FicWad

Episode 6: Bitter Tears

Snafu's Notes: Bold Italic Text denotes speaking German. There's a 'Kiss of the Dragon' reference and a 'Tekken' reference in the story somewhere.

Nerv Headquarters, the Geofront.

Gendou Rokubungi Ikari sat at his desk. Standing before him, was his Tactical Operations Director, Major Misato Katsuragi. But Gendou was not grilling Misato about the footage of her seen with Big Boss the day before. Instead, Gendou was on the phone with the United Nations' Secretary General (one of the few people who were not on Seele's payroll).

As it turned out, somehow, the confrontation between Big Boss and Commander Ikari had reached the Secretary General in Tokyo-2, and he was not very pleased.

Which is why Gendou was holding the phone away from his ear with his bandaged hand. Apparently, the shrapnel from the gun had cut him pretty deep, forcing Gendou to get stitches. Misato could hear from her place the Secretary General screaming bloody murder from the phone. It was a known fact that the Secretary General of the United Nations despised Ikari for his use of child soldiers in blatant disregard of the Valentine Treaty, but Gendou threatening a high-ranking General of the United Nations was the last straw.

Gendou knew that there were spies from the U.N. working at Nerv, but he dismissed them as a threat, seeing as how several of Seele's council sat on the Security Council. But now, he had the Secretary General on the line, trying to bite his head off. Misato looked on in slight amusement as the indomitable Commander Ikari was getting read the riot act. Normally, he would let Fuyutsuki deal with the rank-and-file, but the Secretary General was adamant. Either he speaks to Ikari himself, or he would be on the next train from Tokyo-2 to the Geofront...with an armed convoy.

The call concluded with the Secretary General threatening to send Gendou to the firing squad himself should he ever threaten a senior officer of the United Nations.

Gendou placed the phone back on the cradle. Assuming his trademark sinister pose, he turned to Misato. The young major looked back at the supreme commander of Nerv wondering how anyone could be intimidated by this man. She had seen the footage of Gendou threatening General Hayter with death should he continue to mentor Shinji.

Then came Hayter's response.

Misato watched as the old man had brutally, yet professionally took down six men. Six highly-trained men each one of them veterans of the wars that had followed after Second Impact, and their training and combat skills paled in comparison to that of the silver-haired, one-eyed general.

Misato suspected that there was more to the old man than it meets the eye.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Misato asked.

"Yes, Major. You were seen in the company of General Hayter yesterday in Central Dogma. Explain," Gendou demanded calmly.

"He asked to be escorted out of the Geofront," Misato replied. "I would not dare refuse the order of a general."

"You also had a conversation with him. What about?"

"He asked me about my father. He had figured out that I was with the expedition to the South Pole."

Before Gendou could say anything else, he received another call from his secretary. "Commander, I got the Prime Minister on Line Two."

Gendou groaned. Threatening General Hayter turned out to be the worst thing he had ever done. He looked at Misato. "You may go."

Misato nodded and departed from the office, leaving Gendou to face the wrath of a equally pissed-off Prime Minister.
---
Central Dogma.

Major Katsuragi, and Doctors Akagi and Hunter were on the moving walkways that were used to get around the Headquarters. The topic of their conversation, Shinji's mentor.

"You must admit that the Commander made a big mistake in trying to intimidate not only a senior officer of the United Nations, but one who is a highly decorated war veteran," Naomi noted.

"A war veteran who took a apart six highly trained men," Ritsuko noted. At first glance, she had dismissed that the old man was a threat, but after seeing him not only subdue the six Section-2 agents with no trouble, but clearly intimidate Gendou Ikari with the threat of death, she realized that the old saying was true: appearances can be very deceiving.

"You met him beforehand," Ritsuko said. "What's your impression of General Hayter?"

"Like I said, he's pretty old-school," Misato replied. "But he's pretty wise. Given his age, he's been around since the Cold War. Maybe even got some classified missions under his belt. But I can say that the old man's been a good influence on Shinji. I really don't see why the commander sees him as a threat."

"Because Ikari wants someone that can be easily controlled," Naomi pointed out, speaking at Ritsuko's personal thoughts. "That is what it ultimately boils down to...control. But Shinji is a credible threat to his absolute control."

Ritsuko knew that it was true. Shinji was the only one who could pilot Unit One, and Gendou needed him alive in order to control Third Impact, as well as defend the Geofront when the time came for Seele to unleash their mass-produced EVAs. Too bad that unknown to Ritsuko, Misato and to the rest of Nerv, that little matter regarding both the nine EVAs as well as Tabris, were taken care of.

"I have to agree with Major Katsuragi," Naomi said. "The old man is quite the popular influence on young Ikari."

