Disclaimer: see part 1.  Also, this story has a slight trace of lemon (more of a lemony-fresh scent than anything else) not nothing too bad.

 

Part 11

 

Echoes, part 1: Echoes of madness

 

By Random1377

 

Asuka Langley Souryu was insane. Of this fact Rei had no doubt, but she could not convince anyone else.  Misato waved her odd behavior away as nothing more than stress, and Shinji saw nothing at all out of the ordinary (she could not fault him for that, though… Asuka was being friendly to him, and Shinji clung to any scrap of affection that came his way without question.)

 

Now, a week after she had begun sleeping at the small apartment (on the couch – sleeping in Shinji’s bed had not lasted past the first morning) she was faced with a dilemma.  Shinji was asleep, and she needed to refill his pain medication prescription… which would leave him alone with Asuka.

 

“Don’t worry, Wondergirl,” Asuka said, pushing her towards the door, “I’m a big girl, I can bring him his lunch if he wakes up while you’re gone.”

 

-It is not his lunch that I am concerned about,- Rei thought.  But she realized that she had no choice.  Shinji’s leg was healing nicely, but he still got bad headaches.  The doctors explained that this was due to the loss of spinal fluid, and assured them that the problem should clear up once his body recovered fully… which could take a few weeks.

 

At the door she spoke quietly, not turning around, “I will be back soon. Do not… disturb him, Pilot Souryu.”

 

Asuka giggled, “Now whatever can you mean, First Child?” she pushed Rei the rest of the way out the door and let it slide closed.

 

Rei stood undecided for a moment. –Why did I not just have her go?- she thought suddenly.  She raised her hand to the door, then let it fall back again, “I told Shinji that I would do this for him…” she whispered, “I do not wish to lie…”

 

On the strength of that one, misguided conviction, Rei Ayanami turned and walked away from the apartment… never knowing just how much the decision would cost her.

 

**

 

Asuka leaned against the door and looked around the apartment, “Now where to begin?” she whispered, her eyes sparkling with glee, “Should I make him lunch? Or maybe clean up a bit?” she giggled again, covering her mouth with her hand.

 

Her expression dropped into a semi-serious frown, “’Now don’t you go disturbing that boy, Asuka!’” she intoned, shaking a finger, “’He needs his rest!’” Her face fell into a blank stare for a moment.

 

Shaking herself, Asuka walked through the apartment slowly, “No… he doesn’t need rest… he needs comfort,” she whispered to herself, slowly taking her clothes off as she moved through the apartment.

 

She paused at his door, frowning as a vague concern tickled the back of her consciousness.

 

“I’m not crazy…” she whispered as she thought of the aftermath of the fifteenth angel.  In her mind’s eye she could see herself telling Shinji to go be with Rei… but the vision was cloudy, “Was that… me? Did I say that?”  She shook her head, trying to clear it, “Why would I let go of the man I love?”

 

She stood still for a moment, her head tilted to one side as a desperate fight was waged in her mind – her old, stable personality struggling desperately to overthrow the fractured, crafty one that had taken its place.

 

As the silent battle drew to its conclusion, Asuka smiled and opened the door to Shinji’s room.

 

**

 

Shinji’s dream was filled with heat.  He envisioned himself trying to escape a burning building, only to find his every escape route cut off.  To make matters worse, he was carrying Rei in his arms.  Blood was running from a cut on her head, and she was unconscious.

 

“Someone help!” he screamed, hoping that his voice could reach the outside.

 

“Shinji?” he looked down to find Rei smiling up at him, “It’s alright, Shinji…” she drew his lips down to hers and kissed him, “just be with me and everything will turn out ok… I love you, Shinji…”

 

“I love you too, Rei…” he said. Suddenly the building was gone and they were lying in a sun-dappled glade.  Rei lay on top of him, her clothes gone.

 

“Make love to me, Shinji…” she whispered, kissing him soundly, “I want to feel you…”

 

As she drew his shirt up over his head, he grimaced in pain.  “Be careful of my bandage…”  -Bandage?-  he reached up and touched his head, -When did I get hurt?-

 

Rei slowly disappeared, replaced by darkness.  He knew he was awake, because the pain in his head and leg returned… but the feel of the kiss and the heat remained.

 

-What’s going on?- he thought, -Rei? She’s never been this bold before…- he grinned mentally, -maybe she read sleeping beauty and decided to reenact the ending… though I’m not exactly beautiful.-

 

Keeping his eyes closed, he brought his arms up and held her closer to him.  “Oh, Shinji…” she moaned quietly, “I knew you loved me…”

 

Every mental alarm that Shinji possessed sounded immediately, -Rei’s voice isn’t that deep…- he thought, then he felt the weight on his chest, -and her breasts aren’t that big…- His eyes flew open and he pulled back in shock, “Asuka?!?”

 

“Mmmm…” she sighed, “isn’t this nice?” she whispered, “Now we can be together forever.”

