Evangelion Fanfiction

By Otaku D-Man

Standard Disclaimer.

Refer Chapter the First

Author's Pre-Rant -

Who would have thought having the main protagonist shot by the Bastard King and ending on a cliffhanger would prompt such frenzied responses. Hopefully no one is offended by the dark turn of events but I have tried to warn you.

Insight and Understanding

Chapter the Twelfth - Thinking About Life

Katsuragi/Ikari/Sohryu/Ayanami Residence

"Shinji is at Headquarters?" Rei had emerged from her room expecting to greet her date for tonight's festivities, only to discover he had not arrived with Touji Suzuhara and the limousine.

"That's right Wonder Girl. Baka Shinji got called in to see that bastard he calls his father." Asuka was not enjoying herself so far. Firstly the jock had turned up and had his filthy paws all over Hikari. Now her night was practically ruined with the unforseen absence of Shinji Ikari. "I can't believe Baka Shinji's going to stand me up on our first real date. Me! Asuka Langley Sohryu."

Rei tilted her head slightly and stared quizzically at the Second Children. "You are mistaken Pilot Sohryu. Shinji is my date. He agreed to accompany me tonight."

Touji slapped his hand over his eyes. "Oh Crap."

"What did you just say Wonder Girl?" Asuka's eyes narrowed to thin slits as she stared menacingly at the First Children.

"I asked Shinji to be my partner and he agreed. We will exchange vows tonight at midnight." <Although I have yet to discuss this with Shinji, I am certain he will comply.> "From what I can understand, this will guarantee our future happiness together." Rei spoke slightly louder, wondering if perhaps the fiery red head had developed a hearing impairment.

"What's Ayanami talking about? Asuka, I thought you said Shinji was going to the dance with you?" Hikari noticed how her friend was reacting to her perceived rival's statement. Not to well at all.

"What sort of game are you playing at First? Shinji is 'My' date tonight Wonder Girl. Baka Shinji is 'Mine'. If he's going to exchange anything with anyone, it's going to be me." Asuka turned on Hikari and Touji. "Talk now stooge. What the hell is going on?"

Touji considered his options before actually talking, a rare thing indeed. "The short version is this. Ayanami asked him, he said yes. You then grabbed him and told him he was going with you. He kind of agreed to that as well."

"So in fact Shinji originally agreed to go with Ayanami?" Hikari whispered the words. <Oh no. Asuka! I'm so sorry.>

"No one at HQ has seen Shinji. Section 2 have closed ranks and I can't get in touch with either the Commander, Sub-Commander or Ritsuko. Have fun at the dance guys, I'll head into work to find Shin-chan. Once I have him, I'll drop him off at the school, okay." Misato rushed into the living room putting on her red command jacket.

"Ahhhrrrggg! Baka Shinji. This is all your fault, I just know it." Asuka glared at Misato as she began to leave. "You knew about this didn't you Misato. About the Baka's betrayal."

Misato smiled at the angry young woman. "Yes. I kind of thought you girls would have been able to get the truth out of him by now. That or he would have confessed. What really amazed me was that Shinji managed to fool the both of you with a completely different truth."

"So Shinji has seen you naked Misato-san?" Rei's statement caused Touji to lose his footing and fall to the floor, a slight trail of blood running from his nose.

"That bastard. He never said anything about that." Touji's fantasy of a naked Misato was disturbed as Hikari planted her fist on the top of his head.

"On a number of occasions. We seem to run into each other in the bath so often these days. But then we have lived together for quite some time now." Misato smiled quite innocently while her eyes spoke of something far from innocent.

"Please retrieve Shinji as soon as you can Misato-san. He has much explaining to do." Even though Misato still had difficulty in reading Rei, the young woman's voice left little to the imagination on her current emotional state.

***

Terminal Dogma

Gendou stood over the bleeding form of the boy. Perhaps once he considered the child his son. But those days were long since gone, if they had ever existed in the first place. Holding his right hand out over the Third Children, he stared down at the young Pilot's feeble attempts to move. Glancing to his feet he saw what it was that had Shinji's attention. Gendou snorted in amusement at the futility of his trying to rescue the delicate corsages that Gendou now stood upon.