Ritsuko snorted. "Sure, you'd say that, since you're one of the few people who can talk to the kid without having him tell you to fuck off."

"Maybe it's because I don't treat him like dirt, despite the fact he has saved humanity many times over," Naomi replied calmly. "Regardless of everything, Shinji is still a kid."

The bottle blonde's next comment had all but died. Naomi had her dead to rights. Nearly everyone had treated Shinji like crap following his return from Unit One, herself included. Ritsuko's shoulders slumped as she dug into her pockets for a cigarette, only to find out she had none.

"If it wasn't for General Hayter, then Shinji would have killed himself," Misato said.

Both Naomi and Ritsuko looked at the ponytailed major in shock (well, for Ritsuko anyway).

"The old man told me himself," Misato continued. "Shinji stole my gun and had it with him during school. From what Hayter told me, he was originally planning on murdering Rei and Asuka, before deciding that he was only going to kill himself."

"Told you it was PTSD," Naomi said to Ritsuko.

"After meeting with Hayter, I started to look back at my own faults," Misato said. "Both as a person and as a guardian. I let my own obsession in getting revenge on the Angels override Shinji's well-being. I turned a blind eye to the abuse Asuka had put him through. We all did. And it nearly cost Shinji his life, as well as all of humanity...all because of our own selfish desires."

Naomi could relate to Misato. After all, her obsession with avenging both her adopted brother and her benefactor had been the driving point in her life. Until two years ago.

"You may be a medical officer, Ritsuko, but you're a scientist first," Naomi said.

Ritsuko's cellphone began to ring before she could reply to Naomi's comment. She retrieved it from her lab coat and answered it. "Doctor Akagi speaking."

"Sempai, it's Maya."

"What is it?"

"We got a big problem," Maya replied. "It's Unit Two. Come to the EVA Cages."
---
The EVA Cages, five minutes later.

Misato, Ritsuko, Naomi and Maya stood before Unit Two as it was shoulder-deep in LCL. Also present were Commander Ikari and Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki, both who had arrived minutes later.

"What's going on here?" Gendou demanded. "What is it that's so important to call the both of us out here?"

"We lost the core," Ritsuko said, directly to the point. "I don't know how but there was too much damage from the last battle. Unit Two is dead weight."

"Is there anything we can do?" Fuyutsuki asked.

Ritsuko shook her head. "You know as well as I do that once the EVA's core is destroyed, the EVA itself is useless, Professor."

"Hmm..." Gendou pondered this for a moment. "Send Unit Two to the EVA Graveyard in Terminal Dogma, Doctor. Also, prepare for a battery of tests for the Second Child in Units Zero and One. If she can't synch with either one of them, then there is no need for her to remain at Nerv." He raised his bandaged hand up, silencing Misato's protests. "She may be your ward, Major, but her gross insubordination following the last battle is something that I cannot and will not ignore."

'Hell, you ordered her to go after that strange mecha,' Misato thought darkly, remembering just how easily the mystery mecha handed Asuka's ass to her with drinks and a 'thank-you' card. 'Just like you to pass the blame onto someone else whenever you fuck up. This whole mess if your fault!'

Fuyutsuki's PDA began to ring. The old man answered it. "Fuyutsuki speaking." His eyes then went wide. "What...? Are you sure...?" Now his eyes narrowed. "Bring her to the Geofront immediately."

"Professor?" Gendou asked as Fuyutsuki ended the call.

"That was the Section 2 agents we had watching the school. Sohryuu's attacked both the First and Second Children, as well as assaulted several students. Both are okay, but Sohryuu's pretty banged up, thanks to Pilot Ikari."

"Have her taken to the detention cells while we sort out this matter," Gendou said. "This ends now."
---
About 30 minutes earlier, at Tokyo-3 Junior High School...

Upon arriving for class, Asuka did not receive the usual good mornings of her fellow admirers, but rather an ice-cold reception. The majority of the class was gathered around several laptops, Hikari, Touji and three others were gathered around Kensuke's laptop. Rei was at her desk, reading her textbook for the class.

"What's going on?" Asuka asked as she approached Kensuke's desk. "What the hell are you idiots showing Hikari?"

Kensuke's response was simple. He simply turned his laptop around to show Asuka herself.

Almost immediately, the color drained from Asuka's face as to what she was looking at.

The battle at the destroyed Matsushiro facility, complete with audio.

Bardiel - having possessed Touji's Unit Three - has just dispatched both Units Zero and Two, leaving Shinji in Unit One to face the possessed EVA.

"But...but I can't!" Shinji had objected to Gendou's orders. "I've got to save the pilot! I can't let them die! I can't kill a human being!"

"If you fail to fight, then you will die," Commander Ikari rebuked calmly.

