Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Power of comitment ❯ Power of Commitment part two: Rei's Warning ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Authors notes: OK so here it is. Power of Commitment: Part Two. All right for those of you who actually read my last fic Power of Commitment: Part One, I respectfully say Arigato. (That is only for the people who read it ON PURPOSE.) For the rest of you just thanks no respect in it. ^_^. You'll have to excuse me; I'm completely insane according to my girlfriend, and everyone else that I know for that matter.

Anyway on with the notes. OK in the last fic Shinji and Asuka shared some fairly intense and revealing moments about their hidden love for each other. In this installment Rei is going to go through a few changes of her own.
If you paid any attention at all to the last installment you will know that Commander Ikari has some plan up his sleeve to "eliminate" Asuka so Shinji will be depressed around the time of the destruction of Tabris and his merger with Lilith.

All right I'm done spoiling the story for you read on ladies and gentlemen...

Oh wait sorry one more thing. This fiction is titled
Power of Commitment Part Two: Reis' Warning
However I do not have a title for part one really. It's just part one. So I am holding a contest. Anyone who has read my previous fic and has an Idea for a title can email me with there suggestion. I will pick the one that I like the best and Have it added onto the other Story if at all possible. Thank you, now on with the part you all came here for.

____________________ Power of Commitment Part Two: Reis' Warning

Shinjis' eyes slowly opened. He shook his head softly trying to get his sleep- blurred vision to clear. His eyes finally focused and Shinji found himself staring at a huge face!

"Aaahhhhh!" he screamed scrambling backwards as fast as he could until his head hit the wall behind him. The face smiled, showing a set of small white teeth.

"Oh good, you're finally awake." Asuka said as she sat down next to him on his bed.
"Asuka don't do that!" He almost screamed at her.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked him.

"Oh not much unless of course you consider the fact that you just scared me out of ten years of growth." She frowned. Then a frightening expression played across her face. The closest description that Shinji could apply to it was much like the look of a hungry wolf right before it pounced on a three-legged deer.

And indeed Asuka did pounce, on Shinji! She flew forward and sealed her open mouth over his in a blazing kiss that left him seeing stars and gasping for breath. She leaned against him and gently traced little circles on his chest with her fingers.

"Come on," she coaxed. "Get up. We have the whole day ahead of us. And we need to get to school." He grumbled a little bit but finally he got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

On his way out he heard voices coming from the kitchen. So he headed that way. But something made him stop, just around the corner so they wouldn't see him.

"Has he had anymore nightmares?" Misato asked.

"Not really. Well at least he hasn't woken up screaming once in the past few weeks, but he still tosses and turns all night." Asuka replied with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"And just how would you know that he is tossing around all night?" Misato asked, teasing the young girl. Shinji did not hear the mumbled reply. But he did hear Misatos reaction to it. "You're doing what?!" she screamed.

"Shhh," Asuka hissed. "He'll hear you!" There was a moment of silence. "I've been sleeping in his room." Asuka admitted. "Two weeks ago he had the nightmare again. That one with all of us dead. He kept mumbling that he hadn't failed anyone. I went into his room and just held him in my arms and he calmed down pretty quickly."

"Since then I've been sleeping on the floor in his room, next to his bed. That's why I've been there to wake him up every morning." Shinji quickly turned and tiptoed back to his room to change. When he was ready he came out of the room and shut the door hard behind him so they would hear.

"Hey baka we're going to be late." Asuka called from the kitchen. He walked in picked up his bag and had just enough time to shout goodbye to Misato before Asuka had pulled him out of the apartment.

After they had left Misato looked down at PenPen. He looked up at her.

"I'm really worried about those two." She said.

"WWAAARRRR!" he replied. Misato smiled as she patted him on the head then headed to her room to get dressed for work.

____________________

As usual the walk to school was quiet and uneventful. Once again Asuka had one arm wrapped around Shinjis' waist and her head was leaning on his shoulder. Every once in a while she let out a little sigh of contentment.

Shinji looked down at her and marveled at the many changes in his hot-blooded girlfriend. It had been three weeks since the day they had walked to the lake. Since that day Asuka had slowly changed. She was now calmer and she had slowly become less angry at the world. She was becoming more patient with the people around her.

It even took her longer to lose her patience with Touji and Kensuke, which was an event in and of itself. As they neared the school they silently parted and continued walking a few feet away from each other.

