Here's a thought: if a company cares enough about your story to hit you with legal action, isn't that a compliment? Fizzy Pop, Inc. presents A story by }=]DarkNate Knowledge is Power Book One: Know thy Enemy "He's everything you want. He's everything you need. He's everything inside of you that you wish you could be. He says all the right things, At exactly the right time. But he means nothing to you and you don't know why." -Everything You Want, Vertical Horizon Chapter 7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The last few days had been extremely taxing for Shinji Ikari. First, he had helped Rei move into the apartment next door, and moved Asuka's stuff over there as well. Then, after taking back his old room, he found he now had even MORE chores than usual. Rei didn't generate much laundry, because she didn't have that many outfits--just her school uniform and two more casual sets Asuka had picked out for her. And she really didn't eat that much either, so there was no problem with her. The real problem was Asuka. When she had unpacked her things that had been in storage, she had been outraged that some of her clothes had gotten musty and dirty. Shinji had been assigned the drudgery of washing all her clothes, and THAT had taken almost three days of work. He was just lucky Rei was willing to help him. She was definitely an odd one. She didn't seem to know how to do a lot of things, almost as though her upbringing had been inside a plastic bubble, isolated from the outside by the people at NERV. She didn't know anything about cooking beyond how to boil water for ramen, and she didn't know how to sew. And she had no clue how to act around other people. It had taken two days to break her of her habit of walking around naked after a shower, and convince her it was inappropriate. Asuka had, thank goodness, taken care of THAT problem swiftly. But Rei was an enigma. "Oh stop worrying!" Shizuka Kansatsusha told his friend. "She's doing fine now. And she's smiling a lot more, too. She's learned a lot about life in the past few days she'd never been exposed to before. Remember when we watched the movie yesterday?" Shinji smiled. "Yeah," he replied in his thoughts, "I've never seen someone so interested in a Godzilla movie!" Then, he looked at the clock on his wall. "Crap! We're gonna be late for the synch test!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stepping into the decontamination area, Shinji felt the jets of water pound on his body, cleaning him of all traces of outside material. When he reached the end, he was in a small cubicle with a glass door on the front. He heard Asuka's voice to his left. "Okay, here we are, butt-naked and run through the wash fifteen times! We're as clean as we'll ever get." Ritsuko's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Good, and you'd better stay that way as you cross the room and get into the plugs." "WHAT?! We have to walk NAKED?!" "We'll be turning the cameras off for your privacy." Shinji snickered as Asuka continued to fume, then had an idea. "Asuka, Rei? I'll go first, if you're okay with that." Asuka suddenly stopped talking, then softly answered, "Thanks, Shinji-kun. That's very noble of you." Shinji too the ten steps across the room as quickly as he could, and stepped through the open doorway into his plug. He could just hear Rei offering to go ahead as well before the plug snapped shut. The test progressed for a few minutes, with Ritsuko giving them various small orders. After a while though, it became apparent that something was going wrong. Alarms started to go off all around, and finally Misato gave the order, "Eject the plugs! Send them up into the lake!" Shinji felt a massive force accelerate them upward, and when he heard a muffled splash, he knew they had reached the surface. The LCL in their plugs wouldn't last more than an hour, and they had no clothes. NERV was obviously fighting some sort of invasion, either Angel or Man, and wouldn't pick them up for at least that long. So, they would have to go back on their own. "This is why you wanted me to learn how to swim, right?" he asked Shizuka as he looked around for a spare plugsuit or some other garments. "Actually, yes. I knew this would happen, and your only other option was getting towed back by Rei. That would have been embarrassing, right?" "Yeah." Then Shinji, finding no clothes in the small plug, grabbed at the seat cushions on the chair. When it came away easily, he found a seam in the material and sliced it on one of the only sharp edges in the plug. Now that he had some material to work with, he began wrapping himself a loincloth. "Do you know if we still have communications?" he asked Shizuka as he tied a knot on one hip. "I think so." Shinji keyed up a channel to Rei and Asuka. Setting it to sound only, he asked, "You guys okay?" Asuka answered with a growl of, "I'm floating naked in a lake! What do you think?!" Rei's reply was more