"I don't care! It's better than having someone's blood on my hands!"

"I've had enough of this," Gendou had snapped. "Cut all synchronization between the pilot and Unit One."

"Cut it?" Asuka recognized the voice as that of Maya Ibuki.

"That is correct," Gendou's voice was as cold as ever. "Switch control to the Dummy System."

"But Commander, the Dummy Plug is still in its testing phase, and Doctor Akagi hasn't given her approval..."

Gendou cut Maya off. "It will be more useful than the pilot. Do it now."

As the video continued to play, Asuka knew that she was busted. Her deception was there for all to see.

"You...bitch," Touji snarled.

It was then, Asuka saw that the entire class (with the exception of Rei) has surrounded her.

Asuka gulped as she inched towards the open door. "L-look...I can explain everything...there's no need for violence, really," she said feebly.

"Get her!" one of the students shouted.

"Oh, scheisse," Asuka muttered as she took a page out of Shinji's playbook in dealing with people.

She ran for her life.

She ran, with the majority of the class chasing after her. Only Touji, Kensuke and Hikari remained behind.

"She lied to us..." Kensuke said. "All to stoke her own ego."

Hikari closed her eyes in shame. "I feel like such an asshole for trusting her," she said. "We believed her lies. We drove Shinji away."

"So...what do we do now?" Touji asked.

"We find Shinji..." Hikari said, "...and hope that he forgives us for how we treated him. Can't really blame him if he doesn't want to speak to any of us again, not after how we treated him."

"How?" Touji asked. "I thought he transferred out of the school."

The freckled class rep shook her pigtailed head. "He simply transferred to another class. Class 2-B. The rep there is a friend of mine."

"What about Asuka?" Kensuke asked.

"Let the others get their exercise," Hikari said flatly, not really caring whether or not the boys and girls chasing down Asuka break her legs.

From her desk, Rei Ayanami smiled as she continued to look out the window.
---
Lunchtime.

Rei found Shinji alone in Class 2-B, listening to his SDAT and eating his bento. For the past day, Rei had been working up the courage to confront Shinji and apologize for her actions. With Asuka being occupied with the irate students of Class 2-A regarding the incident at Matsushiro, she decided that now was the time to confront Ikari.

She just hoped that Shinji was willing to bury the proverbial hatchet with her, rather than IN her.

Rei approached Shinji, who continued to ignore her as he ate his lunch. "Pilot Ikari," she began.

Shinji said nothing as he continued to ignore her.

Rei decided to try again. "Pilot Ikari."

Again, Shinji decided to ignore her.

This time, Rei took action. Crouching down, she reached over and removed the ear buds from Shinji's ears. Before Shinji could respond Rei's actions, she did something he wasn't expecting.

She called him by his first name.

"Shinji."

That caught him off guard, if only for the moment.

"Shinji, please let me speak," Rei pleaded.

Shinji's face was that of surprise, but only temporary. He remembered Rei's response all too well following his return from Unit One's core. His face became unreadable, as it has been for the past month. "You got three minutes," he said.

Rei nodded. "Shinji...I am sorry for how I reacted following your return from Unit One's core. I was acting on what Commander Ikari had told me. He told me lies about what had happened at Matsushiro, and I believed him. I found out the truth, just recently, by looking at the video archives. Commander Ikari had used the Dummy System with my imprints to control Unit One. What had happened to Suzuhara was not your fault. The blame lies entirely with him."

"You, out of all people, condemning him? The last time I criticized the old bastard, you slapped me."

"And I also apologize for that as well. In the past month, I have seen things with a clarity that I have not seen before," Rei admitted. "I can see why you despise him, Shinji. As for Sohryuu...let's just say that as of right now, she is receiving her comeuppance." Off Shinji's slightly confused look, Rei simply said, "I simply leaked the video of what had happened at Matsushiro to the class." She gave him a small smile. "Suffice to say, the results were not very pleasant for Sohryuu. Last I saw of them they were chasing her through the gym. Although I am rather curious how they managed to produce torches and pitchforks on such short notice."

Shinji was touched by the gesture. "You did all of that...for me?"

Rei nodded. "I wish to try and mend the bridges between us. And by exposing Sohryuu as the fraud she truly is, I hope that we can once again be friends."

Shinji thought about that for a long moment. For the longest, he had tried to break through Ayanami's shell. The smile she had given him during the Yashima Operation proved that. But Ikari saw that Shinji was a threat to Rei and moved against him while he was inside the EVA's core, by giving her a slightly altered chain of events following the Matsushiro incident.

Thankfully, Gendou did not notice her snooping around, otherwise, he would quickly have her replaced.

