Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Unbreakable Bond ❯ Beginnings ( Chapter 2 )

Unbreakable Bond

Chapter II Beginnings

 

Well it looks like I'll be adding this story to the production line. That was not my intention, but if you guys love it so much, I suppose I will put it on the line for now. Plus, 13 reviews for the first chapter? That's my best record yet. The only other story I had that reached 9 reviews before an update was my Wings of an Angel story. And don't ask me when I'll update that, I don't know.

 

Also, people have been wondering about Ritsuko's knowledge, hint, hint, THE REPORT SHE GAVE WAS A FEW HOURS AFTER THE INCIDENT! Read carefully before you ask something like that. I mean heck she had a good three or four hours to look at the MAGI data, and ascertain enough information to tell that the Eva's probably did a memory exchange.

 

“So from what you know, those two in there,” jabbing her thumb towards the room, “are somehow mentally linked?” asked a freshly showered Asuka, clad in a pair of blue hip hugger jeans and a black sweater.

 

“I didn't exactly say that,” replied a highly exasperated Misato. “It's hard to explain. Go look inside if you want to understand.” Asuka was hesitant to enter. Despite her curiosity, there was a chance that they could be doing something perverted that Misato wouldn't dare say, nor acknowledge. She knew that Shinji was a pervert, heck she's seen him do perverted things. Or at least she believes so. Finally gathering all her courage and gritted her teeth, she grabbed the door handle and opened the room.

 

Upon entering, the two occupants turned to face the new comer. However their acknowledgement completely threw Asuka off. Upon entering, the two had turned their faces, from one another, to Asuka, in perfect unison. However, that was not what threw her off. It was their eyes. She distinctly recalled neither of them having such eyes as a normal person. She always knew that one was of pure focus, unrelenting loyalty, and dedication to work, while the other was more of an unfocused, deprived looking appearance. And yet, they seemed to have gained some sort of revelation, a new way to look on life.

 

“Wha-what happened to you two?” asked a highly confused Asuka.

 

“Explain,” asked not one, but the two of them, their voices resonating against one another.

 

“But-what-how-what the … what the hell happened to you two during the accident?”

 

“We exchanged thoughts, memories, and feelings,” the two replied, again in perfect unison. “Is there a problem, Soryu/Asuka?” Asuka was overwhelmed. They were in complete unison. She didn't know if it was from practice, or if they really had developed some sort of bond. All she knew was that they were seriously freaking her out. Naturally she did what any overwhelmed person did, ran before it got worse.

 

She instantly closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, panting, as her hands clutched her chest, “What the hell was that?”

 

“See what I mean?” Misato asked from the waiting bench across the door.

 

“I need some air,” Asuka said before she ran off.

 

Misato on the other hand stared at the door intently, her mind running a few things she had noticed. She recalled Ritsuko had done some personal adjustments on the Eva's just prior. However she shook the thought out and thought on something more relevant, and more disturbing. It was the expression and voice Ritsuko had when she talked about the incident. See seemed almost glad that this happened, and she swore she could've heard and saw that Ritsuko was actually excited about observing the two. That didn't sit well with Misato. She needed to know what was wrong, and needed to know soon. She didn't want Ritsuko pulling something unnecessary or dangerous on the two, especially on Shinji. With that, she got up and looked for someone who could have answers.

 

As Asuka walked down the halls of NERV, her mind was racing. She saw so much in there in less than a minute. Being a 13 year old in university taught her to be observant. Especially in people's movements, as any of them could've possibly taken advantage of her. This acquired skill proved to be overwhelming when she was in there. Although it was minute, and barely noticeable, even for her, she could see that they mirrored each others movements. Despite their different positions, they were still moving in time with each other. Every finger movement, breath taken, even their eyelids opening and closing, it was all in sync, in absolute perfect sync. It was highly unnerving, and what was worse was their voice.