subdued, but Shinji could hear her gritting her teeth. "Rei, are you hurt?" he asked, suddenly concerned. "Asuka, you can tear up the seat cushions and tear the seams open to use as some clothes. As soon as you're covered, get over to Rei's plug and help her." "Roger!" Asuka replied. Rei sent another message. "I am fine. The arm of the simulation body was removed, and I may have suffered some feedback damage. I will be alright in a few moments." Asuka laughed. "Yeah, but until then you'll be sore! I'll come over and help you tie up some clothes. I'm all set." Shinji sighed with relief. "Okay, I'm opening my hatch. I'll stay in my plug until you two are ready, and we can swim for shore." Shizuka spoke up in his mind. "I can follow Asuka if you want." Shinji was relieved. "Would you please? I'd feel better knowing they're okay." "Sure thing. I'll relay the images back to you mentally." "You can do that?" "I think so." Shizuka detached himself from Shinji's mind, and Shinji could feel the change in his head somehow. Now that he knew what the feeling meant, he remembered a few other times. It was eerie, almost like a part of his body had gone numb. However, he suddenly got double vision. Shizuka floated through the air, not visible but still there. A small tendril of his essence lead back to Shinji, sending the images to his host. Focussing his 'eyes' on Asuka's form, he carefully avoided sharpening his view so the details were blurred. He also worked his 'ears' so he could pick up her conversation with Rei, repeating their words back to Shinji. Asuka: Can you move your arm at all? Rei: Some, but the mobility is limited. Asuka: Okay, I'll pull up the seats and get started. Just move off to the side. Rei moved over to lean against the left side of the plug, gently cradling her sore right arm. Asuka ripped up the seat cushion, slit the seam on the sharp corner of the transmitter box on the back of the seat, and tore the fabric into two strips. She tied the first onto Rei's waist, forming a rough bikini. The second was wrapped around her torso, and tied off. By this time, Rei's nerves had realized that her arm had NOT been ripped from its socket, and she could move it again. She gingerly tested it as she slid into the water, and began gently paddling towards Shinji's plug. Asuka was right behind her, and yelled for Shinji to get his rear in gear. Shizuka flitted back to Shinji's mind as quickly as he could. Shinji met him just as he poked his head outside the plug, and lost his balance with the restoration of the full connection. He flopped into the water headfirst, and came up gasping. "Sorry, Shinji!" Shizuka apologized. Shinji didn't reply, as he coughed the water out of his lungs and struggled to stay afloat. Once he got himself stabilized, he stroked over to Asuka and Rei. "You okay, Shinji?" Asuka asked. "Yeah, just lost my grip," Shinji replied. "Okay, if you say so. Let's swim to shore, and get back to HQ. The sooner we get some clothes the better I'll feel." Shinji nodded, and they began swimming off. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next day at school, Asuka was all praise for Shinji. "So there we are," she was telling Hikari, "no clothes and in the middle of the lake. HQ was so busy with whatever emergency they had they couldn't get us out, and now they tell me that whatever happened is so classified even WE can't know about it! Thank Gott for Shinji, or we'd have had to swim back naked! You'd think they'd put extra suits or something in there! But no, there's nothing. "So Shinji tells us to grab the seat cushions and rip them open. And what do you know, it worked! So we all swam back, wearing scraps of cloth, and Misato drove us back to the apartment without another word." "Wow, Shinji did all that?!" Hikari asked with a giggle. "Yeah. Maybe I was wrong about him. A perverted hentai would NEVER have suggested that we cover up!" Shinji, paying total attention to the conversation without appearing to, asked Shizuka, "So, you can float around outside my head. Does that mean you can read other people's minds too?" "Yeah, sorta. I can't read their memories like I can with you, but I can read active thoughts." Shinji's voice took on a pleading note. "Could you see if Asuka really feels that way? I'm kinda nervous not knowing, since she normally just puts me down." "Well, I'll see." The feeling of separation lasted only an instant, and Shizuka was back. "WELL?!" Shinji asked. "Well, she doesn't hate you, but I think it's more a neutral to friendly type feeling than a 'wow he so cool' feeling." "That's all I ask right now." Shinji sighed, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes. "I could use a few more friends." Shizuka made that feeling the said he was smiling. "It never hurts to have friends." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The afternoon at lunch, Shinji, Kensuke, and Touji were eating lunch on the roof. The sky was that wonderful mix of cloudy and clear that provides shade when you get too hot, and sun when you get a little chilled. Shinji, having a smaller lunch than the others, was relaxing on his back while the others finished. "So, Shinji," Touji asked in his normal blunt manner, "why'd you give the girls the idea to put on clothes? I would've just stayed naked and watched em." Shinji gave Touji an evil look. "You would." He snorted. "I told them because they're my friends. Not to mention I'd never hear the end of it from Asuka. I just finally got on friendly terms with her, and I don't need to give her reasons to not like me." "Good point," Kensuke said, pushing up his glasses. "And Asuka was downright FRIENDLY this morning! Very peculiar behavior..." Touji nodded. "Yeah, she hasn't insulted you yet today. It's a record or something!" "Don't antagonize her," Kensuke said, "or she might get worse again. Let's enjoy this while it lasts!" "Hai hai!" Touji crowed. Shinji sweat-dropped, and packed his bento away. "I'm going down to the classroom. See you guys later." After the teacher had finished his regular lessons and started back in on his 'Second Impact' lecture again, Shinji booted up the chat program. He found a lot of people in the main chat room daring each other to try and talk to Rei or Asuka. After a short mental debate, he reminded everyone what had happened to the LAST guy who had tried to talk to Asuka. The imagery wasn't pretty. The poor guy had been in the hospital for a week, and he still walked with a limp. And to get them to leave Rei alone, he mentioned that she didn't respond to you unless you asked a direct question. The only way to get her to go out with you was to ask her what day she was available, and then ask her if she would go on a date that evening. This was too large a task for the guys, so they decided to turn to other topics. Someone had let it be known that Rei had moved in next door to Shinji, and everyone was gossiping about possible reasons. They ranged from the logical--pilot cooperation and teamwork--to the bizarre--Shinji was sleeping with a different girl each night, including Misato, and that was the reason Asuka was so pissy: she wasn't getting enough. Shinji snickered at the idea, and shot it down in flames. Rei showed no interest in him except as a friend and teacher. He taught her anything he could think of, and anything she asked him to. There were some times he had to send her to Misato, but those were getting fewer. She seemed to be learning that certain things were 'women's secrets' that no male could fathom. "My, aren't we introspective today?" Shizuka asked with a hint of laughter. "Well, if I bore you, go read someone else's thoughts!" Shinji shot back. "And miss all the fun? No way!" Just then, the bell rang, and the class packed up to leave. There were no tests today, and no homework for the weekend. Shinji had gotten his cello out of storage finally, and was ready to re-tune it and play something. He found his instrument waiting for him in his room, still in its case. With a fond smile, he opened the catches on the old leather, and gently lifted it out of the soft velvet. He set it gently on its end, and brought it to the ready position. Finding his bow, he drew it across the strings softly to see how well the strings had held up. He was surprised to find it in perfect tune. "Maybe Misato had it tuned before she left for work?" Shizuka suggested. "Could be." Shinji then focused on not playing the instrument, but on _becoming_ it, making it a part of himself. As the soft notes of Suiten fur Violincello filled the room, he lost himself in the feeling of the piece. When he came to the end, he simply started back at the beginning, without pause or hesitation. On the fourth repetition, something changed. Before, he had been working to play the piece from memory, recalling each note as it was printed on the sheet music. Now, the music was a part of his soul, and his hands worked of their own will. He no longer had to concentrate. He no longer had to worry about a wrongly remembered note or poor fingering. He simply let it flow out of him like water from a faucet, steady and unending. As he ended the fifth repetition, he realized that never, in his whole life, had he ever played this song while he was sad. It never seemed to work when he was not content with his life. And so, secure in the knowledge that life was going good for him, he began again. It was halfway through the seventh repetition that he felt the presence at his back, watching him. He finished the set, and put down his bow. Without turning around, he asked, "So, do I play well enough for you, Asuka?" The redhead jumped in surprise. She hadn't realized he knew someone was here, let alone who it was. Then she realized that there were no reflective surfaces anywhere nearby that he could have seen her from. Deciding on a direct approach, she sat down next to him on the floor. "So how'd you know it was