Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Part 6

Descent

By Random1377

Odd… odd that she should think of music at a time likes this. ((Why would my last lesson be recalled now?)) Rei asked herself as she descended into the depths of Terminal Dogma with excruciating slowness.

"AHHH!!!" Asuka screamed again as the orbiting angel penetrated further into her mind, "No… PLEASE GOD NO!!!!"

For the tenth time, Rei reached for the switch to deactivate the communications system, and for the tenth time, she stayed her hand, ((I… I may need further orders…)) she thought, though the real reason was far more intricate than that.

No, Rei left the communications channel open because she needed to… because she HAD to. Asuka’s gradually weakening cries forced her to recall that she, too, WAS human.

((It is not right…)) she thought as the EVA passed another level, ((it is not right that she should suffer so… I should not ignore her cries…)) she was still a long ways from the bottom, and she had already failed in one attempt to save the redhead… though it was not her fault the rifle did not have the power to pierce the angel’s AT field.

She shifted her attention, focussing her thoughts on her memory of how the cello felt leaning against her shoulder, ((I should be having my lesson with Ikari now…)) she thought, deeply wishing that she was there in her apartment with him.

((With… with him…)) she thought as continued her descent, ((what if it were him under attack…)) the thought… chilled her for some reason she could not identify. She did not hate the blue-eyed pilot of Unit 02, but at the same time she felt as if it would be somehow different if HE was in danger… somehow…

"Father!" Shinji’s voice broke her thoughts apart.

((So much pain…)) she thought, ((he wants so much to help her… to help everyone…)) The thought that Shinji may like Asuka better than her never crossed her mind. Asuka did not speak kindly to him when she spoke at all, and Rei knew somehow that Shinji liked her over the redhead… somehow…

"Let me help her, father!!" Rei listened as Shinji pleaded with the Commander once more. She knew the result of such a plea… Commander Ikari had made it clear that Unit 01 would not be threatened in any way.

((Does he not trust that I will protect Pilot Souryu?)) she thought to herself, with the barest hint of anger.

Yet she knew that this was not the case… she knew that if she was being attacked and Asuka was the one getting the Lance, that Shinji would still want to defend… it was in his nature.

"Please… please at least let me talk to her… don’t…" his voice choked up to a whisper, "don’t let her die alone…"

Rei felt her eyes stinging at the thought of Shinji being so unhappy. She felt something warm and wet slide down her cheek and mingle with the LCL.

"Is this… a tear?" she whispered, with disbelief in her voice, "am I the one who is crying?"

Her attention was drawn to screen in front of her as the ground approached. Once she retrieved the lance, the journey back to the surface would be much faster. She began moving forward as Shinji began talking to Asuka.

"Asuka… Asuka, can you hear me?" he tried to make his voice level.

"Sh-Shinji?" the blue-eyed pilot’s voice sounded broken.

"Asuka… hold on… don’t…. don’t leave me…" his voice wavered, but did not break.

"Shinji… Shinji, it… hurts… I don’t… I don’t want to remember," her voice rose to a shriek, "MAMA!!!"

"Asuka!! ASUKA!!! Listen to me!" he tried to regain the girl’s attention.

Rei maneuvered her Evangelion into the lake of LCL deep within headquarters, causing waves of the thick fluid to wash up on the shores. ((Why are you doing this, Ikari?)) Rei thought, ((I do not believe that you can help her with your voice alone…)) her thought trailed off as she reached the giant being, and the Lance protruding from it.

The word voice echoed in her mind as she began to carefully remove the red artifact.

"Shinji?" Asuka’s voice was low and terrified, "please help me, Shinji… I… I don’t want to remember these awful things…"

"Asuka…I… I can’t come for you… but Rei can…" Shinji’s voice was filled with sorrow that he could do nothing.

Asuka’s reaction was not what Rei was expecting, "NO!!! Not that doll! I’d rather die, do you hear me, I’d rather DIE!!!" her voice returned to normal as she yelled.

"Asuka…" Shinji said quietly, "I… I don’t want you to die…"

"Why, Shinji?" her voice was desperate, "Why do you care… you want to get rid of me so you can always be number one…"

"That’s not it at all!!" he said, "I-"

"Then what is- AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" Asuka’s question was cut off as the angel intensified its attack on her psyche.

"ASUKA!!!" Shinji shouted, "Listen to me… ONLY ME!!"

"Shinji…" she whispered, "I’m… I’m trying… but it’s so hard… so hard to think…"

Rei was already on her way back to the surface, the dual-pronged Lace of Longinuss clutched firmly in her Evangelion’s blue fist.

"Asuka… don’t leave me… please?" Shinji’s voice was pleading. "Who would tease me every day? Who would race me to school? Who would… who would force me to try harder?"

Rei realized that Shinji was crying, ((Would you… would you cry for me, Ikari?)) she thought as she reached the surface. She suddenly became aware that she was crying… that she had never even stopped. She raised the Lance over her Unit’s head and awaited the computer’s go-ahead.

"Why…" Asuka repeated, her voice almost gone, "why do you care if I die… no one cares…"

Rei drew the lance back, not noticing how it twisted and merged into a single spike in anticipation of the throw.

"Asuka…. I…"

Rei’s Eva braced its back foot.

"I…"

The blue mecha took a step forward, all of its muscles tensing.

"Asuka, I… I love you…"

The Lance left Unit 00’s hands at more than the speed of sound, superheating the air as it passed through… disrupting the cloud formations… and ultimately tearing through the angel’s AT field and body as if they were not there.

In the stillness that followed, Asuka’s voice could be heard clear as a bell, "You… you love me?"

Rei waited for Shinji’s response with her breath held, "Yes… I do…" he finally answered.

Rei’s head bowed forward, resting on the 00 stenciled on her Plugsuit. ((No…)) her mind whispered, ((no… no… no… it should… it should be me…)) more tears coursed down her face, blurring her vision, "Shinji…" she spoke quietly, "I love Shinji…"

In the aftermath of the angel’s attack… in the quiet stillness of Evangelion Unit 00’s entry plug… realizing what truly made her happy, Rei Ayanami found her voice… and she used it to scream her loss…

Continued…