Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Neon Genesis Evangelion: Wings of the Seraphim ❯ 04-On the Inside ( Chapter 4 )

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Wings of the Seraphim

by Alexei Seranov

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Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion. Don't sue, I'm a poor Jew.

"Blahblah" is Dialogue.

'Blahblah' is Thought.

(Blahblah) is Flashback.

<Blahblah> is Telepathic Dialogue.

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Notes from Captain Fruitfly and Mr. Bunnies…

Who have been liberated from The Seldon Planner's evil grasp:

We now belong to Alexei. If Seldon wants us back, he can beg and grovel. Or he

could just yell at Alexei and brandish one of his many weapons…

Go to www.Evamade.com. Look around. Sign up for the message boards. Have

fun with all the nutz0rs. (b'.')b See? Kirby gives it two thumbs up. XP

This chapter of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Wings of the Seraphim is brought to

you by Alexei's psychosis. Enjoy it, or we may have to sick Jill, who has also

been saved from Seldon, on you. Now get reading. ^_^;;

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CHAPTER 4:

On the Inside

(But Shinji didn't notice. He was too busy giving the Angel back the pain it had caused Asuka, and then some. The eyes of the Evangelion went white, and its jaw unhinged once again. It was a Berserker. "YOU HURT ASUKA! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" The Giant Purple People Eater grabbed Asuka's discarded Prog Knife from the face of its enemy, and proceeded to hack into its core. When a layer of plating covered the red orb, the Eva became more furious. In a rage, it barely even noticed as the left arm was blown off by a Crucifix-blast. "YOU'LL DIE!!!" Slamming the Fourteenth Angel face first into the Geofront's soil, Shinji began to smash the back of its head with his Eva's oversized hand. He was caught unaware by the blades, which led to the Angel, managing to throw him off. Hitting the ground with a thump, Eva Unit 01 lay stunned for a mere second before it was clamoring for its feet. Then the razor arm came again. Judging well, the Eva flipped out of the way, but the umbilical cable was cut. Growling angrily, Shinji was certainly not acting like himself.

"Shinji! What's going on? Can you read me? SHINJI!" Misato's worried voice was a buzzing in his ears. The five-minute countdown was only on the fringes of his awareness. All that mattered was protecting Asuka… and he had failed. So he would do the next best thing: He'd rip the Angel limb from limb. For minutes on end, the two giant beasts fought, slamming each other into the ground, the walls of the Geofront, and everywhere else. Then…

…the Eva ran out of power. The misshapen Angel began to pound on the Eva's chest, until it reached its target: The core of Evangelion Unit 01. Blow after blow, strike after strike, the Angel came closer and closer to destroying what his brethren had failed to destroy. He would be the strongest, the Destroyer. This puny Lilim weapon was no match for its divine power. But little did it know that the Evangelion was trying its hardest to get back up. "MOTHER! HELP ME!!! MOVE THIS THING!!! I NEED TO KILL THIS ANGEL! IT MUST DIE!!!"

…and with that, he was gone. The Evangelion stood once again, and broke free from its bindings. An arm blade came to deliver the final blow to a cracking and dulling orb, but was intercepted by the Eva's right hand. Pulling sharply, the arm gave way, coming off in the Giant Purple People Eater's grip. Throwing it to the ground, the Eva roared: a dark, monstrous sound screamed forth from its throat. The Eva held up its stump of an arm, still looking straight at where the face of the Fourteenth had been, and growled. From the stump, a new arm bubbled forth, emitting a bright glow. Materializing, the arm flexed a few times. The Angel, sensing defeat, launched another attack with its arm blade, which was cut in half as the Berserk Evangelion used its AT Field to split the arm right down the middle, and also carving a deep gash in its body. Falling forward, the Eva began to stalk towards the fallen Angel on all four limbs. Leaning back, the Eva crouched over the now horribly-mangled monster. Ramming one hand deep into the Angel, the Eva grabbed onto something, and pulled with all its considerable might. Wrenching it free, the Eva held the stolen organ for the entire world to see. Hefting it to chest-level, it let go, leaving the orb floating in midair. Grabbing a chest panel in each hand, the Eva ripped its hands away, exposing its muscled chest. Looking directly into the orb, its eyes began to glow brighter, until a flash, and the orb was implanted into its chest. Roaring, three pairs of wings emerged from Evangelion Unit 01's back: it was no longer just free…

It was a Seraph.)

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" A pair of crystal blue eyes shot open, and a scream echoed in the room. In another room, a woman heard the shriek and the sobs that followed.

"Oh… Asuka…"

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<Wha… what's going on? Where…> A glance around at the sheer whiteness that composed the area. <Where the hell am I?> And then, the incorporeal being felt. It felt everything, and nothing, until only the basics of life as a thinking man remained.