me?" she asked. Shinji smiled. "Rei would have come in and sat in the chair, where she could hear better. She knows she doesn't have to be stealthy around me." Asuka was surprised by the answer, but didn't show it. "Well, her manners ARE terrible. But I've gotta say, that's the best I've ever heard ANYONE play that piece. You must have practiced a lot." "Well, when I was young, my teachers told me I should play an instrument. I wasn't too interested, but I did what they said. I never quit, because no one ever told me I should. So, I keep in practice a little now and then. But this afternoon, I remembered a promise I made to Rei when I first came here: that we would play together sometime." Then, he made a gracious bow to Asuka. "And if you would join us, I would be honored. We could use a violinist to complete our little trio." Asuka's face was a mix of fear, surprise, and delight. "Why not?" she answered in her usual arrogant tone. "You two could use someone with REAL talent in your group, after all." Shinji smiled. "And with the great Asuka-sama, how could we ever perform badly?" Rei walked in, carrying her viola and bow, with a sheaf of music in hand. "I heard you playing." Shinji motioned to the papers in her hand. "May I see?" Rei handed him the music, and he looked it over. It wasn't titled, and the music was unfamiliar. Humming a few lines, he realized it sounded wonderful, but he couldn't place it. There were parts for all four major string instruments, but the bass and cello parts were nearly identical. He turned back to Rei. "Would you like to try this piece?" She nodded, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. "Would you join us, Asuka?" Asuka looked over the violin section, and nodded. "This looks playable. Let's give it a shot. I'll go get my violin." Shinji dragged three chairs from the kitchen into a rough triangle, and set music stands in front of them. "I happened to have a couple spares, since I had one for home, one for school, and one for lessons. When I came here, I packed them all up with the cello. Lucky thing, I guess." Rei nodded, and set her music on the stand. Shinji did the same, and began running through the fingerings of the notes in the first part. He could see Rei watching him, but not practicing. After Shinji had run through the first ten measures, he asked her, "Have you played this before?" "I have memorized all the parts." Shinji was confused. "You mean, all the instruments?" "Hai." "Why?" Rei looked away. "I wrote it. A long time ago." Shinji smiled. "And you never got a chance to hear all the parts together, is that it?" "Hai. I am..." "Nervous?" "Hai. I am worried the music will not sound the way I wanted." Asuka walked through the door. "Well, we'll never know unless we play, right?" She sat herself on the chair and brought her violin to her shoulder. "On the beat, one, two, three, go!" The music began, low and slow. Shinji was playing more here, with Rei adding a few notes and Asuka adding almost none. Then, after a few measures, the piece began in earnest. Asuka, playing the higher notes, led them in dizzying climbs of sound, echoing in the small room. Rei's instrument was an undercurrent to those runs, lower and more intense. Shinji's bass line was still slow and deliberate, but gradually increased in tempo. The sound rushed from their fingers as fast as they could play, and the music took on a life of its own. The rushing sounds of the violin became the shrieks and wails of weapons, entire arsenals pounding at each other. Rei's own music was the sounds of the explosions and destruction, of buildings crashing down and mountains blowing up. Shinji's cello was the sound of feet, always moving, and of hands, kicking and punching. Gradually, as they neared the climax, the scenery began to form in Shinji's mind, and he could see the battle. A giant, holding weapons of war in its massive hands, firing at another, more animal, attacker. The giant threw its gun away, and began smashing the beast with its fists, and the beast was thrown into buildings, smashing and leaving a trail of destruction. Then, the beast leapt at the giant, and sank its teeth into the neck of its foe. The giant's howl of pain lingered in the air as the instruments drew the note out as long as they could, and then the giant grabbed the beast and crushed it into dust. As it howled its victory, the sound faded away to nothing. When they were done, all three of them looked at each other in awe. Shinji looked over to Asuka, then to Rei, who was panting slightly. "Kami-sama...that was amazing, Rei." Shinji couldn't help but stare incredulously. "It was like watching one of our battles." Asuka agreed. "Yeah, I could almost FEEL the rage in the giant as it fought." Rei looked down at her feet. "It was right after I watched Unit One's first battle. I was so surprised at the ferocity of the fight, I had to transfer my feelings onto paper. I wanted to be able to remember it later. But I was not very good at writing, and the short essay did not convey the emotions I felt accurately. So I wrote music. What did you see?" Shinji answered first. "A giant, firing huge blasts of fire and noise at a large animal." Asuka nodded. "I saw the same thing. I could even see the way it crushed the animal with its bare hands. It was eerie." Then she looked at Rei. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not play it again for a while." "Hai." And with that, Rei packed up the music and her viola, and left. Shinji and Asuka were left alone. "To be honest," Shinji said, "I was frightened. I've never felt any music so strongly. Rei's got a gift, I'll say that." Asuka put her violin in its case. "I'll say. I've never seen pictures in music before." She set the case on the floor, and whispered, "Actually, I was a little scared too. That's never happened before." Shinji smiled. "So, you are human after all. I'm glad." "Oh, and why's that?" Shinji gave her a look. "Promise to give me a head start first?" "What? Fine, whatever." "I-I... I like you Asuka. It's nice to know you have a compassionate side too." Shinji left the room quickly, carrying his cello. Asuka stood there stunned. Shizuka had stayed behind, but didn't relay the next words to Shinji. "I-I-I... I think I might like you too." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Later that evening, in the kitchen, Shinji suddenly asked aloud, "Do you ever wonder what life would have been like without the Angels? If the Evas had still been built, and all the preparations had been put in place, but the Angels never showed up?" Shizuka's reply was quick. "No. The Angels were the reason I came to you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. If they had never come, I'd never have had this chance." Shinji laughed. "I suppose that's so!" Just then, Asuka strolled into the room. "Who are you talking to?" Shinji blushed. "Uh, umm, you see... His name is Shizuka. He talks to me, and helps me with my problems. I just asked a question, and his reply was very funny." Asuka crossed her arms and glared at him. "You've got an imaginary friend or something? That's crazy talk! I ought to report you, and you'll get taken off duty for at least a week." Shizuka whispered in Shinji's mind, "Just say it's a way you deal with complex things. You pretend to be two different people, so you can get different points of view. I'm made up, but you know I don't really exist." Shinji relayed this to Asuka, who didn't look convinced, but gave in. "All right, fine. This'll be our little secret. But," she waved her finger at him, "don't think you'll get off that easy! Punch yourself in the head, like the stooge you are." Shinji complied. Then, as the pain registered, he realized he had used his full strength on accident. Asuka's face changed from laughing to concerned in an instant when she saw the bruise spreading on his forehead. She grabbed a towel and some ice, and handed it to Shinji. "Here." "Ahhh! Domo arigato, Asuka-chan!" Asuka smiled. "Here, I'll help make it all better!" she said in a 'mother knows best' tone. She bent down, and gently kissed the bruised spot. Then, she turned on her heels and left the room. Shinji, holding the ice to his head, wondered if that had really been worth it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next day was a synch test. This time it was a normal one, so they kept their suits. Asuka was quite thankful for that. "Once is enough!" She sighed happily in the changing room. "Hopefully, they'll never try that again." Rei nodded. "I agree. It was a very...trying...experience for everyone." "Damn straight, Wondergirl. Now let's go show Shinji which gender makes better pilots." "Hai!" Shinji, for his part, was doing his best to clear his mind, even before getting in his plug. He calmed his heartbeat, and cleared his mind of thought. He had found that thinking of nothing generally just made things worse, so he had found something better. He drew. Drawing with one's mind is not easy to do. Very often his picture would fall apart, because he wasn't actively trying to think of a subject. He would just add lines as he saw fit. Lately, Shizuka had caught on to his idea, and would think up a broad category, to which Shinji would draw something from that. It made things easier. For example, last time he had made a cat with all squares when Shizuka had said, 'animal geometry.' This time the topic was different. "Artistic warfare," Shizuka said. Shinji climbed into the plug, and pictured a blank white surface that stretched forever in all directions. Then, he pictured his own Unit-01, but rendered in chalk. Then, he placed around it several dozen tanks and VTOLs, all firing at something. These were oil paintings, all in menacing dark tones. To complete the scene, he added a poorly drawn charcoal image of his first opponent: the Third Angel. It was clumsy and awkward as it advanced on