<Pathetic to the end Third Children.>

Gendou gripped his wrist and focused on his right hand, on the entity grafted into the palm.

<You should have died that day. Instead She took you into Unit 01 to protect you. But the core can only support one soul. Yui had bound herself to its purpose and could not free herself unless someone else took her place. But she sent you back.> Gendou's dark thoughts prompted a small smile.

<In doing so, Yui provided me with the opportunity I would require.>

Gendou grimaced in pain as his flesh began to bubble and melt around the embryo of Adam. With surprising ease the shrunken state of the first Angel freed itself from its confinement and slowly drifted towards the crimson stained form below.

<The corsages…… For Rei……. For Asuka……..Father……Please…..> Shinji continued to struggle to reach for the now crushed flowers. His mind focusing on that one simple concept. All to no avail. His body had already progressed into the early stages of shock. The damage wrought by a single piece of metal would do what all the Angels had been unable to accomplish.

<I guess…….. I'm………dying.> Shinji watched his father. Hoping to see something of the man his mother had fallen in love with. Something that would explain why he had ever bothered to have a child that he didn't seem to want. He could only see the face of a man who had slipped from the edge of obsession into the darkness of madness. Shinji saw no reason to continue on. He would die. Accepting his fate, his mind wandered to more trivial things. <Have….. to buy …..the suit…… now.> Experience had taught him that blood was notoriously difficult to remove from clothing. His musings over how he would explain this to Misato were interrupted by the approach of a small fleshy object floating slowly towards him. <What?> Even with his senses dulled by injury, his body began to itch with its continued approach.

<<mine>>

Shinji's eyes flicked around, searching for the origin of the voice.

<<Mine.>>

Stronger this time. The voice sounded familiar. Very familiar. The embryo came to a halt as it touched his chest, above his heart.

<<!!!!!MINE!!!!!>>

He couldn't be sure when it began. One minute he was lying in a pool of his own blood, waiting to bleed to death or for his father to finish what he started. The next he was screaming like he had never done so before in his life. His throat felt as if it was tearing apart with the force of his cries as a body, numb and on the verge of death, bucked and arced as wave after wave of pure agony swept through it. Pain so intense it crushed everything in its path.

Gendou watched with detached interest as the boy at his feet screamed and writhed on the floor. <Soon Yui.>

***

Tokyo-3 MunicipalHigh School

"I can't believe Shinji did this to me." Asuka idly stabbed another bread roll with her knife. The effigy of another Shinji Ikari pleaded for mercy as it was carved open.

Rei glanced at the irritating presence sitting beside her and considered her options. <Shinji is not here. Why am I here if he is not? Pilot Sohryu's constant noise is becoming bothersome.> Rei allowed her thoughts to drift from her present, unpleasant situation to contemplate things considerably more pleasant. <I could be with Shinji instead of being here with her.>

"Hey Sohryu, is Ayanami you're date for tonight? I didn't know you two were such 'Good' friends!" Asuka turned towards the crowd trying to isolate the individual who had made the remark.

"Who said that? If you're man enough you'll say it to my face Arshloch!" Asuka waited while people watched on in general amusement. "Coward."

"Pilot Sohryu." Rei's gentle voice distracted Asuka's seething temper for a moment.

"What is it this time First Children? I'm trying to find the dead man in the crowd."

"Why would they make such a statement?" The thought of engaging in such a relationship with the Second Children almost nauseated her. <It is bad enough that she claims Shinji as her own.>

"Were you raised in a box First? Never heard of irony? Sarcasm? Schiesse, I'm getting a drink." Asuka stood up and left the table where their little group was allocated and left for the bar, hoping it had more than soda or tea on the menu. <Where the hell are you Baka?>

***

Central Dogma

"What do you mean no one's seen him, I have an eyewitness that can verify that Shinji was collected by two agents from Section 2." Misato's hand twitched dangerously near her holstered firearm.

