Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Longinus ❯ Act V - Meetings ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: see Act 0.

Misato meets Loki and Ayanami's mind is in turmoil. Run or stay? Friendship born of enmity becomes stronger. A new face enters and more pawns are put into place. The ultimate test of wills begins and ends.

Gaghiel lurked within the waters, waiting for his chance to strike. The deep waters hid his dark body, the only sign of his life were the glowing eyes. He swam through the water, heading towards its target destination.

"I will not fail you."

He sat at his desk, dutifully but half-heartedly taking haphazard notes as their prehistoric teacher prattled on about the transformation of sinusoidal curves. As much as he liked school to an extent, he had already covered this part of the curriculum and wished that the teacher would move on. This was boring as the Second Impact lecture that their teacher rambled about. At least it was a slight change from the actual Second Impact lecture.

"By adding the 'n' value to the equation..."

Dimly, he let his gaze wander over the classroom and it fell on his silent pilot, Ayanami. What was it about her that made him feel...unfit for his skin? Her steely gaze made him feel uncomfortable, as if she was looking straight into his soul and sneering at him disdainfully. He wanted to meet her gaze, to stare back at her with that same strength but he could not. He was too afraid of what she would find within him.

"Animals deserve to be treated like animals!"

Was he? Well, technically he was. But what rights did his fellow human beings have at calling each other animals? Were they not animals too? But he surmised that because of his eyes and...other supernatural abilities, he could be considered sub-human. Of course, he didn't exactly like to be called or acknowledge the fact that he was a sub-human; nobody liked it.

Ayanami felt the prickling of someone gaze upon her. The only one who would gaze at her would be Ikari. The others were other too scared or did not care about her to actually look at her. She shivered slightly, she did not want his gaze upon her.

The bell rang and the students stood up, making their way towards the cafeteria or other places where they would eat lunch. "Ikari."

He stopped and looked over at her. "Yes?"

Her mouth quirked at the corners, a frown creasing her usually placid features. "Do not stare at me."

She walked away.

Gendou sat at his desk, the footage of the last Angel battle playing on the large vid screen. As usual, Fuyutsuki stood at his side, refraining to comment on the battle. Ayanami had done her duty, but something about it still irked Gendou.

Fuyutsuki did not comment on it.

Shinji had done his duty as well, but the fact that he had been injured before going into battle had made it a bit risky. Not to mention that the superheated LCL due to the particle attack from the Angel had probably done a number on his system. It was bad enough that the Third Child already had a twitch in his left hand from the attack of the third Angel Sachiel.

"The aim was a bit off," said Fuyutsuki.

"Irrelevant." Gendou answered stoically.

The footage cut out and the room was silent once more. Fuyutsuki was well aware that their plans would come to fruition soon enough, but what about the plans of their superiors? The ones who had founded NERV (formerly known as GHERIN) would surely destroy them both if they dared to stray away from the plans.

"Who will be attacking us today?"

"Gaghiel, the Angel rising from the waters."

"Do you think it will attack the convoy?"

"We planned the path to intercept the Angel precisely for that reason," Gendou replied.

"I see. So Over the Rainbow will be the main staging area for this particular attack?"

"Yes. We will be using Unit 02."

They said no more as Gendou stood up and strode out of the room, Fuyutsuki dutifully and loyally following his commanding officer and former student.

Shinji sat with Kensuke and Touji, his new friends from school, for lunch. It was pleasant to have friends to sit with at lunch. The whispers and the giggles about his pilot status still raged on between the females in Class 2-A, but Shinji paid it no heed. He assumed that they did this for all pilots (save Ayanami). Misato had told him that they would be meeting the Second Child today, and that he could bring two friends with him.

So he naturally chose Touji and Kensuke, who were now raving with excitement and Kensuke praising him like a God.

Too bad he doesn't know that he is talking to a God, Loki mused jovially.

He knew of his trangression from two days ago. He knew that it meant that his power was growing stronger, and his control over his powers was becoming stronger. Although whether that boded good luck or ill happenings was still uncertain. He knew that he could control him when he was too weak mentally or emotionally to do it, but he could also control him when he applied his will and forced him back. It was a strange relationship that they shared in one body.

He thought about the Second Child. What would she be like? All he knew was that it was a female and that she had been trained at NERV-3-Germany branch. It had been barely three weeks since he had begun to pilot the Evangelion, but she had been training since childhood. He hoped that he didn't disappoint her too badly.

(Then again, Shinji was unaware that his synch ratio was sitting at 68.752% and still rising.)