<Happiness.>

<Sadness.>

<Hatred…>

<…and Love.>

And Shinji Ikari was once again aware of himself. <What the hell is going on? Where's Asuka?! And the Angel! I need to stop it! I swear, if this is one of Father's tricks, he'll wish he'd become a eunuch! > Looking around the void, Shinji attempted to move from his current position…

Until he realized that he had no body. <Ohh…kay. This isn't normal…>

<Indeed it is not, Shin-chan. You get used to it after a while, however.> Suddenly, there was the ghostly figure of his mother before him… or at least what he considered to be the area his body would encompass. Such trivialities were to be worried about later. As such, Shinji did not question when he felt his mother's soft, silken fingers graze his cheek. "You've become a very handsome boy, Shin-chan. I am glad that I can see you. However, I will only keep you here for a short time. You have a life outside that needs taking care of." Looking into his eyes, Shinji could actually hear his mother's voice this time. It was odd, but his mind was being overloaded by the simple fact that she was there with him. Yui leaned forward, and pulled his confused and semi-ethereal form into a deep embrace. "You've no idea how long I've wanted to do this, my child…"

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A week after the attack of Zeruel, the Fourteenth Angel, Asuka Langley Sohryu sat in her assigned seat in Tokyo-3 Junior High Class 2-A. It was boring as usual. The sensei rambled like he always did. Ayanami stared out the window, like she always did. Hikari threw furtive glances at that idiot stooge. Kensuke was hacking something again; she didn't care enough to give it a second thought. And Shinji… Shinji was stuck in a giant robotic behemoth. 'Why do I care? I hate him. He's such an idiot. All he does is make me look bad while not trying. I swear! No one needs the Great Asuka anymore. They have the Invincible Idiot to save them. He's so good, he won't even leave his Eva now! Verdammt!' Throughout her entire rant, Asuka was unaware of the fact that she was staring at Shinji's vacant seat. 'Gone for a week, and Misato's fussing over him. What about me? I'm the one who's been defeated. So what if Shinji saved me? He probably just wanted me alive to prove how much better than me he is. I hate him…' Unbeknownst to Asuka, Hikari had been fully aware of her temperamental friend's actions, and had good guesses at her thoughts. Asuka had become depressed and withdrawn since the last Angel attack. Something had happened to Shinji, and since Asuka would never show an ounce of caring for the boy, the Class Rep knew she needed another way to find out what was troubling her. Suddenly, the bell rang. Asuka, Hikari, Kensuke, and a few others who had been sleeping or just not paying attention, jolted in their seats. As each person attempted to regain at least a grain of composure, they slowly stood and filed out of the room. Asuka left quickly, but Hikari found herself able to catch up.

"Asuka, what's wrong?" Hikari placed a hand softly on the redheaded pilot's shoulder, and her face held sympathetic eyes.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just that Misato won't stop agonizing about the Idiot. I can't believe it. I got beaten by that Angel, had my pride practically ripped away, and she's worried over the dumbkopf and how he won't come out of his stupid Eva!" Asuka was fuming. He cheeks were a light red, and it was obvious she was very angry… However, Hikari believed she wasn't actually angry with the shy Third Child, but with herself. Hikari and Asuka had been friends long enough for them to know each other's behavior. The short-fused redhead always blamed others for her faults, or in more extreme cases, simply found faults in others to hide her own.

'Loosing this battle must be really tough on her… I hope I can find a way to help… Wait a minute… I think I have just the idea…' Asuka paused momentarily in her tirade to notice Hikari grinning very evilly.

"Why are you smiling like that Hikari? What are you planning?" The fiery Second Child gave her friend a disapproving glare.

"Nothing, Asuka… Nothing at all…"

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"Mo…mother? What are you doing here? Umm… where exactly is here?" A quick glance and Shinji realized he had a semi-material form. "And how come we're… ghost…ish…?" A look of confusion was weighing heavily on his face; his brows drawn down severely and making him look far older than he truly was.

"Don't worry, Shinji-kun. I am here with you, because we both have been absorbed by Unit 01. When you needed my help, the only thing I could do was let the Eva take you. Our souls combined produced enough energy to allow it to destroy the Angel… which Unit 01 did beautifully, if I don't say so myself." She flashed him a small smile, which he nervously returned. Her countenance then turned grim. "However, the Eva stole control from me momentarily, just as I was going to crush the Angel's S2 organ. Unit 01 now has its own, and seems to have broken free of its restraints. Rokubungi was most likely not expecting this, so he'll be at a loss for a short while."