the NERV forces. Shinji drew a pallet rifle for Unit-01, and it picked it up. Then, it pulled the trigger, sending a volley of fire at the Angel. As the Angel collapsed in a heap, a voice interrupted his concentration. "Hey, Shinji!" Misato's voice said from the comm window on his right, "Guess what?" "What, Misato?" "You've got the high score for today!" she said with a grin. "You're kidding!" Shinji didn't believe it for a second. "Yep! You're number one! A full six points higher than Asuka!" Her face showed she was telling the truth, and Shinji wanted to shout for joy. He repressed the feeling, and answered, "That's great!" As they climbed out of their plugs, Asuka glared at him. "I was just a little off today, Third Child! Just wait, I'll beat you next time!" Shinji rolled his eyes. "I know. Can't I enjoy it while it lasts?" "Why not? You'll never get the chance again!" Asuka laughed heartily. Shinji frowned. "I know! Why don't we all go out for dinner to celebrate?" Shinji suggested. "Sure! I'll even pay this time! Coming, Wondergirl?" Rei nodded. "Hai. I would enjoy that." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Evas had been deployed around the city. Shinji was in his cockpit, waiting for his teammates to reach their destinations so they could attack the Angel in front of them. So far, it had done nothing but float there. However, Shinji could sense the dread in his partner Shizuka, and he was getting worried. Finally, he said over the tac-net, "I'm going in. Cover me!" He leaped out from the building's shadow, gun blazing. But the shots never found their target. It had vanished! Shinji felt a shiver of fear from his partner, and then felt his eyes looking down against his will. "JUMP NOW!" Shizuka screamed, but it was too late. The black shadow had engulfed Shinji's feet, and he no longer had any purchase. He began to scream for help, but it was no use. He could hear Asuka yelling for someone to do something, and Shizuka focussed outside just long enough for him to see Unit-00 dragging Unit-02 bodily from the city to a launch tube. As Unit-02 disappeared down the shaft, Shizuka returned to Shinji, and his Eva sank beneath the surface of the shadow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Outside, Asuka was raging. "Let me go, Wondergirl!" she screamed as she thrashed Unit-02 around, trying to escape Zero's tight grip. "I could have SAVED him!" She threw her Eva forward as hard as she could, but couldn't escape. "SHINJIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It had been some time since Shinji had bothered to look outside again. Nothing had changed, except he was now six hours away from his death, and he was hungry. He heaved a heavy sigh. "Shinji, come ON!" Shizuka was yelling. "I can't get us out of this by myself! Unless you're behind me one hundred percent, the Eva won't listen to me! I know how we can escape, but you have to trust me and listen!" "Oh shut up already!" Shinji snapped. "Like praying to my mother will help. Oh yeah, I can just see it: 'Please, mommy, come back from the dead and rescue me from the Angel with your bare hands!'" Shizuka growled. "Fine. I'll shut up." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It had been almost another hour, and Shinji was getting worried. He knew it was the slow disappearance of oxygen from the LCL, as it couldn't replenish itself anymore from the stores onboard, but he was seeing things. Right now, he was sitting in a dark, cold place. He could hear a voice, talking to him. "Shinji." "Who's there?" he asked. "Shinji Ikari." "But I'm Shinji Ikari!" "That is true. I am the self within the self. In fact, this self has always been composed of two selves." "Two? That's absurd." "No. There are two. The self which is observed, and the self which observes itself. To expound, there are many Shinji Ikaris. There is the Shinji in your mind, the Shinji in Misato's mind, the Shinji in Rei's mind, and the Shinji in Asuka's mind. What you fear more than anything is the Shinji Ikaris in the minds of others." "I'm just afraid of being hated." "No, you are afraid of being hurt." "Is that wrong?" "To an extent, yes. One should not willingly seek pain, of course, but neither should one go out of one's way to avoid it." "Why not? What's wrong with avoiding painful things?" "Sometimes, pain can lead to pleasant things." "Pleasant? That's even more crazy." Suddenly, another voice broke in. "Really now?" Shinji found himself in a monorail car, with dim orange light streaming through the windows. Sitting across from him was a young version of himself, and another boy who was blurry and not quite solid. He was impossible to recognize, but his voice was one Shinji knew. "Shizuka?" The wispy form nodded. "Yes. To expound on Shin-kun's" and he gestured to the small Shinji, "idea, sometimes enduring pain can bring much greater rewards. For example, Asuka." "What about her?" Shinji said defensively. Shin-kun