Kensuke was excited that he could see military carriers with his very own eyes. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and he would make sure that he took every single advantage of it. And on top of that, he would be meeting the Second Child, another Evangelion pilot. He silently thanked whatever powers above for becoming friends with the Third Child. Of course, seeing Captain Katsuragi was a bonus on the side. He couldn't wait.

For Touji, all that mattered was seeing Captain Katsuragi. Sure he was excited about meeting the Second Child, but he admitted to himself that observing Captain Katsuragi's amazing legs was much, much better. He wasn't a military fanatic like Kensuke, but he knew that meeting an Evangelion pilot in person was an honor. After all, these were the people who were keeping them alive.

A soft, nearly inaudible sigh escaped Shinji. Life was good.

A young girl stood on the deck, her fiery mane fluttering in the wind. Her ice blue eyes were filled with curiosity and wonderment; she had never been to Japan before. She could see the signs of land in the horizon. That must be where she would be meeting the other pilots and her commanding officer.

"Hey there Asuka!"

She whirled around, a bright smile lighting up her face. "Kaji!"

She flung herself at him, embracing him around the neck. He smiled as he spun her, but promptly put her down. "Are you excited?"

"Of course I am!" she replied enthusiastically. "I get to meet the other pilots and prove to them that I am the best!"

He chuckled. "Of course you are. You wouldn't be Asuka if you weren't."

Asuka laughed confidently. "Asuka Langley Sohryu will prove to both the First and Third Child that she is the best!"

Ah, innocence, thought Kaji fondly. Did I ever have that?

Several hours later, the military naval carrier Over the Rainbow welcomed the VTOL aircraft carrier that brought several people from NERV-Japan. Asuka watched with mild surprise as Captain Misato Katsuragi walked off of the plane, as well as a brown haired boy, a tall lanky boy and a blond, geeky looking boy.

"Ah, hello Asuka!" Misato greeted cheerily.

"Hello Misato!" Asuka replied warmly.

The group made their way to the bridge after a short introduction and two slaps to Touji's face. Misato smiled, albeit a bit strained as she tried to appease the captain of the Pacific Fleet.

"Ah, I thought you were these kids' Boy Scout leader, but I guess I was mistaken," the Captain sneered disdainfully.

"Thank you for understanding, Captain," Misato said with a smile, ignoring the disdain in his voice.

"Ah, no, no. Thank you for bringing me even more children to take care of after so long a time," the Captain replied, ire clearly evident.

Asshole, Loki muttered darkly. Shinji looked away, hoping that the others wouldn't see his shifting eyes.

"We appreciate your assistance with the marine transport of Eva Two. Here are the specifications for the emergency power socket," Misato stated firmly.

"Ha! I'd never accept a request to run that doll on the sea in the first place!" he exclaimed.

Misato tried a different approach. "Just think of it as a fall back in case of emergency."

"It's against such emergencies that the Pacific fleet is supposed to guard! When did the U.N. turn us into bloody cargo haulers?" the Captain muttered.

"I believe it was just after a certain organization was established."

"Guarding a toy! What a grand assignment for the entire Pacific fleet!" grumbled the Captain.

"Considering Eva's importance, it still seems lacking. Well, please sign these forms," Misato answered.

"Not yet. At the request of the 3rd Branch in Germany, both Eva Two and its pilot are under the command of this fleet. I won't allow you to just do as you please!"

"Then when will you relinquish command?" asked Misato.

"After unloading the cargo at Shin-Yokosuka," answered the First Officer.

"We're in charge of anything on the sea. Follow orders without question," the Captain snapped.

"Yes, I understand. In an emergency, however, please don't forget that Nerv's authority supercedes yours," Misato reminded him sweetly.

Suddenly, Asuka's attention was diverted as she noticed a very familiar man walking into the bridge.

"Kaji-sempai!"

No...it can't be!

Misato turned to find none other than Ryouji Kaji stepping into the bridge room.

Damn.

"It's...red," Shinji murmured lamely.

Blue stared into blue for a fleeting moment as Asuka turned to face Shinji. "This is my Unit 02. It's the production model, unlike Unit 00 or 01. This is the template that every other Evangelion will be based on! This is the first model build for combat purposes."

Their banter was short lived as explosions rocked the carrier. The pair rushed out to see an explosion engulf the various ships of the Pacific Fleet. Asuka smirked. "This is my chance!"

Rushing back to a secluded place, Asuka began her campaign.

Shinji sat and stood helpless as he became a involved party of this new campaign of the Second Child.