"Mother, what do you mean? How can Unit 01 have its own S2 engine? What is an S2 engine? What do you mean, 'broken free?' When was it ever contained?" The young Ikari's confusion was renewed, his face taking on a confused visage once again. Pulling him close to her, Yui quieted Shinji with a finger on his lips.

"Hush, young one. You will understand in time. We have become far more than we ever were before, and it is imperative that we use this power to protect this world from the machinations of your father." Yui gave her son another smile, before releasing him. "I have told you everything you'll need for now. I'm going to return you to your world. We will still have our connection." Shinji smiled at this; he had so much to make up for with his estranged parent. "Don't ever fear talking to me. You have no idea how lonely it was here before we began speaking. I had only memories of you to keep me sane. No matter what, I want you to know that I will always be here."

"Alright, Mother. I love you and I'll never forget. I'm ready to go back now."

"That's good for you." A wink and a smile, then the void became dark.

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It was a rather peaceful night at NERV headquarters. Lieutenant Maya Ibuki was on her shift, and she was reading some random shoujo manga she had happened upon. The night shifts at NERV HQ were always mind-numbingly boring. Nothing ever happened at night, but due to the fact that the Angels were very unpredictable, they had to maintain at least partial alert at all times. That was why Makoto and Shigeru were currently in the worker's lounge, passed out. Maya let out a sigh. The boring stretch of one's shift must have been God's wrath against workaholics. How Ritsuko worked through numerous shifts without stopping, Maya could not fathom. However, this was one of the reasons Maya saw such a strong figure in the Head of Project-E. Another sigh. "What could possibly go wrong?" From the corner of her eyes, Maya could have sworn she saw a small flash of light…

From the direction of the cages. And that is when every klaxon in NERV headquarters, stronghold against the Angels and the last stand of humanity, went off. Maya swung around in her chair, hoping to see what the problem was. What she saw scared her half-to-death. Unit 01 was flailing against its restraints, and almost easily ripped them straight from the wall. Its arms free, the behemoth moved towards a catwalk. Turning, the Eva ejected the plug, allowing it to rest on the man-made walkway. And she screamed.

It wasn't when the plug-locks opened and LCL was sprayed about randomly that she fainted. Nor was it when the plug door opened. It was when the unconscious form of the Third Child dropped onto the catwalk from the bowels of that plug. To an observer, it would have been mildly amusing to watch two bodies fall passed out to the floor in the nigh-impenetrable NERV Geofront, at the exact same time. It wasn't more than a few minutes before the entire command center was filled with people, Major Katsuragi, Doctor Akagi and Subcommander Fuyutski included. After surveying the situation, Shinji was swiftly hauled off to the infirmary, and the Giant Purple People Eater was once again bound to the wall. There was only minor damage… as far as Ritsuko's scientific eye could tell. Maya had been awakened, and was blabbering like a blithering idiot. She would need some rest, and everything should be fine… Now to go tell the Commander…

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The cold, sterile smell of antiseptic was very prevalent in the air. The blankets were warm and well-pressed. Shinji didn't even need to be awake to know these things. He'd long ago memorized the smells and sights of the NERV medical ward and infirmary. He opened his eyes, and the plain ceiling was a comfort. "Familiar ceiling…" However, something most certainly wasn't familiar in that room of sterilized death and emptiness. Scanning around the room, Shinji found two people outside his door; one happy and one indifferent. "Now that's something to wake up to…"

"You idiot. Finally decide to come out of your Eva? It's been a week, ya know!" Asuka berated him as usual, but again, it didn't have the unbridled fury or tenacity it used to.

"Welcome back Ikari." Rei was short and to the point, as usual. 'Wait a minute! Did Asuka say a WEEK?' The concept couldn't quite implant itself in his mind. He'd only experienced maybe a half hour of time inside the Eva. How could an entire week pass without him being aware of it?

"I've been out for a week? But… I… how…?" The all-too-familiar look of confusion returned. "Wow… this is really confusing…" Shinji was looking at the two girls sheepishly, one returning his look with a soft glare, the other with a blank countenance. Everything was back to normal.

"Come on, Moron. Misato's outside. The doctors say we can go home." Although it may have just been the combination of his muddled mind and wishful thinking, Shinji believed he had seen a ghost of a smile cross her lips. It was enough to get him smiling. "I thought you'd be happy to come home so you can perv on us again. God, you men are all alike." Her plan worked perfectly; Shinji was glowing red from embarrassment. She smiled, favored him with a wink, and left the room. Rei nodded, and trailed silently behind.

"Things just keep getting weirder and weirder, don't they?"

<Yes they do, my son… Yes they do…> Smiling once again, something Shinji was happy to be able to do lately, he grabbed his clothes from the bedside, and went to the bathroom to change. Coming out seemingly moments later, the boy then left his room, only to be enclosed once again, this time in one of Misato's patented bear hugs.