spoke up. "She insults you, abuses you physically, and makes you feel worthless, does she not?" "Well, sometimes..." Shin-kun nodded. "But, when you endured long enough, and took her to dinner, she kissed you, correct?" Shinji blushed at the memory. It had been very nice. "So, was the pain she caused worth it for those few moments of happiness?" Shizuka pressed. "Yes." Shinji raised his head and smiled. "I'd fight ten Angels all at once if she'd kiss me afterwards." "So, running away is not always the best choice?" Shin-kun asked calmly. "I-I guess not..." Shinji answered lamely. "Ah, but one cannot always dwell on happy memories either!" Shizuka said. "That is true," Shin-kun added. "One cannot return always to their happy memories over and over like a kind of rosary. You must strive to find new reasons to be happy, or you will grow bitter that you do not have them." Shinji nodded. "I'll try harder with Asuka and Rei, and Misato and my father as well." Shizuka and Shin-kun nodded together. "Time has nearly run," Shizuka said softly, and the scene faded away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The plug was going cold. Shinji was curled up as tight as he could, shivering and tired. Shizuka's voice kept telling him to hang in there, that they could escape if they just worked together, but Shinji was too far gone to notice anymore. The voices arguing in his head had finally stopped, and he just wanted to get some rest. He noticed that the timer had gone dark on his suit, the device cannibalizing any last scraps of power it could to keep him alive a little longer. Shinji knew he would drown soon, the LCL was no longer fresh. But he was so cold he couldn't move. In his mind, however, he called out to someone, ANYONE, to help him, to save him from this place. He could see the edges of his vision going black, and knew he was done for. He closed his eyes, but instead of the darkness, he saw a white light. The light screamed with rage, in a voice that he knew. "Yui Ikari! Will you not save the son you loved so much?! I know you are here, and I know you can sense me! Come forth, and let us save him!! This cannot end yet!" There was a muted thud, like a heartbeat, and Shinji knew no more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Random Author ramblings: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!! It is DONE!! The first book of my series is complete! At last, I can begin the really FUN parts! This whole first seven stories is the setting up for the rest of the series. If it seemed sometimes like the plot was rather thin, consider that not a whole lot of the early episodes were devoted to the Pilots. Misato, Ritsuko, Gendo, and SEELE are the key stories for a number of the episodes in the earlier episodes. But now, after the twelfth Angel's defeat, there is much, much more to tell in the pilot's lives. Nearly every scene involves them in some way, and there will be a lot more going on. For instance, how will they deal with the next angel, and who will be the Pilot of Unit Three? Not that it won't be Touji, but there is always the possibility. And what about Shinji's battle with the Angel of Might? And his subsequent absorption? What will he do when the women most important to him need his help at the lowest points in their lives? And what about Kaoru, who is really Tabris, the Angel of Free Will? What role will he play in Shinji's fate? You'll just have to stay tuned, and find out! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OMAKE, the comedy relief four out of five Otaku recommend [the fifth one was 'accidentally' shot after his vote was revealed]: Stepping into the decontamination area, Shinji felt the jets of water pound on his body, cleaning him of all traces of outside material. When he reached the end, he was in a small cubicle with a glass door on the front. He heard Asuka's voice to his left. "Okay, here we are, butt-naked and run through the wash fifteen times! We're as clean as we'll ever get." Ritsuko's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Good, and you'd better stay that way as you cross the room and get into the plugs." "WHAT?! We have to walk NAKED?!" "We'll be turning the cameras off for your privacy." Shinji snickered as Asuka continued to fume, then had an idea. "Asuka, Rei? I'll go first, if you're okay with that." He didn't wait for an answer, and took two steps forward. Then, before Shizuka could intervene, he turned to his left, took two more steps, pushed open the door Asuka was behind, and grabbed her breasts. Asuka screamed a particularly graphic German curse, and proceeded to castrate Shinji with her fingernails. Then, she poked out his eyes and shoved the bleeding carcass out onto the floor. "We'll need to wash again, Dr. Akagi!" she called. Shizuka just sighed. "Back to the drawing board!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ }=]End of File}=]
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