After thinking it over, Shinji made his decision. "Okay...I'll tell you what. You start from one end, and I'll start from the other. We'll meet in the middle."

Rei smiled. "I would like that, Shinji."

Voices were heard from outside, as the classroom door slid open, and Hikari Horaki, Kensuke Aida and Touji Suzuhara entered. Almost immediately, Shinji was on his guard as he stood up from his desk, ready for anything. Not that the crippled jock, the otaku and the pigtailed class rep were a threat.

The three students bowed in unison to their former classmate. "Shinji Ikari," Hikari began. "We apologize for our actions this past month towards you. Asuka has deceived us. All of us." They re-assumed a vertical position, as Hikari continued to play the role of peacemaker, while Kensuke filmed the events. "We found out the truth about what had happened to Touji. There is no excuse for what Asuka had done."

Before Shinji could reply to his former class rep's apology attempt, the door slid open and Asuka Sohryuu came running inside the classroom, slamming the door behind her, ducking behind said door as the virtual lynch mob came running past her hiding spot.

Once they were gone, the halvsie German turned and saw that she was in the classroom with the one person she had grown to clearly despise.

Almost rapidly, Asuka's expression changed from to being scared to being pissed.

That was when all Hell had broken loose.

Asuka screamed as she charged towards Shinji, knocking aside Hikari, followed by Touji when he tried to come to her aid. Kensuke got out of the way, the camcorder glued to his face as he filmed Asuka charging at Shinji, screaming bloody murder, fists raised to deliver serious pain...

...only to see Asuka's face come into contact with Shinji's foot, the end result of another boot-to-da-head. Asuka landed on her ass in an undignified heap.

"You just don't learn, do you, Sohryuu?" Shinji taunted as he went into his CQC stance. "Fine. I'll oblige you yet again."

"You...YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Asuka screamed. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Shinji ducked under Asuka's wild punches and quickly countered with a uppercut with his right hand, nailing Asuka on the kisser, followed by a hard left elbow to the side of Asuka's face, drawing blood from above her eyebrow. Rei, in the meantime, had quickly produced her cellphone and had Section 2 on the line.

Asuka countered by nailing a punch to Shinji's head, causing him to stumble back slightly, allowing Asuka to grab a nearby desk. Pushing it towards the Third Child, in an attempt to trap him in between her desk and the one behind him, Asuka thought she had Shinji cornered.

But once again, Shinji surprised her.

Shinji quickly shook off Asuka's punch, and saw her pushing the desk towards him. As Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari watched in complete surprise, Shinji performed a suicide kip-up. Otherwise known as a Chinese kip-up, Shinji hopped backwards, landing on his shoulders, just as Asuka slammed the desk into the spot he was at moments earlier. Pushing himself off the desk with his hands and shoulders, using the thrust's momentum to carry his body feet-first, arching his back as he pushed himself upwards into a squatting position, right before kicking Asuka square in the face yet again.

It was clear that by the look that Asuka was giving to Shinji that the German redhead had clearly snapped.

'KillkillkillKILLKILLKILL!' Asuka's mind chanted as she lunged at Shinji yet again...only to be slammed to the ground yet again.

Hikari, Touji, and Kensuke watched in utter amazement as Shinji Ikari brutally countered Asuka's attacks, each time, throwing or slamming her to the floor, schooling the redhead in the art of CQC. But Asuka merely shrugged it off in her rage. Ever since Shinji had reached 400 percent during the battle with Zeruel, Asuka's opinion of him had lowered drastically, which led her to plot against the Third Child, in an attempt to get her synch ratio back to the number one spot.

With her scheme exposed, not to mention the humiliating defeat following the Angel battle at the hands of the mystery mecha, as well as the fact that Shinji Ikari - a person who she saw as inferior to her - was clearly better than her, given his kill record, Asuka Sohryuu sought to remove the one person that was the obstacle to her greatness.

Shinji Ikari.

Shinji blocked Asuka's wild swings with his forearms. When Asuka lunged again, Shinji responded by grabbing her wrist and yanking her forward, causing his opponent to go off balance. Asuka felt her head jerk forward violently as she felt Shinji's foot collide with the back of her head, right before seeing him snap the same leg back, striking her in the face, knocking her down, crashing into several more desks as she fell to the ground.

But before Asuka could attack again, two burly Section 2 agents charged in and quickly took down Asuka, followed by the female agent Gendou ordered to tail Shinji.

"NOOO!" Asuka screamed. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" To Shinji, she yelled, "THIS ISN'T OVER, IKARI! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL KILL YOU FOR RUINING MY LIFE!"

The two agent dragged Asuka out, the redhead kicking and screaming in Japanese and German. Meanwhile, the female agent noticed Kensuke and his videocamera. Walking over to the bespectacled military otaku, she extended her hand out.