They had agreed to keep their relationship a secret from their friends for the time being. They didn't think that they would approve of the two of them going out. A few minutes later they entered the classroom to find Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari sitting in a circle having a heated discussion, The conversation died down as Shinji and Asuka approached.

"What's up gang?" Shinji asked as he sat down at one of the desks. The three of them looked at each other in silence for a moment. Finally Kesuke spoke up.

"Uhh, Shinji? Do you mind if we ask you a question?" Kensuke said. It was obvious that he was nervous.

"Go ahead." Shinji replied after a moment's hesitation.

"Well," Kensuke paused to clear his voice. "We all know that there have been some major changes around here lately." Shinjis eyes fell on Touji's wheelchair and the stumps of his missing arm and leg.

"Yes there have been." Shinji whispered his voice an odd mixture of anger and sadness.

"Ahh....yes." Kensuke began again. "Well we've all seen some changes in the way you and Asuka have been acting. Well we were kinda wondering.... That is we were curious to see if....." Kensuke trailed off as he scrambled to find the right words to express his thoughts

"Oh just spit it out already!" Asuka snapped at him, her patience finally wearing thin. Kesuke drew back a bit at the outburst. Then he nodded took a deep breath and let it all out in a rush.

"We were wondering if you and Asuka were dating." He said. Shinji turned his head to look at Asuka. Their eyes met, one pair, a deep, dark blue, like the ocean, the other as clear and sharp as ice. Asuka leaned over and whispered in Shinjis ear.

"Why don't we just tell them now and get it over with. We know they'll all be against the idea, so we may as well tell them." Shinji pondered this idea for a few minutes and then finally nodded his head in agreement.

With his decision made Shinji decided to take matters into his own hands, so to speak. His right arm snaked out from his side and settled gently around Asukas waist. He held her softly but with an evident strength, as if he was prepared to fight the first person that was foolish enough to try and remove her from his embrace.

Shinji gently pulled her towards him and their lips met in a tender, loving kiss. They held the kiss for over a minute, their tongues exploring the inside of the others mouth. When they parted they were surprised to hear their friends burst into applause.

"Huh?" Shinji said as he looked on at his friends smiling faces in utter disbelief.

"I second that." Asuka said in as equal a state of shock as Shinji was.

"Way to go you two!" Hikari said.

"You guys aren't opposed to us being together?" Shinji asked still not quite understanding what was going on.

"No why should we be?" Kensuke asked.

"Well you and Touji are always calling Asuka the red devil. And she is always insulting the two of you. I thought you would strongly protest our relationship." Toujis' face was split by an ear to ear grin.

"I'll admit that Ken and I haven't always gotten along with Asuka but we've all seen how you two look at each other when you thought that the other wasn't. We've had a bet going to see how long it would take the two of you to realize how much you love each other."

"Yeah," Hikari said. "You two are perfect for each other."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, Asuka. You posses many of the stronger qualities that Shinji sometimes lacks. You are brave, courageous, daring, and one of the most stubborn people that I have ever met."

"Shinji. You have all of the softer ones that Asuka so desperately needs. You are quiet, intelligent, calm, gentle, and most importantly, you know how to handle some things almost as if by instinct."

Asuka immediately jumped to her own defense.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" she said. Hikari looked at her with a level gaze.

"Really? Let's see. Answer one question for me Asuka. Lately you have been nicer to everyone around you then I have ever seen you. Now is your relationship with Shinji directly related to this sudden change?" Shinji smiled. He knew Hikari had Asuka with that one.

Asukas answer was mumbled and so low that even Shinji could not hear it.

"What was that?" Hikari asked in a pleasant tone.

"YES!" Asuka shouted. "Yes it is."

"Explain." Hikari was by now grinning broadly. She loved having Asuka in the hot seat for a change and she intended to enjoy every minute of it.

"I'm in love." Asuka stated simply. Her voice was low so that it would not carry beyond the extent of their little circle. "I'm in love with Shinji. Since I finally admitted it to myself I've just been happier then I have been in a long time."

"Asuka." Shinji voice reached her ears. He had been startled to hear her express her feelings so openly, and he had loved hearing her say them. The knowledge that she loved him so much had a profound effect on the young boy.

Once again they drew together in a soft, yet firm kiss. Their friends could sense the love that the two shared for each other. As the kiss extended into it's second minute they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

The looked up to see the Sensei standing next to them. Both blushed and quickly tried to stammer out an apology of some kind. The elderly gentlemen laughed and raised his hands in a quieting gesture.