 

Normally, Rei spoke quietly, and was highly reserved, but it was confident, unless it fell onto a particular subject she was unfamiliar with. With Shinji on the other hand, he too was quiet and reserved, but he was highly embarrassed about everything, and only spoke when he needed to, and even then it lacked confidence. It lacked any real power behind it. However what she had just witnessed in there completely distorted her classification of the two. Their eyes had especially distorted her once firm belief of what they were. Rei normally had a dead appearance and demeanour on her face. She always had this distant look on her face when she wasn't on assignment, or in battle. She would stare off into the distance, or look at something, and it would be the same. She didn't seem to care about the world around her. Then there was Shinji. He had the look, the face, and especially the eyes of a coward. His eyes always had fear in them, around his friends, and even at home. Never anywhere, he went did he go without his fears. Sure there were times he was happy, but even then it was a hollowed happiness. He always had a hollowed expression in his eyes.

 

But now, their eyes were completely different. It lacked the emptiness. Inside that room, the two people she knew and despised no longer existed. Neither of them seemed … reserved or hidden, for lack of a better term. They seemed to be brimming with understanding. The way they looked at one another, they seemed to really understand one another. However, they also had this aura of all knowingness in terms of NERV operations. Also, they seemed to have exchanged parts of each others faces. Rei now seemed to be able to express herself to a certain degree, she wasn't sure, and Shinji, he was more confident about himself. His posture was a big difference. When she sat him sitting there on the edge of the bed next to Rei, she could see he was sitting straight back, almost in a proud fashion.

 

This was all too much for Asuka, and she swore that if she didn't get any air soon she would throw up from the sight of the two, acting almost like just one person.

 

Back inside the recovery room, Shinji had long returned to his bed and fell asleep, leaving Rei to contemplate on what she had learned during the accident. She looked over at Shinji, to see him peacefully sleeping, without almost a care in the world.

 

`He appears calm asleep, almost…serene.' The first thought that popped into Rei's mind was suddenly the image of her smiling. It was right after Shinji had told her to smile. She wondered where the thought came from and dug deeper. The further she dug the more complex the emotions behind them became. It was almost unnerving for her, but the memory was there, plus she was forced to live out every last one of them during the accident. It was something she was not able to put out of her mind.

 

As she dug further, feelings starting to rise. They were not hers, and yet, somehow, they matched hers. Many a times she had often wondered what went through the mind of the oddity Shinji Ikari, and how she had that chance. She could look deep within herself, and find all the answers that she had often desired. No more would she wonder why he did certain things, or how his mind worked. She had all the answers. All of it was deep within her mind; she just had to seek deep within herself to draw out all the answers. She remembered once being told by Gendo, no, the Commander, that humans were impossible to truly understand. It was impossible to truly delve within the mind and soul of a person, to truly understand what motivated them to go on, to do anything. That left the root of many motivations unknown, and even if discovered, either misunderstood, or not at all. But now, Rei could understand. In less than a minute, she had lived out his life. She had seen life through his eyes, and had experienced things through his eyes.

 

Reaching the memory she desired, she found herself flooded with many emotions. First was fear. He had feared for her life, feared that she may have been hurt, or even killed during the battle. It was a terrifying experience, and painful at that as he pried the super-heated entry plug emergency hatch open. Then came a feeling of extreme relief; he was relieved, happy, almost joyful that she had survived. It some how brought a smile to her face. Shinji was so glad that she was alive, that he cried for her. At the time, she still didn't fully understand why he cried, despite his explanation. Now she did. And that thought brought great comfort to her.

 

All this time, she was raised to live alone, without a single attachment to this world, and also to disregard everything and anything that did not concern with her purpose. She knew of her destiny, she knew of the future that was ahead of her. She was bound to a fate she could not run away from. Or so she was taught. Until today, she always believed she was nothing, that she was simply a bag filled with nothing but straw. That was all she was, and ever would be until the day of her destiny. She hated that existence, but knew it would serve no point to die, as another one would take her place. It would be an endless cycle of death and rebirth until the day she was created for.

