Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Revelations: The Power of Love ❯ A Loss ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6

A Loss

The room is partially dark, the only light coming from the sun beginning its ascent into the sky. An alarm clock beeps, announcing that it is time to wake up. A figure stirs under the covers. It reaches out and searches for the clock. The hand is rewarded with a click of the off switch, silencing the clock. The figure slowly opens his eyes, adjusting to the light. He feels a weight on his chest and something around his waist. He looks down at the red mass on his chest.

"Asuka, its time to get up," groggily says Shinji.

Asuka stirs on his chest, not releasing her hold on him.

"C'mon, we have to get to school."

Slowly, she lets go of him and sits up.

"Stupid school…and I was comfortable too..."

He leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

"Morning Asuka-chan."

She smiles and looks at him.

"Morning, Shin-kun."

In the kitchen, Shinji prepares their lunches. Asuka soon joins him, dressed in her school uniform. It had been just over a week since they had confessed their love for each other.

"Hey, Asuka."

"Hm?"

"Remember when Misato first found us together?"

He lets out a small chuckle.

"Of course!"

5 days ago…

Misato groggily walks out of her room and heads into the kitchen.

"Morning Shinji-ku…."

She stops as she finds that the kitchen is empty.

"Must still be sleeping…," she muses

She heads to Shinji's door and looks up at the sign `Shinji's Lovely Suite' and smiles.

"Shinji-kun? Time to get up."

After receiving no response, she tries knocking.

"Shinji? I'm coming in."

The door opens slowly and Misato looks inside. The scene before her causes her to stare in shock. She gazes at the bed and sees not one, but two lumps under the covers, one having brown hair, the other red. A few seconds elapse and she finally gets her composure back.

"WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

"Ow…Misato-san, you don't have to yell so loud…" complains her young male charge.

"Yeah, you trying to wake the dead or what?"

"Well I'm not going to be responsible for a pregnant Eva pilot!"

Both of them the blush and look at each other.

"Well, we did use protection," slowly responds Shinji.

"WHAT!?"

"Just kidding," replies Shinji with a smirk.

"Argh!!"

Misato storms off and heads to the fridge to get a beer.

Asuka sits down on a chair at the table, trying not to break out in hysterical laughter.

"That was a CLASSIC moment!!"

"I've never seen her so surprised, or angry, before."

"I know. But at least she got over it, right?"

Shinji walks over to the table and places down the plates of food.

"Yeah."

Shinji joins her at the table and they enjoy their breakfast. Soon, Misato joins them at the table, a can of beer in hand. She takes a long drink and turns to the children.

"Don't forget you guys have a sync test after school today."

"Do we have to go Misato?" complains Shinji.

"Yes, you have to go. Unless YOU want to tell Ritsuko to cancel the tests after she's been working all night."

Shinji thinks for a moment.

"You're right. I DON'T want to tell her."

Misato takes another drink from her can.

"Did you two have something planned or something? While I'm away at work and you're here by yourselves?" she asks with an evil grin on her face.

"MISATO!!" both children blurt out, as they turn red.

Misato glances at the clock on the wall.

"You two lovebirds had better get going or you'll both be late for school."

Shinji and Asuka look up at the clock, their eyes widen as they see the time. They jump out of their chairs and grab their school bags and Shinji grabs their lunches.

"Baka Shinji! You're going to make us late!!"

Misato watches as they both run out of the apartment.

"Some things just don't change…"

The warm-water penguin looks up at the Major.

"Waarrkk!!"

As the lunch bell rings, Touji walks out into the schoolyard and sits down on a bench with Kensuke.

"I still can't believe it."

"Believe what Touji?" questions the military otaku.

"That Shinji and the red-headed devil are in love!"

To emphasize his point, he points in their direction. The two in question were currently sitting together, eating their lunch.

"Yeah, that is a bit hard to swallow, but he's happy, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," mumbles the jock.

"Or are you just jealous?"

"W-what are you talking about? Why would I be jealous?"

"You just wish that you could be like that with the class rep, eh, Touji?"

Kensuke is answered with Touji's fist impacting his arm.

"That hurt!" exclaims Kensuke as he rubs his arm.

Suddenly, the loud sound of an all too familiar siren echo all over Tokyo 3. The two boys look up and then at each other.

"Angel attack..."

Touji turns around and spies Shinji and Asuka running off towards NERV.

"What do you mean it just appeared?!" asks a frustrated Ritsuko.

"Sensors didn't pick up anything. They only just detected it now!" says Makoto Hyuga.

"Status!!"

Ritsuko and Maya turn around and see Misato running up to them.

"Sensors detected a pattern blue above the city ten minutes ago," reports Makoto.