"The memory card, please," she asked politely.

Kensuke complied, not wanting to be on Section 2's shit list again. That one time while Shinji was fighting Shamasel was bad enough. He handed over the card and after taking the statements from all those involved, she got on the horn with Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki.

"Fuyutsuki speaking."

"Sir, Pilot Sohryuu has attacked Pilots Ikari and Ayanami, and has assaulted two civilians."

"What...? Are you sure...?"

"We have the First and Third Children's statements, as well as those of the civilians and video evidence of the attack."

"Bring her to the Geofront immediately."

"Right away, sir."
---
The Geofront, Nerv Headquarters, several hours later.

Supreme Commander Gendou Ikari read the reports that were filed by Section 2, as well as viewing the confiscated footage from the otaku's camcorder. Flanking him on either side, were Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki, Doctors Akagi and Hunter, Ryouji Kaji (who had been called in, given his position as Asuka's former guardian), and Major Katsuragi. And aside from Gendou Ikari, none of them looked very happy.

Truth be told, Gendou could care less about Shinji. The boy already had his balls in a vice grip. But Asuka had tried to attack Rei, and that he found intolerable. And given the fact that Unit Two was dead weight and was on its way to the EVA Graveyard, there really was no point in allowing Asuka to hang around any longer.

The cause of their anger was in a chair in front of them, once again battered and bruised, flanked by two Section-2 agents. For most of the day, Asuka sat in a holding cell, while the senior Nerv hierarchy pondered her fate. With the evidence in front of them, it was clear for all of them.

Now, it was time to lower the boom on the renegade pilot.

Gendou closed the file and assumed his sinister pose. "Asuka Langley Sohryuu, given the reports I have seen, and the testimonies from the witnesses at the high school, as well as your past history with both Pilots Ikari and Ayanami, you are a serious liability to Nerv. Nerv exists solely to defend humanity from the Angels and to prevent a Third Impact, not to stoke anyone's ego, especially your own. Do you have anything to say in your defense before I pass judgment?"

"..." Asuka was silent, glaring daggers at the Nerv Supreme Commander.

"Pilot Sohryuu, you have been found guilty of attempted assault on Pilots Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami, as well as the charges of assault on a civilian. You have also violated the restraining order placed on you by Pilot Ikari. Your actions have brought disgrace not only upon yourself, but also upon Nerv. And given the fact that Unit Two will no longer work, since the core is now useless, there is really no need for you to remain here. Your employment with Nerv has been terminated effective immediately, your pilot status has been officially revoked, and you have been officially disavowed."

"WHAT?" Asuka screamed as she attempted to lunge at Gendou, but was quickly restrained by the two agents. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME, YOU BEARDED BASTARD! I'M THE BEST PILOT YOU HAVE IN THIS GODFORSAKEN HELLHOLE! ME! ONLY ME! THAT BAKA SON OF YOURS AND THAT BLUE-HAIRED WONDERSLUT ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO ME! NONE OF YOU ARE! ALL ARE YOU ARE BENEATH ME! FUCK YOU! FUCK ALL OF YOU! ALL OF YOU ARE BENEATH ME! YOU'LL GET YOURS! ALL OF YOU!"

Asuka was quickly silenced when one of the two Section-2 agents produced a stun gun and shocked Asuka into silence.

To the agent wielding the stun gun, the supreme commander said, "Thank you." He then continued with his judgment. "You will be taken to New Narita Airport under guard and placed on a flight back to Berlin," Gendou continued. "Your belongings have been removed from Major Katsuragi's apartment and incinerated. Should you breathe a word to anyone about your time here at Nerv, you will be spending the next twenty years inside a maximum-security prison."

To the two Section-2 agents, he made a simple hand gesture and the two men in black hauled Asuka to her feet and dragged her out of the office.

The last thing Asuka had said as she was dragged out of the office was, "Damn you...goddamn you...all of you."

"This matter is now closed," Gendou said. "All of you are dismissed."
---
Central Dogma.

Once the gathered senior Nerv members went their separate ways, Misato caught up with Kaji. Before the ponytailed man could say anything, Misato had beaten him to it.

"Take me to Shinji."

Much to her surprise, Kaji had accepted her request. "I'm heading there now to check up on him. Come with me."
---
En route to Shinji's apartment, Misato looked out the window, while Kaji was behind the wheel of the Nerv-owned sedan. The events that had happened earlier that day still weighed heavily on her mind.

"Something on your mind, Misato?" Kaji asked.

"Am I a good person?" Misato asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I may be a competent tactical officer, but when it comes to playing guardian, I failed," Misato lamented. "Shinji's gone...Asuka's a certified sociopath...damn it...we were a family. Where did it all go wrong?"