 

But now, because of this accident, which has taught her many things, it gave her a newer level of understanding, or more appropriately, a new look upon her life. It taught her that life was indeed worth living, although the life she saw was miserable, but combined with her experiences in life, she now had a desire to live. No longer was she the emotion deprived, absolute, or obedient girl everyone knew. She was a teenage girl who wanted to live out life to the fullest, and also, she desired understanding. She had a new found yearning to one day fully grasp her emotions, and be able to use them as one of her means to become human.

 

She continued to stare at Shinji, and wondered how this experience would affect him. She felt how Shinji, even now hated his life, wanted it to end. He was truly clinging onto strings as the only thing that ever kept him going was that one time he received words of praise from his father. That was the sole thing that had kept him going, and it was destroying him. Besides those words, he had wanted to end his life at one point or another. But how, Rei hoped that with this experience, he could somehow come to the conclusion that life was worth living. She was unsure, but she felt a need for Shinji to be there for her, as she hoped to be there for him, in return.

 

Rei let out a yawn and looked at the clock above the door, to see that it was around 4 in the afternoon. Pulling the covers up upon herself, she took one last look at Shinji before she closed her eyes. Sleep rapidly crept upon her, and as she befell the power of exhaustion, her last thought was a wish; her first wish. What she wished for was something that many would try to destroy.

 

High within the office of Commander Gendo Ikari, he sat in his desk, as he went through the report that was recently handed to him by Ritsuko. He was to say the least unhappy. The CAT scans that were taken, along with the data collected during the incident all confirmed her initial report. They both had indeed experienced each other's lives. That in itself was a problem, as Rei would not be able to forget such a thing. Then there was the issue that pilot of Unit 01 not only has experienced her life, he also bore her knowledge. If he knew as much as he believed he did, it would cause severe complications. Then there was also the issue of the Third Child's, understanding of emotions. Although that wouldn't affect the scenario, there was the issue of the Dummy Plug system. If Rei were to reconnect with the system during the next upload, that would have disastrous results. This by far was the worst contingency for the scenario.

 

Gendo let out a frustrated sigh, “Ikari, how bad is it?” Kouzo asked from his seat, besides Gendo's desk.

 

“It was just as the doctor reported,” he deadpanned.

 

“And what of the link?”

 

“Nothing solid, but it is there.” Gendo looked down at the reports again. “The doctor believes that the first sign is their ability to sense each other's presence, and to synchronize with one another.”

 

“Synchronize?”

 

“Yes. Like what the Second and Third. Only difference is that it would be instinctive.”

 

“What will you do with the situation?”

 

“I may have to terminate the 2nd, and activate the 3rd.”

 

“Ikari, is that wise?”

 

“I may have to; otherwise the old men will want a report, or even a study on this. That and this is the last thing I need.” Kouzo's face grimaced at the very thought that Shinji and Rei could possibly be probed and experimented upon should this incident reach their ear, which most likely already has. He knew that they would have the work fast if they didn't want SEELE to get their hands on the pilots. But he had to work even fast if Rei in general were to live.

 

Within the infirmary of NERV, a certain doctor was jumping up and down with joy. She had long known of Gendo's plans, and had done certain things with said man. However, despite all of her efforts to win his heart over, she had all but failed to do so. Rei was still his priority, and it had highly infuriated her. Many a time had she dreamt of throwing a wrench into his plans, such as destroy Rei, however such actions would only result in death. She wanted gloating rights; however such a direct action would cut her gloating instantly.

 

However this was even better. She didn't even lift a finger and already she got her wish. Well…maybe a finger or two, but regardless, she could see a bond forming. She didn't know what, but whatever was better than nothing. She knew that Rei was rather absolute about her view on her life, but perhaps with a little help from Shinji, plus all the memories she experienced, she would be able to defy Gendo. The perfect wrench: A puppet that would defy the puppeteer. It was the best way to sabotage his plans at this point.