"It's quite all right," he said. "I'm actually pleased to see that two young people can still find love in these troubled times. But for right now I think you should stop so that we can get on with the days lessons." As he finished the entire class burst into applause. Shinji blushed. Asuka was enjoying the attention. Class started, and everyone's good mood quickly dwindled down to a feeling of absolute boredom.

____________________

"Shinji?" Asuka asked. Shinji was sitting in the schoolyard with his back against a tree. Asuka was lying across his lap and he had his arms held loosely around her.

"Hmm...?" he mumbled, not opening his eyes. She looked up at him and was pleased to see a peaceful look of contentment on his face. She hesitated for a moment.

"Where do you think this relationship is going?" she asked. His brow furrowed. The question had been unexpected. Not just because she had asked it out of the blue like that, but more so because that was exactly what he had been contemplating a few minutes ago.

"I'm not exactly sure Asuka." He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "I can't deny that there isn't a strong physical attraction to you. I mean, you are one of the prettiest girls in the school, practically the whole city when you come right down to it." He looked on with satisfaction as her cheeks turned bright red at the compliment.

"I'm attracted to you too." She said. It was true. From the time of their synch training she had felt a strong attraction to him. But she had suppressed it by telling herself that she didn't like him, that he was nothing but a weak little boy.

But eventually she had come to know the man inside the boy and that attraction went beyond physical compatibility, to an almost painful urge to have his hands on her body.

She found herself wanting him to touch her in ways she would never have allowed anyone to touch her before....

"Asuka?" Shinjis voice snapped her out of her musings.

"Huh?.... What?.... Oh sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was saying that even though we may want to take this relationship to the next level, we shouldn't plan on it. We should just see what happens. I don't want this turning into a purely physical relationship. We'll know when the time is right." She looked up at him. He had closed his eyes again and that peaceful expression was in sharp contrast to his usual haunted look.

"You're right Shinji. We'll wait." She sat up and wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his chest, and there they sat for the rest of the lunch period.

____________________

Once again we find ourselves in the office of one Gendo Ikari. The Commander is speaking to someone on a telephone, his voice echoes hollowly in the large room.

"Yes." He said. "The Second Child is to be eliminated. I don't care how you do it as long as it can not be linked back to me." He listens for a moment. "Yes. The Third is getting out of hand. He needs to have lost all hope for the tasks that are before him." Another moments pause. "Very well. Goodbye." He hangs up the phone and automatically tries to settle back into his trademark position.

He winces as a surge of pain runs through his left shoulder. His arm is tightly bound to his chest beneath his clothes. His shoulder, the doctors told him, would never be the same again. The bullet had completely shattered the joint permanently cutting off all mobility. So he was, in effect, now only equipped with one usable arm.

The doctors had scheduled another operation to try and remove the remainder of the bone and maybe consider replacing it with a prosthetic joint. The operation was to begin soon.

____________________

At school lunch is over, and Rei Ayanami is confused. She is sitting at her desk staring out the window as usual. But she believes that she is feeling apprehensive about the Commanders plans considering the Second Child. But, because she has had little experience with emotions she does not know how to deal with it.

Now she turns away from the window. Her blood red eyes slowly scan the room until they settle on the cause of her confusion; the redheaded pilot of Evangelion Unit 2, Asuka Langley Sohryu.

Asuka was leaning over her desk half asleep, listening to their Sensei lecture about Second Impact. After studying her for a few minutes, Rei turned her attention to the pilots' boyfriend. Shinji was a bit more awake than Asuka was so he soon sensed that someone was watching him.

He scanned the room and soon saw Rei staring at him. He smiled. She turned and typed out a message on her laptop.

Rei: Pilot Ikari. I wish to speak with you and Pilot Sohryu after the end of classes today. She pushed send.

____________________

Sitting at his desk Shinji was surprised to find Rei studying him. He was even more surprised when she turned and began to type something at her computer. After all this he almost fell out of his seat when his computer informed him that she had sent him a message.

He quickly read the message. When he had finished he looked up to find Rei staring at him again. He thought for a minute before slowly nodding his head.

Rei turned back to look out the window

____________________

When the final bell rang Shinji and Rei stayed in their seats, waiting for the rest of the class to leave. As the last one filed out the door Rei stood and walked over to Shinji and Asuka.

"What do want Wondergirl?" Asuka snapped. Even though she was being nicer to every one else Asuka still held a deep-rooted hatred for the blue hared albino.