"Nobody's perfect Misato," Kaji offered. "Look at how Asuka was raised. Her mom committed suicide after losing her mind in Unit Two, her father and stepmother want nothing to do with her, and she was basically groomed to pilot EVA and nothing else. Nerv-Germany had seen the signs of Asuka's disorder, but did nothing to help her. Instead, they simply swept it under the rug and stoked her ego."

Misato wasn't convinced. "Maybe..."

"Look on the bright side, at least you still got a chance with Shinji," Kaji pointed out. "You shouldn't worry about him. I heard from the old man from what Shinji was planning to do with Sohryuu and Ayanami. Good thing he didn't go through with it."

"You knew?"

"I should. Big Boss himself told me."

Misato blinked. "Big Boss? You mean the legendary soldier himself? That Big Boss? What does he have to do with this?"

"Easy," Kaji said, flashing her his grin. "General Hayter is Big Boss."

Misato looked like she was gut punched General Hayter was the legendary mercenary himself? Then she palmed her face. 'Of course!' she berated herself. 'Only Big Boss knows that style of CQC! And he taught it to Shinji!'

Shortly before her assignment to Nerv Headquarters, she had heard about the declassified reports on Operation Snake Eater, as well as the pardons for The Boss, Big Boss' former mentor and Big Boss himself. Of course, like everyone else, she thought the old man had died in Zanzibarland the year before Second Impact. He is basically a virtual legend to the military and espionage community.

"Of course, the old man was concerned whether or not you were a agent of Seele," Kaji said "But I vouched for you. After all, why survive Second Impact at Ground Zero and work with Seele to unleash Third Impact?"

Misato frowned. "Wait...you're working for Big Boss?"

Kaji nodded. "Yup. He saved my life when I was a kid. I never told anyone about this, not even you. Second Impact was hell despite the fact that Japan had weathered the storm nearly intact. But Japan still had to deal with the fallout of the Impact. My parents had died following Second Impact when Japan was ravaged by the earthquakes that nearly destroyed the country, and the riots that followed, forcing the Japanese government to declare martial law, leaving myself and my brother alone, no family or friends. We fell in with a group of orphaned children and stole food to survive."

His expression grew somber. "One night, it was my turn to go and steal some food. I snuck into a JSDF base, but I got caught. The soldiers threatened to kill me unless I told them...told them where my brother and the others were hiding." His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I was scared of dying...so I chose to betray my friends...and my brother. The soldiers gunned them down, before turning their guns on me, having no intention of honoring our deal. Big Boss appeared and saved my skin. He found me crying, cradling the body of my dead brother. He took me to an orphanage, when I remained until I was 17. Two years ago, he found me and proposed that I work for him. I agreed, since I owed him my life."

"Ryouji...I...why didn't you tell me?" Misato asked.

"Same reasons why you never talked about your dad," Kaji replied.

The ride to Shinji's apartment continued on in silence.
---
Shinji Ikari's apartment.

Lying in his bed, with his SDAT playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, hands behind his head, Shinji stared at the ceiling. He had plenty of time to think about what has happened to him in the past month. More importantly, he was thinking about the incident with Asuka at the school. Naomi had sent him a message notifying him of Asuka's sentence, and was actually glad that the old bastard finally did something right.

But more importantly, Asuka's deception had been finally revealed, thanks to Rei. On top of that, he had forgiven Hikari, Touji and Kensuke, but it would take a while for them to become friends again. The wounds were too deep. They would have to earn back his trust. Shinji wasn't going to just jump back into things like before. That was the old him. He would never go back to how things were - being pushed around and treated like dirt. Those days were over.

Surprisingly enough, Shinji felt no remorse over Asuka's fate. It was then, Big Boss' words came back to him regarding his former friend.

'Even with so much bad blood between us...it's actually kind of funny. The hatred is gone. All I feel is a deep sense of longing. And pity. Even after all this time, I still wonder...did Zero really hate me? Or did he fear me?'

'Was it the same between me and Asuka?' Shinji wondered. 'Maybe through her oversized ego...did she fear me...or did she hate me...?'

As the SDAT began to rewind the tape, Shinji heard a knock on the door. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly 11 p.m. Big Boss wasn't the one to visit so late. Rei would be at home.

That left Kaji.

Shinji clicked off the SDAT and got out of the bed. Walking barefoot across the hardwood floor, he stopped at the door, unlocked it, and opened it.

Standing on the other side, was Ryouji Kaji and Misato Katsuragi.

Before Shinji could say something, Misato quickly cut him off. "Shinji, we need to talk."

Shinji stood his ground in the doorway. "So talk."