"Sorry Major Katsuragi. I've checked and re-checked. No record of the Third Children being here right now shows up in our logs. Have you tried contacting Section 2. Perhaps they can " The young sergeant suddenly found himself talking to thin air as Misato Katsuragi quickly stalked away.

"Damn bureaucratic red tape. One of the most important people on the planet and no one can tell me where he is. What would happen if an Angel decided to show up?" Misato quickly grabbed her cell phone. "Houyga-kun. Start digging through the security archives for the last few hours. Look for anything that shows Shinji." Misato paused as she listened to the young lieutenant. "I've already tried Ritsuko and Maya. I can't find either of them. Let me know as soon as you have something." Misato returned her cell phone and continued her way to begin the whole process again with the desk jockey in charge of Section 2. <If the next bastard tries to give me the run-around, I swear I'll shoot him.>

***

Terminal Dogma

"Gendou, what have you done?" Ritsuko came to a sudden halt. Her desire for secrecy was ruined by her shock at the sight of a near dead Shinji at Gendou's feet. A Shinji that had just finished screaming so loud that the echo still resounded throughout the cavern.

"Exactly what it looks like. I am opening Heaven's Gate. I will fill the Room of Gaf as prescribed in the scrolls. Only not with the souls of a degenerate, worthless humanity. I will flood it with the despair and pain of the lost." Gendou continued to observe the young man at his feet, pointedly ignoring the woman behind him.

"The lost?" Ritsuko took note of the fact that Gendou was not holding his ever-present pistol. What surprised her more was the large wound in his palm where she knew the embryo of Adam had been grafted. Glancing at Shinji's bleeding form, she knew where it now resided.

Gendou winced as he contracted his almost useless right hand while his left hand activated a switch. "Second Impact took the lives of over three billion people. Imagine the hatred generated by so many unfulfilled souls. The boy will bear the burden as their focus, a conduit for their sorrow. He will usher in oblivion. The Black Earth Purification Ceremony." For perhaps the first time in over a decade, Gendou smiled warmly at his son. Had Shinji been conscious, he would have been overjoyed. His father finally acknowledged his existence as something other than the Third Children or the Pilot of Unit 01. It was that precise moment that Unit 01 fell down from a chute in the ceiling, creating a localised tsunami in the golden lake.

"Unit 01? You bastard. You used me, my mother, even your own wife. You used us all." Ritsuko raised her own firearm and aimed at the back of the man she had loved. Had debased herself for. Had betrayed all those around her time and time again. <All for your attention. Hoping you would return my love for you. How could I have been so blind?>

"You allowed yourself to be used. So eager to please. So much like your mother. Just as pathetic."

Ritsuko blinked away the tears as she took aim. <Goodbye Gendou. May you burn in Hell for what you've done.>

"Not so fast Doctor." Ritsuko felt an arm encircle her waist and a sharp, cold metallic object pressed against her throat. "Now be a good little girl and release the gun."

"Who?" Ritsuko fought the almost automatic response to turn around and view her captor. The biting sensation against her neck indicated that whoever it was, would slash her throat without pause. "Happy?" The gun clattered to the floor.

"Ecstatic. Commander Ikari, I believe it's high time Project E had a new Chief Scientist." Tsukasa Subaru pressed slightly harder against the blonde woman's throat causing her to tense as the blade created a small, non-lethal wound.

"Very well Doctor Subaru. The post is yours as soon as Doctor Akagi vacates the position. Now if you will excuse me, I have a paradise to build." Gendou threw his arms up in supplication towards Unit 01 and shouted. "Yui, you can save the boy. Take him and offer him unto Lillith."

The dormant eyes of Unit 01 flared to brilliant life. The armoured head tilted back and the hideous mouth issued a terrifying howl. Many had heard or seen this self same act on numerous occasions, most hoping to never witness it ever again. The rumbling echoed throughout the chamber as the behemoth slowly began moving to where they all stood.

"Are you blinded by your own ambitions? Can't you see what he's doing?" Ritsuko posed the question to her would be assailant, hoping to somehow break her resolve. Or at the very least, her hold on the knife.