"Shinji! I'm so happy to see you! I thought we'd lost you! Oh my God, I'm so glad you're back!" As she squeezed him tighter, Shinji looked to someone, ANYONE for a helping hand, but all he found was the confused gaze of Rei and the sardonic smirk of Asuka. The redhead simply smirked, shook her head, and started walking towards the exit. Rei, true to form, followed soon after. Nearly ten minutes later, Misato finally let him go, and he sucked in that first breath of air like he had been suffocating…

Which he had. But no matter. He was back, and everything would go back to their as-normal-as-life-can-get-for-the-pilots-and-commander-of-giant-robots life. So they all packed in the car, and Misato sped off. Silence, although not uneasy, prevailed. Not looking outwardly perturbed, Rei stumbled slightly up her front steps when they dropped her off; a sure sign that she was at least uneasy with the Major's driving… if you could call it that. Shinji, not having been outside his Eva for a week, fared worse. But he still managed to reach home and walk to the elevator, before collapsing against the wall, overcome by nausea and fatigue. When the lift reached their floor, a slightly more composed Shinji stumbled out and fiddled with the door and his keycard. "Damnit, Misato. Why won't this work?"

"Shinji, the card's upside down."

"Oh…" Finally positioning the card correctly, Shinji allowed them all admittance to the apartment they all shared. Although he had slept earlier, and had been in a sleep-like state while absorbed in the purple monstrosity, Shinji headed straight for his room. Music and sleep would help soothe him. "G'night Misato. G'night Asuka. See ya in the mornin'." With another yawn and a half-smile, Shinji sauntered off to his room to become oblivious in the embrace of Beethoven and Bach. The two women of the house walked to opposite sides of the table in the kitchen, and plopped down. They didn't say anything for many minutes, seemingly waiting for the brown-haired boy to drift into slumber.

"So… now that's Shinji's back, you going to stop crying?" Asuka's voice held little venom, but the comment still stung.

"Shut up, Asuka. You may not admit it, but you're just as happy as I am that Shinji's back." The Major's voice sounded tired; fed up with the Second's behavior. However, there was a different undertone beneath that… as if the first was simply a cover. The hidden one it seemed as if…

Misato was planning something. 'Shiest. Everyone's plotting against me…' Asuka sighed. Life was such a cruel mistress. "Maybe… but that doesn't mean he isn't an idiot."

"Asuka, have you ever considered that you may be the idiot?" Misato's gaze was cool and bored right through Asuka's defenses. 'God, I hope this works…' The girl looked simply stricken. "Shinji may not have a college degree or be a genius, but he's a very smart young man. He's also saved the world on multiple occasions, before you even got here. He's strong and sensitive, and everything a teenage boy should be. His past has left him a wreck, and your constant tirades aren't helping. And whether you notice it or not, he hasn't EVER done anything untoward to you of his own free will. Now I want you to go think about this: There is a very brave, very sad boy, who just happens to be rather attractive, living in this house. He has to deal with you and me, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. See if you'd be as well-off as he is in those situations." Misato gave a short glance at the girl's eyes, then stood up and walked off to her room.

"But… but… crap. Damn you Shinji…" Asuka shuffled to her room, closed the door and quickly fell asleep. This night, she was not plagued by dolls and the same scene of her mother in the hospital, but with dreams of the boy who was sleeping merely feet away. Needless to say, Asuka wouldn't be a happy camper come morning…

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More Notes from Mr. Bunnies and Captain Fruitfly:

Wow. That sucked. Well, not really. Okay, fine. It was good. Hey, Alexei!

You still suck compared to Sel. :P

Shut up. I am writing you, ya know. If I want I could do this… *Jill pops out

and bitch-slaps the two figments of Seldon's imagination.* There. Teach you to

disrespect, beeyotch.

Why did we leave Sel, again? x_X ^_^;;

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

There ya go. Chapter 04 of Neon Genesis Evangelion is here for your perusal. I found myself way behind schedule on this one, and I apologize for it. This chapter is more of a go-between: I couldn't get to where I wanna be without it, so it wasn't my favorite chapter to write. However, WotS is a labor of love. Each and every chapter is important, and I hope you enjoy the effort and time I take out of my slacker-lifestyle to bring it to you. But that's all neither here nor there.

Come next chapter, the blooming romance may either come to fruition… or blow up in our protagonist's faces. I leave it to my other personalities to make the decision. Expect Chapter 05 of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Wings of the Seraphim, sometime soon. It'll be a blast!

Ja ne,

Alexei Seranov

P.S.: As per norm: Very big thanks to ChiRho and TekkaDark for being awesome prereaders!