Kaji stood to the side, as the former guardian faced her former ward. "Shinji...I honestly did not know how you felt about piloting the EVA. Nor did I notice how Asuka acted towards you. I was simply blinded by my own desires for vengeance. I guess it took Big Boss to see it from a different point of view."

That caught Shinji's attention. "You talked with Big Boss?"

Misato nodded. "Yeah. The man's practically a living legend. Your father even spoke with him."

Shinji's eyes narrowed. "That bearded bastard is not my father. And what did he want with the old man?"

"Tried to intimidate him," Misato said. "Big Boss ended up sending six Section 2 agents to the medical ward, shot Gendou's gun from his hand and made said bearded bastard piss himself."

That made Shinji crack a smile. He had wondered what had gotten the old fart and Ritsuko spooked the last time he saw them. Big Boss had that way with people.

Misato returned the smile, albeit it was a sad one. "You don't have to worry about Asuka anymore. She has been officially stripped of her duties as an EVA pilot and sent back to Germany in disgrace. Rei explained to me that she turned the class against you with her claims about what had happened at Matsushiro. I really don't blame you for moving out and transferring to another class, Shinji. But I would like for us to be friends once again."

Shinji said nothing after Misato's apology. After a moment, he slowly extended his hand out. Misato saw that as a start, as she shook Shinji's hand, the handshake speaking more than Shinji ever could.

Maybe the bridge between her and Shinji could be repaired after all.
---
Katsuragi Asylum, the following morning.

Misato's cellphone rang as she sat down with her can of beer. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that it was Fuyutsuki, since Gendou had no reason to call her, leaving the Deputy Commander to handle the day-to-day affairs of Nerv.

Misato flipped the phone open and answered. "Major Katsuragi speaking."

"Major, it's Fuyutsuki," the old voice of Nerv's second-in-command replied. "We have a problem."

"What is it, sir?"

"Sohryuu has gone missing."

Misato's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Sohryuu was supposed to switch planes once she arrived in Nagasaki, but she has vanished," Fuyutsuki explained. "Her Section-2 detail has been found slaughtered. I have already alerted the other branches all over the world, but it's as she had vanished from the map."

"This is bad, sir," Misato said.

"On that I agree."

"Do you think she killed the guards that were with her?"

"Not likely. The detail assigned to her were war veterans. Something is amiss. I will keep you informed if anything comes to light, Major."

"Thank you, sir."
---
Location - unknown, hours later.

Two FROGS ushered in a bound girl, her face covered with a dark shroud. The two heavily-armed soldiers placed their 'guest' into a chair, and removed the shroud, revealing the woman to be Asuka Sohryuu.

Standing behind the woman, they ignored the disgraced Evangelion pilot as she shouted threats and curses to them in German. Then she stopped when she heard an old man's voice, speaking to her in German.

"To have given so much to Nerv, only to be thrown away like garbage...my poor, poor child."

"What? Who are you? Who's there?" Asuka demanded, also speaking in German.

Her question was answered when strobe lights came on, illuminating something she recognized instantly. A production-model Evangelion. Unlike her Unit Two, the color scheme was reversed - black with red trim.

A second light came on, bathing the owner of the voice in its light.

An old man dressed in robes, a visor over his eyes, and short white hair. A hologram of Zero.

"You can say that I am one of your admirers, young Sohryuu," Zero said, returning to his Keel persona. He made a gesture and one of the FROGS undone Asuka's bounds. "I've brought you here for one purpose, Sohryuu. To make you an offer."

Asuka looked at the Evangelion, then back at Zero. "I'm listening."

Zero smiled. He had read Sohryuu's psych files, and given her obsession of becoming number one by any means possible, manipulating her would be easy. Too easy.

"This is Unit Five, advanced prototype of the production series," the old man explained. "Unlike your Unit Two, this one has a working Super Solenoid core, which makes internal batteries and power cords unnecessary. I have chosen you, Asuka Sohryuu, to pilot it."

"What's in it for me, old man?"

"That's simple. Revenge against those that betrayed you, those who failed to see your true potential. Join me, Sohryuu, and I will grant you your revenge."

Given her advanced intelligence, Asuka should have refused. But her ego demanded stroking, not to mention that the idea of taking revenge on Nerv - their pilots in particular - was very tempting.

"You got yourself a deal, old man," Asuka said.

"Good. Very Good. Let's begin your advanced EVA training."

Asuka smiled evilly. 'Soon, Shinji...you'll be seeing me again very soon...'
*]
[*OMAKE!

What if Big Boss did not show up at the park?

Inside a secluded section of the city's park, Shinji Ikari sat on a bench, alone. To say that he was depressed was a total understatement.

Given the fact that he currently had Misato's service pistol in his hands, having pilfered it earlier from her belongings earlier that day, it was clear that he was suicidal.