"The Commander has promised me your position. Not only that." Tsukasa licked her lips. "The other two Pilot's will be mine to do with as I please." She pressed the blade into her 'Predecessor's' throat, drawing a thin line of blood.

"Promised? You won't be alive to collect. None of us will. He's going to end everything." Ritsuko found the realisation startling. Mere months ago she would have been prepared to kill for the man. Just as doctor Subaru was.

"Goodbye Doctor Akagi. Give my regards to your mother when you see her."

***

Central Dogma - CommandBridge

"Hey Aoba, are you getting anything anomalous on the radar? Every now and then I keep getting a series of blips appearing and disappearing." Makoto watched the screen display, waiting for the next occurrence.

Shigeru paused in 'Resting his eyelids' to glance at his terminal. "Yeah. But Doctor Akagi and Maya were saying how they were going to overhaul the MAGI over Christmas. I just put it down to one of the system glitches they were going to repair."

Makoto began typing a series of commands to access certain functions of the supercomputer system. "Maybe? I'll run a system check on the objects and see what we get back. Speaking of Akagi-san and Ibuki-chan, have you noticed something strange about them of late."

"Possibly. Maya's always been eager to please her 'Sempai'." Both men laughed at the implied statement, not really believing the very innuendo they were implying.

The sudden alarm klaxon grounded both men back to reality. Months of operating on the edge, waiting for Angel attacks, had them move from a state of casual indifference to alert operating efficiency.

"U.N. Transport carriers? Broadcasting on all channels to verify." Makoto quickly began running sub-routines alerting all personnel of the potential threat. The memory of the last failed attack by U.N. and JSSDF forces was still fresh in the minds of all who worked for NERV.

"No response. They're trying to avoid detection. Attempting to conceal their signal." Shigeru glanced up to the vacant Command deck. "Who do we tell?"

"Major Katsuragi. She's at Headquarters. In the absence of the Commander and Sub-Commander she assumes temporary command. I'll contact her now." Makoto hit the speed dial for Misato's cell phone and quickly explained the situation.

***

Tokyo-3 MunicipalHigh School

"Touji, Shinji-kun hasn't turned up yet." Hikari whispered.

"This is Shinji we're talking about. Nothing can hurt him" Touji joked. Hikari knew that Touji didn't believe his own words. Just as she didn't believe them.

Touji glanced across to the other two people sitting at their table, and the vacant chair between them. Rei appeared indifferent to everything around her although Touji was sure he saw her lip twitch every now and then, especially when Asuka muttered yet another unflattering comment about a certain 'Baka Hentai'. <Man, I hope Shinji gets here soon or there'll be hell to pay.> He gulped nervously as Asuka glared at her steak while she stabbed it rather brutally.

"So how is everyone tonight? Having fun?" Kensuke Aida slapped his friend on the shoulder while filming the small group.

Touji and Hikari tried to warn the exuberant youth of just how thin the ice was.

Both Asuka and Rei paused in their waiting for Shinji and wishing to be anywhere other than where they were to glare at the offending individual that had dared intrude.

"Aida. I suggest you remove yourself from my sight before something unfortunate happens. Being one of Shinji's friends will not afford you any respite from harm." Rei had almost reached her own limit. The absence of Shinji and the continued annoying presence of the Second Children had gradually eroded her normal detached tolerance. She was seriously contemplating inflicting serious bodily harm on the boy.

Asuka wasn't anywhere near as pleasant as her implied threat of just how painful his life would become if he didn't remove himself immediately was reinforced by the way the fork in her hand folded over due to the strength of her grip.

Kensuke began to sweat. "I'll have to catch up with you guys later." <Much much later.> " Have to mingle you know. Responsibility to record the festivities and all." Kensuke retreated as quickly as he could without appearing too cowardly.

The rather dark mood was broken by the sudden presence of a large dark suited man. "Pilot Ayanami. Pilot Sohryu. Major Katsuragi has ordered you both to report to NERV Headquarters. There is a vehicle outside waiting to transport you."