"Asuka!" Asuka took a step back in fear. Shinji had never raised his voice to her before. The commanding tone on his voice reminded her of Commander Ikari. But there had been an undertone of seething anger.

Shinji slowly rose to his feet. He turned to look at Rei.

"You wanted to talk to us?" he asked. She nodded silently. "It is important?" She nodded again. The unease that he had felt when he first read her cryptic message had been bothering him all day and he was short of temper. "It involves my father?" he spat out the words.

"Yes."

"Let's take a walk." He turned and left the classroom. Rei followed him, and a confused Asuka followed Rei. Once exiting the school Shinji turned towards the outskirts of the city. As they neared the ends of the populated section of the city Rei spoke.

"Pilot Ikari, you love Pilot Sohryu do you not?"

"Yes."

"Pilot Sohryu, you love Pilot Ikari?"

"Yes." Rei suddenly stopped walking.

"I do not understand love, but you are the only one who has ever tried to be my friend Ikari-kun. I do not understand my own feelings for you, but I believe that what the commander is planning is wrong." Shinji and Asuka looked at each other. This was an incredibly long speech for the normally quiet girl. And for her to be saying anything negative about the Commander was unheard of.

"Rei what are you trying to tell us?" Shinji asked.

"First understand that I am not telling you this for Pilot Sohryus benefit, I am doing this for you Ikari-kun." Asuka lost it. She was enraged at Reis seemingly uncaring attitude. But she was more upset at what appeared to be Rei hitting on her boyfriend.

"You BITCH!" she screamed. She swung her fist at Rei. She felt and heard the smack as her fist made contact.... With Shinjis palm. He had stepped forward and caught her fist an inch away from Reis face.

Now his arm trembled as he strained to hold her back.

"Asuka." His voice was much gentler this time and it had a greater effect on her than if he had shouted. "Let me handle this." She looked at him.

"Do you remember what Hikari said. There are some situations that I just seem to know how to handle. I believe that this is one of those situations." He released her hand, and she slowly lowered it to her side. After a moment she nodded.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" He asked turning back to Rei.

____________________

Rei had watched the entire scene with no change in her expression. She hadn't even blinked when Shinji narrowly caught Asukas fist. Now that Shinji had turned his attention back to her she began to speak.

"As I said I do not understand my feelings for you, but I believe I may care for you. As such I would not like to see you in pain. Pilot Sohryus death would cause you such pain would it not?" Shinji paled visibly at the thought of Asuka dying. That sense of unease he had felt earlier was turning to one of fear.

"Yes it would cause me much pain." He said his voice echoing the fear that he felt. Asukas eyes darted back and forth between the man the she loved and her greatest enemy.

"Then I would like to warn you that the Commander plans to have Pilot Sohryu eliminated." Shinjis hiss of indrawn breath was incredibly loud in the sudden silence.

"What?" he said, his voice going up several decibels. His right hand was clenching and unclenching in an unconscious nervous tick. Asuka reached out to cover his hand with her own.

"He plans to have her eliminated. But the man who was hired to kill her may not do so if you are near. The risk is still great but now you know to be careful." Without waiting for a reply she turned and started to walk away.

"Rei wait!" Shinji called after her. She stopped and turned back to look at him. "Why would my father want Asuka dead?" he asked.

"I am not at liberty to say right now. If I am able I will speak with you again." Then she turned and was gone.

"Shinji." The fear was quite evident in Asukas voice. She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and gently embraced him. She fought to keep the tears back.

"We should go home now." He said, Asuka nodded and stepped away form him. Then hand in hand, they set out for home, oblivious to the pair of eyes watching them from the darkened doorway of one of the abandoned buildings nearby.

End



OK I know there were probably some things wrong with this but I don't care. It's late, I'm tired, and most importantly I finally finished the damn thing. OK in the next installment "Asukas Fear" reoccurring nightmares shake Asukas belief in Shinjis love and she falls back into a depression where she convinces herself that it is impossible for anyone to love her.

One more thing. I am looking for pre-readers. Any one who would like to be a pre-reader for Power of Commitment can email me. List the subject of the email as pre-reading.


Power of Commitment Part Two
Rei's warning

Written by
Ryan T. Nelson

Until Next Time...
See you on the other side....

Thanks go out to my pre-readers

Kwame (that's my Girlfriend) ^_^

Elsa

Joanna