 

Ritsuko let out a contented sigh, and leaned back into her chair inside her medical office. She looked over at the screen which displayed the inside of the recovery room the two were in. She saw that they were both asleep, and smirked. Now she had her chance. She grabbed two pairs of neural clips, and left her office, and went straight for their room. She had intended to monitor the development of this bond, and so how this would work out. If it can go as deep as she hoped, it would be all too sweet when Rei finally destroyed him. It was only a matter of time really before things would go her way.

 

She quietly opened the door, and crept in, first of all approaching Rei. She stared at Rei for some time, as she contemplated on her feelings towards the girl. She hated her, absolutely despised her. She just wanted her to die, however, now, she had a reason to let her live. She was once Gendo's tool, but now she was hers. She would be her instrument in dealing a powerful blow to the bastard's plans. However, she would ensure that Rei would be treated well. Plus Shinji was an added bonus. If these two in particular could possibly defy Gendo, then all of her efforts would come to fruition, while his would be in vain.

 

She however shook her head, as those kinds of thoughts were best left untouched. Such callous attitude and confidence would only breed failure. She would save such things for a later time. She took a deep breath, and placed the clips upon Rei's head, before she moved over to Shinji, and placed his on. After quickly ensuring that both units were working fine, she quietly left the room, with a wide smile on her face.

 

Meanwhile…

 

“Get your bloody hands off me!” hollered an irritated Misato. Said irritator simply smirked as he strengthened his hold around the Major's waist with one arm as he tried to bring her face closer to his with his other.

 

“Why Katsuragi-san, what's wrong? You aren't usually this resistant to my charm,” Kaji replied in an overly suave tone.

 

Misato groaned in exasperation as she used both arms just to push herself away from him, “I need answers, but how the hell can I get any, especially from you, when you are all over me!”

 

“Hmm,” Kaji paused for a moment, as he looked up at the ceiling with a rather dazed look upon his face. “Well if you joined me for coffee, perhaps I would be willing answer some of your questions.” Misato huffed at the proposal, but in the end sighed reluctantly. She needed answers, and Kaji as of late had been able to dish them out. However his methods of obtaining such info, was still beyond her.

 

A little while later, Kaji had taken her up back to the surface, where they sat down for a cup of coffee, in a faraway corner, where no one would see them.

 

“Now,” Kaji began as he took a sip, “ask away, Katsuragi-san.”

 

“What do you know about the incident this morning?”

 

“Straight to the point are we?” Kaji commented. “If that's the case, there are certain individuals who are not happy with the committee and Gendo.”

 

“Not happy? What's that suppose to mean, and who are they?”

 

“Let's see,” he paused for a moment, and then brought up his hand as he started to count things off. “There's the misappropriation of the Evangelions, meaning there isn't enough on scene or lack of proper equipment, then there's the Commander himself, elusive as ever, then there's the fact that some have caught wind of Rei's living arrangements, need I go on?”

 

“Anything about me?” Misato asked tensely.

 

Kaji however shook his head, “Nope, in fact, Shinji and Asuka are believed to be in good hands at this time.”

 

“Stop beating around the bush and give me a straight answer,” she barked out.

 

“How can I give you an answer, when I don't know the answer?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean that all I know is that there are people who are miffed about the situation concerning the committee and the Commander. That's all I know. How they plan to go about making changes, I have no idea. But I don't spend too much time because I've got other businesses to handle.” He took a few more sips of his coffee, “However, let's drop the matter about that and,” he reached over and held Misato's hand, “let's talk about other things, shall we?”

 

Misato frowned at the invitation, “My answer is this.” She took her coffee cup, and dumped it over his head. “Some help you were.” With that she got up and left.

 

Kaji smirked as he leaned back and rubbed his chin, “Still playing hard to get are we, Katsuragi-san.” He looked down at his uniform and sighed, “This was a nice uniform, and I just got this issued.”