It was at that precise moment that the general alarm began to sound. In most cities, alarms tend to generate a serious amount of confusion and chaos. For the residents of Tokyo-3 however, it was just the sign of another Angel attack or perhaps another assault by the military. Either way, the students and teachers present began the orderly dispersal towards the nearest shelter.

"Come on Wonder Girl. If Shinji's at NERV, we'll get our answers from him there. Lead the way." Instead of waiting for the Section 2 operative to escort her, Asuka rudely shoved past him and made her way to the exit, closely followed by Rei.

***

Terminal Dogma

Unit 01 came to a stop at the edge of the LCL lake. It's passage causing the viscous liquid to break the bank and wash across the surrounding area. It's head turned slightly to gaze upon the man standing before it. Standing above the bleeding form of a dying young man.

A brief concern entered Gendou's mind that perhaps Yui would not appreciate what he had done.

<No. Once I explain that it was all for her. So that we would never be apart ever again. She will understand.>

Gendou stepped back as two large hands lowered to encompass the boy at his feet. With a gentleness and care that belied it's size and reputation, Unit 01 cradled Shinji in it's palm and, after glancing once more at Gendou, turned towards the crucified form of Lillith and began it's journey.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Gendou could here the alarms sounding the immanent attack launched by SEELE. <Far too late Keel. Eternity will be mine. Mine and Yui's alone.>

***

Ritsuko closed her eyes expecting the blade to slash viciously through her flesh. Instead of her life's blood spraying across the floor, the arm that held her and the knife at her throat suddenly fell away, releasing her from her expected demise.

"Sempai?"

Ritsuko slowly turned around to face an altogether unlikely site. Doctor Subaru lay sprawled at her feet. And there behind her, looking extremely unsure of things was Maya Ibuki, holding a hypodermic spray syringe. "Maya? What did you do?"

Maya quickly threw herself at her lover and held her tight as she wept. "She was going to kill you. I had to stop her."

Ritsuko returned the embrace while glancing down at the fallen doctor. "Is she dead?"

Maya shook her head as she dried her tears. "No. It's a sedative. She'll wake up with a serious headache, that's about all."

<Your too good for this place Maya. I need to get you away from here before it spoils you. Like it did to me.> "Maya, we have to get in touch with Misato and the Pilots. We need to stop Gendou." Ritsuko grabbed the younger woman's wrist and made to drag her away from the travesty that was about to occur.

"Is that Shinji-kun?" Maya came to a halt as she watched the Test Type Evangelion lift the young man from the floor. "Is he dead?" Tears began flowing once again as Maya contemplated life at NERV without the shy young man who she considered a close friend. <Had things been different, perhaps I would have vied for your attention. Just like Asuka and Rei.>

"Not yet. Gendou still needs him alive for the moment. If we're fast enough, we'll see that he stays that way." Ritsuko began dragging Maya away, encouraging her that there was still time.

***

Shinji felt a sense of anticipation growing within himself. Something dark and powerful. Had he been capable of it, he may have tasted the bile rising in his throat. As it was, the best he could manage was to stare up at the all too familiar jaw line of Unit 01. <I almost expected to see my life flashing before my eyes, the sort of thing you always hear about.> Of course, not seeing his life replayed was a minor blessing in itself. His life had not had many moments he particularly wanted to re-live. < Misato-san, I hope I wasn't too much of a disappointment.> Thinking about the life he was about to leave behind his thoughts naturally progressed through the people in his life.

His parents. A father who had used him and in the end, thrown him away. A mother he could barely remember.

His friends at school. Touji, Kensuke and Hikari. People who accepted him for who he was. Accepted his faults.

His friends at NERV. Maya, Ritsuko, Makoto and Shigeru. People who could have treated him as just another resource. Another component in their war against the Almighty. They had instead treated him as a normal person.

And those that were most important to him. Misato, Rei and Asuka.

<I never did tell them. And now I'll never have the chance.>

Glancing up his vision became dominated by the large seven-eyed faceplate that obscured Lillith's features. It took a few moments for his addled mind to reason that he was moving closer and closer to the imprisoned Angel. And the closer his proximity to Lillith became, the stronger the sense of dread became.