It had started following Zeruel's attack on the Geofront. Never mind the fact that he had just saved everyone from Third Impact for the seventh time. He was still treated like dirt by Asuka (who had destroyed his cello, saying that she was bored) and snubbed by Ritsuko. Even more worse, Touji and his family blamed him for what had happened with Zeruel. Not that Shinji could do anything about that, since it was his bastard of a father that had used the Dummy Plug and had nearly killed Touji. Even worse, Asuka had told everyone in class that it was Shinji's Unit One that had crippled Touji, effectively turning everyone against Shinji, while painting herself as the valiant heroine. Even Kensuke had turned his back on him.

But what hurt the most was Rei's reaction, following his return from the EVA's core, despite the fact that he had saved her life.

She had said only one word to him, after she had slapped him.

Coward.

Which is what led Shinji to where he was at now. Earlier that morning he had snuck into Misato's bedroom and had stolen her pistol while she slept in an alcohol-induced stupor. It was loaded, as it had always been. He made it through school, ignoring Asuka's heckling and the whispers and insults of the other classmates, all the while Misato's pistol was in his backpack, within distance. He wondered how many he could kill before turning the gun on himself.

He came close to revealing the pistol and putting a slug in Asuka's head, as well as Rei's. But he relented. Once school let out, he did not go back home. There were no synch tests to be done, so Shinji decided to head for the park.

Looking down at the pistol, he slid the slide back, making sure that a round was jacked into the chamber before snapping the slide shut.

'One bullet,' he thought. 'One bullet is all I need. It will be over. All over.'

Shinji flipped the safety off. After a moment, he closed his eyes and raised the gun to his head.

BLAM!

The birds scattered to the skies upon hearing the single gunshot.
---
Tokyo-3 Junior High School, the following day.

Asuka Sohryuu noticed that Shinji had not returned home the previous night, as did Misato. However, as Asuka had entered the school grounds, Misato was at the scene of the suicide, where she had identified Shinji's body...as well as recognizing her gun which Shinji used to take his life.

Rei Ayanami was waiting for her as she stepped into the classroom, with Hikari. She stood up, and confronted the German redhead. "Sohryuu...do you know where Ikari is today?" she asked, her normally monotone voice laced with pure venom.

"Like I give a damn about that spineless baka," Asuka snorted. "The coward failed to come home last night. I hope the jerk is dead!"

WHAM!

Asuka did not see Rei's incoming fist until it was too late. It was a full-body swing too; came out of Terminal Dogma, where she spent most of her childhood, and it picked up speed through the halls of Central Dogma, then hooked a right through the streets of Tokyo-3, where it crashed into the jaw of the Second Child, sending her to the floor.

The entire class went silent. Rei Ayanami has just decked Asuka Sohryuu.

Before Hikari could reprimand Rei for punching her friend, Rei spoke in a cold voice.

"You have been granted your wish, Sohryuu. They found his body in the park 20 minutes ago. Self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."

The entire class fell silent. Shinji Ikari had committed suicide. And they all had a hand in it, driving him to the brink of madness, following Asuka's every word.

"I received the call from Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki," Rei snarled. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Sohryuu. We drove an innocent to death."

With that said, Rei stalked past the redhead, who was still holding her jaw, leaving all of Class 2-A in shock. Shock then changed to guilt, an overbearing guilt that the entire class had shared, once Kensuke used his camera to verify the news.

Shinji Ikari was dead.

To Nerv, their top pilot dead meant a lot of trouble.
---
The funeral of Shinji Ikari was held several days later. With the exception of Asuka and Gendou, Class 2-A and the senior members of Nerv were present. Both Asuka and Gendou were absent, but for different reasons.

Rei had released the video of what had happened at the destroyed Matsushiro facility to Class 2-A, which led to Asuka running for her life from the virtual lynch mob that consisted of not only Class 2-A, but the entire school. She remained behind at the Katsuragi Asylum for her own safety, under armed guard lest her former classmates tear her apart.

Gendou, on the other hand, was dead. His initial response in regards to his estranged son's suicide were indeed callous, showing absolutely no remorse or any kind of emotion for his son's suicide. That led to Ritsuko gunning him down in the bowels of Terminal Dogma. Once Gendou was dead, she attended the funeral alongside the other Nerv members.

Misato had found out the role Asuka had played in Shinji's suicide and was enraged, as was the newly-appointed Commander Fuyutsuki. She was stripped of her duties as a Nerv pilot and sent back to Germany. With the loss of their best pilot, and Asuka being sent home in disgrace, only Rei remained behind. Even worse, the Dummy System had been rejected by Units One and Two.

Once again, the world was screwed.