked scary behind the dark glasses he wore. In his child's mind, he knew the man was scary and that he should fear the man.

His mother was surprised and he was about to run towards her when she smiled at him before turning once more to the scary man. He watched as his mother and the scary man talked.

They talked for a long time. Even as a child he knew his mother was sad and angry at the strange man.

Before the man left, he smiled at the child, and for a moment, the man did not feel scary.

The child ran to his mother. "Mommy, who that?"

She smiled at him as she leaned over to kiss him, her wavy brown hair tickled his face. "That was someone I knew a long time ago."

Once more Allen was back in the chapel, held by a man who was nothing more than his Commander. Allen felt his own tears come to his eyes. "Please, let me go," the boy whispered with sadness.

But that was all in the past. It was just the day before, still past is past. All one can do is look towards the future.

Allen adjusted his cap on his head as he walked out of the hospital room. He had a sorrowful, almost longing look on his eyes as he watched the girl sleeping on the bed.

He inhaled to gain strength and then closed the door behind him.

000

Shigeru Aoba strummed his guitar as he looked over to his prisoner. A table separated their seats. It was as if that was all the room contained; two men, the chairs they sat on, the table, the light shining down on them, and the suffocating darkness.

Corrie Hayes looked unperturbed as he held an ice pack to his head. "May we begin, Director?"

"Actually I was just waiting for you," Shigeru set his guitar aside. "Brother Cornelius Hayes."

Corrie blushed in embarrassment which defined his freckles. "Please, just call me Corrie. And I'd rather not remember that I was a priest. I'm no longer worthy of my Faith."

Shigeru just smiled patronizingly. "If you wish. And what does an agent of the Sword of God have to offer NERV Section Two?"

Corrie paled. He had heard of the Director and what he was capable of. But Corrie also had a card up his sleeve, and nothing else to hide or to fear from. Except probably eternal damnation. He regained his composure. "I'm not offering this info to Section Two."

Shigeru just looked at the young man before him and wondered just how much the enemy agent knew. And also if he should just lodge a bullet in Corrie's head and be done with it. He smirked. "Continue."

Corrie took a sidelong glance behind him.

"Don't worry, they're mine."

Corrie took a deep breath to relax himself. "Very well, Director Aoba. But first, I wish to know what your organization can offer me?"

000

"I'm a fuck-up," Misato said as she typed into the computer in her office. Empty cans of beer and cigarette stubs littered her desk. Hacking wasn't her strong point but spending enough time with Ritsuko had taught her a lot. Red signs informed her that she not authorized for the data she was trying to access.

She had played right into their hands. She didn't know who they were yet, but soon she will. For the sake of Ritsuko and her Children.

A beep. The red signs became green. Misato had a feral grin on her lips.

She'll make them pay.

000

Shitou carefully folded the foil wrapper of the chocolate bar. It had been nearly an hour since he finished eating the chocolate. Once the wrapper was a small square of exactly one inch to a side, he tucked it into a pocket.

Shitou took a peaked cap from an inside pocket of his jacket and gravely set it on his head. He ran a finger across the visor.

"It is time."

And a tear fell from his eye.

000

Hikari sat at an outdoor cafe, a happy smile on her face. Two more days and she will be Mrs. Suzuhara. Seven more months, and she will have a baby girl, Maya had said so.

And tonight, she will make love to her fiancé. She blushed at her thoughts. Now if only he'd get here. She knew she was about two hours early for their date but she wanted the night to be special.

She took out her phone, unable to wait. She watched a delivery truck park in front of the café. Hikari frowned as she waited for Toji to answer the phone. The truck was blocking her beautiful view of the lake as it reflected the lights of the stars and the city.

000

Why did she just do that, the girl thought to herself. She wanted him to acknowledge their feelings for each other but instead she had alienated him. Was she crazy? All she wanted was for him to be her own and nobody else's. But was this the way to do it?

"now you hate me," Asuka said in a dead voice as she lay on top of him. Shinji didn't answer as he stared blankly at the ceiling. "please don't hate me," she pleaded as she kissed his sweat drenched chest.

Asuka felt his chest muscles tense and then came the sound of metal snapping. Before she could move, Asuka felt his arms encircle her naked form, pinning her against him. He buried his face in her hair as he cried.

"I'm so sorry Shinji..." Asuka held on to him as if her life depended on it.

And then the white light came.

000

Combined Operations Command

"Yes, Hikari?" Toji greeted cheerfully as he answered his phone. Static greeted him. He looked quizzically at his phone, it's caller ID function still showed Hikari's name. Yuri looked up from her book. Rei stood by the parapet of the observation deck, looking over the bustling activity of the command theater.

The ground shook as sirens sounded.

"N2 EXPLOSIONS IN TOKYO-3!!" Lt. Miyazawa screamed. "MULTIPLE DEVICES!! DAMAGE STILL UNKNOWN!!"

Toji's phone hit the floor after it slipped from his numb fingers. His eyes were wide in pain and shock. His knees gave way as he stared blankly at the main monitor.

"DATA INCOMING-- WHA--?! DATA STREAM INTERRUPTED!!" Everyone looked on in horror as the main map became full of static.

"PATTERN BLUE!" Lt. Miyuki announced. "Logging target as Twenty Second Angel."

"AT Field jamming! All pilots to proceed to their EVAs," Lt. St. Croix directed at Lt. Miyazawa who nodded confirmation. "All ground combat troops on alert! Prepare for terrorist attack!"

Rei and Yuri helped Toji back on his feet and led him by his arms to the hangars. The different department heads in the theater began opening their weapons lockers.

Makoto just looked respectfully at Lt. St. Croix. A few moments ago he had thought that she had gone to sleep.

"Sir?!" Antoinette looked at Makoto for further orders as she began handing out the weapons.

"Deploy the EVAs in the geofront and spread their AT Fields. Find Colonel Katsuragi and have her brought here." Makoto gritted his teeth. The Scrolls were rarely wrong. But they did have a lot of glaring holes.

000

In the Commander's office, Commander Santiago stood over a pile of clothes. He held his bleeding shoulder with one hand while he stared at the gun that lay among the clothes. He knelt down and took a baseball cap from the pile.

The cap dripped amber liquid: LCL.

A pained, haunted look in his eyes.

"Be strong, kid."

The final Trial had begun.

To Be Continued

In the Next Episode of Heaven and Hell:
Rei: The ending has began. A battle rages in the heart of NERV as the Children fight against the darkness within themselves. Heaven and Hell 1:8 - Lies of the Heart.