 

A couple days later Shinji and Rei were in their room, where they sat in their respective beds, clothed in their school uniforms, as they waited for Misato, and stared. They were unsure as to why they did this, as it served no purpose, and yet, they found staring at each other somewhat relaxing. Yet, both also had this urge to look away. This left their minds in a state of utter confusion, as they tried to sort out thought after thought, urges after urges, and other such mental functions.

 

It was all highly confusing, as the thoughts of one were now being processed by the other. Thoughts that were once their own were now processed by the mind of the other. Unsure of how to react, how to handle such mental stress, both had opted to do the only logical and more comfortable thing, sit on their bed, and stare into oblivion, and tried to sort out the mess that was their merged minds.

 

They still wore their neural clips by order of Dr. Akagi, which continued to monitor and collect data concerning their brain activity and brainwave patterns. Inside her medical office, Ritsuko was having a ball. Over the last two days and a half, the MAGI had collected gigabytes of data, and then some. It was truly an amazing sight and discovery. She smirked, as the rate of change within their brains was faster than she had calculated, and the change itself was an amazing result. By now, they had physically synced with each other. Their movement, their blinking, their twitches, all in perfect sync, in fact, even their speech pattern had synced up perfectly. However that was only the beginning.

 

She had also noted that their reactions to certain things tended to oppose their natural reactions. Certain things Rei would ignore, she would at least take notice, whereas Shinji, who would actually take a look at certain things, now would simply acknowledge the existence of the disturbance. Their habits were another thing, as they had yet to be released from the medical ward. Also, she had experimented on their sensitivity with one another. She had separated them by one room, and they had accurately stated the distance from one another. That in itself was amazing.

 

She wondered if they could exchange thoughts, but assumed that was far later, if it would ever reach that. She continued to experiment their sensitivity even further, by taking Shinji to the edge of the medical ward. However after they had passed five rooms, he had shown signs of confusion, shakiness, sweating, and intense worry about Rei. At first, she had passed it off as the new found bond the two had formed. However, about another 5 doors, Shinji had collapsed. That gave the doctor a scare, but the fact he started to beg for Rei surprised her. She had immediately put one arm around his shoulder, and dragged him back to his room, where she had found Rei in a similar state. The closer she had brought Shinji to her, the more relieved Rei became, until they were in the same bed. She had made note of it, but at the time it didn't concern her.

 

Now, she found it to be the greatest weapon in her scheme. With this sudden dependence for one another, it would prove difficult for the Commander to take Rei anywhere, without Shinji's nearby presence. She wanted to test the extremes limits of their dependence, but thought better, as she wanted them healthy if her plans were to work. She looked over the data for a moment longer, before she heard footsteps. Not wanting anyone to see her `research' she grabbed her clipboard, got up, and left the room, locking it behind her.

 

“Are they free to go?” a voice asked, startling the good doctor. She looked to her right to see Misato stare at her concernedly.

 

“Yeah, they're ready,” Ritsuko replied with a relieved sigh. “However, you have to make either Shinji or Rei move.”

 

Misato quirked an eyebrow, “Why's that?”

 

She motioned for Misato to follow her, “If you recall, the day of the accident, they were speaking in unison. Now, they're moving in unison, plus they've, shall we say, developed dependence for each other.”

 

“Dependence? What's that suppose to mean?”

 

“It means that if they get too far away from each other, it's like isolating an addict from their special stuff. And before you go blowing your head off,” Ritsuko interjected just as Misato was about to open her mouth, “they need each other's presence to feel normal. I suggest you have them at the very least, sleep in neighbouring rooms, of if you cannot accommodate that, sadly in the same room.” They stopped in front of the door to their room where Ritsuko looked at her friend warningly, “Now, when I open this door, it's going to be…shall we say, overwhelming.”

 

“Why's that?” Ritsuko chose not to answer, and open the door.

 

One look inside and Misato instantly groaned, “I need a beer.”

 

So, what are your thoughts? And to those who are asking me to make this a production story, I've decided to do so. So therefore, I will be updating this regularly. Anyways, please give me your comments, as I've enjoyed reading them. Well anyways, that's all from me

 

Cheers Ja ne