"Do we have a visual?"

"Yes. Putting it up...now," chimes in Maya Ibuki.

An image appears on the main screen, depicting a large, black sphere with white strips hovers above a portion of the city.

"How the hell did it get there undetected?!" shouts the Operations Director.

Ritsuko shakes her head.

"We don't know. It managed to evade our sensors somehow."

"What's the status of the pilots?"

"They have just been inserted into their entry plugs," responds Shigeru Aoba.

Misato opens a comm to the pilots.

"Shinji, Asuka, Rei, are you ready?"

"Hai!' they respond in unison.

"Ok, here's the plan. I want all of you to equip yourselves with weapons and head to the coordinates that are being sent to your Evas now. Once you reach your locations, wait for my signal to attack the target."

"Coordinates have been sent."

"Good luck. Evangelion, launch!"

On the surface, the Evas are running to their designated locations. As Asuka turns a corner, her Eva lurches back.

"Damn it!"

She tries to pull the umbilical cable free, but to no avail. Sighing, she ejects the cable from her Eva and kneels down, opening a panel on one of the buildings, revealing a spare umbilical cable. With a click, the internal clock resets and she continues to run to her location.

Shinji is the first to reach his location. He hides behind one of the buildings, staying out of visual range of the Angel.

"You guys ready yet?"

"Hold on! The Eva's aren't that fast, you know!" scolds Asuka.

"I am still proceeding to my location."

Shinji slumps back in the entry plug. After a few minutes, Shinji moves his Eva so he could watch the Angel. The black and white sphere floated fifty meters above the ground in the same spot, not moving or showing any signs of noticing the purple giant. By this time, Shinji was slightly irritated. Images began to appear in his head, of him being abandoned by his father, of him running away from his problems, and of the numerous occasions Asuka called him 'weak' and 'a spineless coward.' With that, Shinji made up his mind. He would show them all that he wasn't weak or a coward.

"I'm going to take it out, Misato."

Shinji's decision caught Misato by surprise.

"Shinji! Wait for the others!"

Her request came too late. Shinji had already willed his Eva to move out of its hiding spot. Unit 01 aimed its pallet gun at the Angel and opened fire. Just before the volley of rounds impacted the sphere, it disappeared.

"What the...?" utters Shinji.

"Where'd it go?" half questions, half orders, Misato.

"Scanning...oh no! It's…it's under Unit 01!" announces Makoto.

"What?!"

"It's a shadow!" exclaims Ritsuko.

"Shinji! The Angel's really a shadow! Get outta there!"

"Huh?"

Shinji looks down at his Eva's feet and sees a dark form slide under his Eva. His eyes go wide in horror as his Eva begins to sink into the black form.

"Misato! Help me!" frantically shouts the terrified pilot.

"Shinji!! Asuka! Rei! Help Shinji!"

"No!"

Misato turns around and faces Ritsuko.

"What do you mean 'no'? Shinji needs help!"

"And what do you plan to accomplish by sending the other Evas? They would just get sucked in with Unit 01 as well!!"

The two women are cut off by Maya.

"The Angel is expanding at a faster rate!"

Asuka spots the approaching black mass.

"Shit!"

As fast as she can, she wills her Eva to jump towards the nearest building, embedding its axes in the walls. Using the axes as grips, the Eva pulls itself up to the roof of the building and surveys the area. Off in the distance, she sees Unit 01 shooting at the ground.

"What is he doing?" she wonders.

Then she notices that the Eva seems to be getting shorter and it hits her: Shinji is being sucked into the Angel. Misato's message reaches her, confirming it. Unit 02 crouches and lunges towards the nearest building, landing with a crash. It repeats the process, making its way to Unit 01. Just as she lands on the third building, an image of Misato appears in her plug.

"Asuka, pull back."

The new set of orders shocks Asuka.

"What do you mean?! Shinji's in trouble!"

"I know, but we can't do anything to help him. If you try to rescue him, you will probably be sucked in with him. I'm sorry."

All Asuka can do is stare at the image of Misato. Then, an image of Shinji appears in her plug, along with Rei's and in the command bridge.

"Somebody! Help me! Misato! Rei! Asuka!.....anyone...."

The transmission is cut off and is replaced with static.

"We've lost contact with Unit 01...," slowly reports Shigeru.

Misato turns to the bridge crew.

"Then that means… "

"He has been completely pulled into the Angel," finishes Ritsuko.

Misato looks in disbelief at the doctor, then opens a comm to the other Evas.

"Asuka, Rei. Return to HQ."

"Hai," responds Rei.

Asuka remains standing on top of the building, staring at the location where Unit 01 had stood. After about a minute, she reluctantly makes her way to the nearest recovery point.