Asuka couldn't help but silently scorn the Third Child. He was nothing but a boring little boy, he even looked dull and boring! Plain clothes, plain features, plain personality. But to be chosen as the Third Child, he must have something that was not plain like the rest of him.

And his friends! God what perverted freaks they were! One was a jock that had dropped his pants and the other was a video-camera toting geek! What kind of friends were these? The least he could have done was chosen some decent friends. Well, at least he hadn't looked too, thought Asuka with a mental snort.

She grabbed the controls of the machine, adrenaline thrumming in her veins. She would prove that she was the best, would always be the best. She would prove her status as the Second Child!

"Argh! Pervert! Don't touch the controls!"

But right now, they were in a bit of a jam. The Angel had trapped them within its mouth; the Angel had been much bigger than they had thought. It was at least two football fields long and very wide. Right now, they had been...in a way, "eaten" by the Angel.

"Hurry up! Or you won't make it!"

Loki growled. "Won't make it? I doubt it."

Asuka started. "What the--?! Hey! Don't touch the controls!"

Whirling around, Loki snapped, "Shut your fucking mouth, amateur! I'm trying to get something done here!"

Blue met amber-blue as Loki grabbed the butterfly controls and forced the mouth open. Asuka trembled as she stuttered, "Wha...what the hell are you?!"

"I'm the Third Child, Sohryu," Loki answered tersely. "Didn't you know?"

He growled darkly as he extended the arm of Unit 02, holding the Prog knife in its large hand. The glowing red...the Core! With a vicious snarl, he let his powers flow into the humanoid machine as it stretched its arm and stabbed the progressive knife straight into the S2 Engine. Gaghiel roared in pain and fury as it tried to crush them using its numerous sharp teeth. "Deploy AT Field, 80% magnitude."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!" Asuka screeched. "WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Loki shouted. "You don't know anything you stupid bitch! Just watch and learn! For fuck's sake, they didn't even train you properly!"

["Shinji?! What's going on?!"]

["I'm forcing it's mouth open, what else?!"]

["Shinji?"]

["Retract the cable! Now!"]

Unit 02 was jerked up as Gaghiel opened its mouth. The battleships rushed in and fired at the cracked S2 Engine, effectively destroying it. A large volcanic eruption of water spurted into the air as Evangelion Production Model Unit 02 landed on the deck...

...and promptly slumped over.

Loki chuckled. Within the entry plug, he turned to face the so-called Second Child. "You're nothing but a rookie, a green recruit with zero battle experience. You won't last long."

"Shut the fuck up Third Child!" Asuka spat. "Nobody asked you!"

"If I wasn't here, we'd all have been dead," Loki snapped. "Buck up and learn to do this properly or go back to Germany, Second Child. Dead weights like you are a waste."

"I'm a dead weight?!" she screeched. "This is coming from the boy who ran away after an Angel attack?!"

He grabbed her wrists and slammed them down roughly on the flat surface of the controls, growling angrily. "You don't know anything! Keep your mouth shut if you don't want to die!"

She stared into the amber-Prussian eyes, silently terrified at the menace within them. "Freak" she hissed.

"Bitch," Shinji muttered.

The two of them left the entry plug.

The night sky shrouded the room in darkness, but he could not rest. When the battle had been over, the sheer fury running through his veins had scared him. He had never thought that he had been capable of such strong anger and hatred, but it seemed that Fate had proven him wrong once again.

Even now, he could still feel the rage against the Second Child. He had never met someone so arrogant, self-centered and vain in his life! But then again, depending on how one decided to interpret her behaviour, she could be classified as high-spirited, outgoing and determined.

Face it Shinji, said Loki with a mental sneer, she's a bitch. Don't try to sugarcoat it, she's a bitch. A stupid, brainless bitchy twit.

He chuckled to himself. He was right, there really was no point of trying to sugarcoat the behavior of the one person that he found himself disliking. Hate was too strong of a word, intense dislike would have to do.

For now.

Resigning himself to a more...interesting workplace from now on, Shinji fell asleep...

...dreaming about the Second Child.

End Act 5

Author's Notes:
I had to watch Episode 8 in order to do this chapter. I realize that I skipped over 5, 6, and 7 but I'll come back to those in a flashback next chapter. I wanted to introduce Asuka into the story and show the interaction between Shinji/Loki and Asuka. ^^ I originally wanted the two of them to click and go into a sexual relationship, but then I decided against it, it'd be horribly OOC, and they're already OOC as is. :P Ryouji and Misato will get their screen time in the next chapter, where Asuka and Shinji begin their synchronization training.

Comments, criticisms, suggestions and other blah blah blah is welcome. :)

On to Act VI...

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