<<DONE>> The voice boomed with imperious delight, racking his body as it echoed within his mind. The entity within tore his feeble mental barriers asunder as it vied for dominance. His world burst into a miasma of colour and pain as his body came into contact with Lillith.

***

Void Within the Mother of All

Lillith gazed at her antithesis. Power incarnate it had once been. Adam, once a primal force, was now stripped of all its former glory. In trying to unravel the secrets of the S2 Engine, Professor Katsuragi and his team had unwittingly unleashed Second Impact on the world. This spectacular release of bound energy had depleted Adam of all it was. To regain all it had lost, it required life. And what better place than the font of all Humanity.

<<Adam. What have you done? This is forbidden.>> The avatar of the Mother of All watched in sorrow as the embryo that had been the First Messenger grew and took her more human form. Her flesh intermingled with that of Shinji. Like a parasitic growth, her torso emerged from Shinji's back. Her arm encircled the young man as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

<<Forbidden? Nothing is forbidden to me.>> Adam nibbled on Shinji's earlobe, prompting a soft moan from the near dead Pilot. <<Your Chosen is quite a remarkable young individual.>>

<<You must not do as Ikari wishes. My children ….>> Lillith was struck silent by the savage outburst from Adam.

<<What of my children. My children are all gone. Slain by pale imitations, Lillum mockeries of who we are. How ironic that my instrument of vengeance is your precious Messiah. The Saviour of the accursed Lillum. The one who would free you from your bondage.>> Adam pointed her finger at the albino woman. <<Through my will he will set you free. You and all your degenerate children.>> Adam gently turned Shinji's head towards her own. <<Come my love, offer Lillith her release. Free her from the chains that have held her all these millennia.>> Adam leaned in and kissed the young Pilot.

Lillith felt the connection, the intrusion. Her very mind was forced to retreat further and further as Adam assumed control of her physical essence through her bond to Shinji Ikari.

<<I have judged your children unfit to exist Lillith. Their fall will be wrought by their would-be saviour.>> Lillith shrieked as Adam laughed with delight.

***

Terminal Dogma

Contact was made. Lillith's incomplete form rippled, the pale flesh undulated as it began its metamorphosis. Lillith's androgenous body lengthened and feminine curves and attributes replaced what once was. Pale flesh darkened to a smoky grey and then to an ebony black that seemed to absorb the surrounding ambient light. Free from the crucifix, Lillith dropped into the LCL below alongside Unit 01.

The mask of seven eyes, the symbol of God, the logo of SEELE, fell away to reveal a face that transcended mere human beauty. Eyes opened revealing pure white orbs. A smile gradually appeared as Adam took complete control.

With a speed that defied the physics of its size, Adam's arm lashed out and tore the central core from Unit 01, tearing it from the armoured chest. Holding the sphere in her hand, Adam stared into its depths. <<Come Ikari, I will grant you your desire.>>

One moment Gendou was standing, watching the birth of his Angel of Death, the next he stood upon the palm of her hand next to Unit 01's core.

<<She awaits you. Join her. As agreed, you will be spared the ravages of my revenge.>>

Gendou walked towards the dark surface of the sphere. Without pausing his stride, he passed through the surface and vanished within.

Adam released the core. Gravity had no effect on the large object as it floated effortlessly beside her.

<<Come my love, let us pass judgement on an unworthy species. Let the book of Lillum history be closed forever more.>>

A small humanoid form burst from the confines of Adam's dark flesh. Blood flowed from luminescent eyes and dark bands of energy held him aloft. Lightning crackled and sparked around his body. Opening his mouth, Shinji screamed and vented his fury. A fury fuelled by Adam's own dark desires and the pain and sorrow of over three billion souls who had surrendered their lives unwillingly to man's own folly.

Behind a now smiling Adam, the Red Cross burst into shards from the fury of his voice.

End Chapter the Twelfth

Tbc

Authors Post-Rant - Finishing on a cliffhanger is almost addictive. I could get used to this.

Ja Ne