 

Before his mind could process what was happening, she grabbed his hand and brought it to her naked breast, “Isn’t this better than Rei?” she said with a smile, “I want you, Shinji… I want you right now…” she reached beneath the covers and ran her hand down his stomach towards the zipper to his pants.

 

“ASUKA!” he yelled sitting up and pushing the girl to the side, “AAAHHHH!!” he clasped his hands to his head, instantly regretting his sudden movements.

 

“Oh, honey…” Asuka said, “you should be more careful… you’re hurt.”  She sat up at his side, pressing her body against his, “let me make you feel better…”  She leaned forward to kiss him again.

 

“NO!” he yelled, getting to his feet.  The pain in his head flared brighter, sending him to his knees with another cry.

 

“What’s the matter,” she said in a concerned voice, “ohh… you’re head hurts?” she rose and walked towards him, running her hands down her body, “Let me help you forget the pain.” She whispered, “We should hurry, though… that other girl should be back with your medicine, and I would hate for her to see us being intimate…” she pushed him gently onto his back and straddled his hips.

 

Fighting the pain, Shinji gasped, “Asuka, what are you doing?”

 

She slowly began unbuttoning his shirt, “Making love to my husband.”

 

Her statement cut through his haze like a knife, “Your… husband?”

 

She nodded happily, “Yes… we’ve been together since the last angel attacked and you saved me.” She smiled, her eyes growing unfocussed as she pictured a memory that never was, “You said that you loved me… and after the angel attack you told me you couldn’t wait any more, so we got married.” She smiled blissfully.

 

“Asuka,” he tried sit up again, but the pain was too great and he slumped back, “we’re not married… you told me to go be with Rei, don’t you remember?”

 

“Rei?” she looked puzzled, “Oh, honey… you must have been hurt worse than I thought!” She shook her head and patted his cheek, “If I would ever tell you to be with someone, it would never be her… she’s just another pilot, she doesn’t even HAVE feelings.”

 

The ringing in Shinji’s ears rose to a wail, “But… you said I was just… a friend…” he managed to get out.

 

Finally, the pain overwhelmed him and he blacked out.

 

“Pity…” Asuka murmured, leaning forward to kiss her ‘husband’, “guess I’ll just have to have you while you’re sleeping.”

 

She had just finished drawing his pants off of him when the angel alarm sounded.  She sighed, “I’ll be back, honey, don’t go anywhere.”  She kissed him once more and jumped to her feet, the look on her face shifting from loving to hating in less than a second, “Now I’m going to show that little blue-haired bitch how to fight angels!”

 

She went to her room and put on her spare plugsuit, not wanting to waste any time, then dashed out the door and ran towards NERV as fast as she could, leaving Shinji where he lay.

 

**

 

“No, it is coming,” Rei’s whisper came over the speakers as the circular angel broke apart and became a solid bar of white light.

 

On the screen, the angel drove through Unit 00’s AT field and into the blue mecha, working its way slowly deeper as the monoptic machine writhed in pain.

 

“Asuka!” Misato shouted, “Are you ready to go yet?”

 

“Yes ma’am,” Asuka said in a pleasant voice, “just waiting for the go-ahead.”  She began whistling.

 

Misato frowned, -Maybe Rei was right…- she thought, -maybe there is something wrong with that girl.-  She regretted not listing to the First Child the previous week, but knew that there was nothing to be done now.  “Ok, once you reach the surface, spread your AT field and fire a volley into the target’s back.”  To Maya she said, “Launch her on route two.”

 

“When she gets back I want another psyche work up.” She said to Ritsuko as they watched the red behemoth shoot towards the surface.

 

As Unit 02 came to a halt at ground level it stepped swiftly out of the elevator and swung its rifle around, firing a sustained burst… into Unit 00.

 

“Asuka what the hell are you doing!?!” Misato yelled.

 

Asuka’s answer made her blood run cold, “I’m destroying the enemy… that was what I was supposed to do, right?”  her voice was cold as she dropped the empty rifle and grabbed another one, whispering, “Enemies have to die, right? Can’t let them stand in the way…”  She pulled the trigger on the giant rifle.

 

“NO!!!” Misato screamed, “Damnit, eject her plug, now!”

 

The back of Unit 02 blew away and the white capsule ejected in a rush of smoke and jet-fire.

 

Asuka’s mad laughter echoed through Central Dogma.

 

Continued…

 

Author’s notes: I’m not a doctor (I don’t even play one on TV), but I know that low levels of spinal fluid can cause headaches.  Of course, I have NO idea what the repercussions of a head wound like Shinji’s would really be, or how long it takes to recover spinal fluid (that’s why it’s called artistic license ;)) so if I’m all wrong – sorry.

 

Oh, and sorry for the cliffhanger ending… I’ll try and get the next two chapters up real soon.

 

Thanks to Author X for pre-reading this one.

 

Feedback is always welcome at random1377@yahoo.com