Well, well, well. There are a few on this list who follow my serie.

You people will be happy to know that part 3 is well on its way,

the first half having been sent to my prereaders. In the meantime,

I thought I'd refresh memories and repost the first two parts. (and

maybe I'll interrest new people too ^_^)

Anyway, here is the first part, the second is following shortly.

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Characters and situation used here ultimately belong to GAINAX.

<> : Thoughts

Neon Genesis Evangelion

HEALER

Part 1 :
********

"You bastard," he muttered under his breath, shaking with anger, " I
have no news from you for the last three years, and when I do it's only
so you can use me."

Things were even worse that Shinji had expected when he answered his
father call to come over. It had been interesting at first, if
frightening. After all, it's not so often you find yourself in a
deserted city that's under attack from some kind of giant monster. And
then there was that apparition. He was unclear as whether it was some
kind of astral projection or a forevision. In either case, they
shouldn't look so real. But it had to be one, nobody could disappear as
fast as that odd looking girl did. However, from then on, pretty much
everything had gone downhill, leading to this point.

"You must do it, Shinji." On Gendo's side where many screens showing him
a close-up of his son's face. But he couldn't hear his words, which
could be misleading.

"No!" Screamed Shinji. "I won't do it. I have no idea how to pilot this
robot, and beside, I'm not a warrior."

"Shinji...". Misato had had doubts about the decision to make Shinji a
pilot from the moment she heard it. But there, she was surprised. There
wasn't a trace of fear in the teenager voice; instead, there was a lot
of anger and, at the bottom of it, a deep belief in every word he said,
though she couldn't tell how she knew that.

"Very well. You may leave," said Gendo, his voice dripping with
contempt. "Fuyutsuki!"

One of the screens on his side changed to show an image of the old
professor.

"Yes, Ikari-kun?"

"Wake Rei up and prepare her. She's going to pilot Eva-01"

>From where he stood, Shinji couldn't believe what he just heard. That
was it. He refused to play along with the little game his father had in
mind, and so was cast aside as useless junk.

"So be it." He said aloud, startling Misato beside him.

It was done. He had seen his father and, as should had been expected,
the bastard hadn't shown any concern to him. That had hurt much more
than he'd have predicted; but the last link he might had with this man
was cut, and despite all, he was relieved.

He began to walk toward the entrance when the door opened on three
people, doctors from their garbs. They were pushing a hospital cart with
someone on it. He had just begun to analyze this when he felt pain in
his side, in his eyes and on many different other places. Taken by
surprise, he collapsed on his knees as they ran past him.

<It's her! It comes from her!>

Because of the pain, he hadn't seen the person on the cart, but,
instinctively, he knew it was a girl. Getting up, he began to slowly
walk toward her, his hand reaching for his collar. The girl had just
painfully sat when the gigantic room began to shake, again. However, it
was stronger this time, and part of the ceiling collapsed. Shinji, lost
in a trance like state didn't notice the rumble, he didn't notice the
falling debris, and he didn't notice the huge purple hand that protected
him. All he could see was Rei as she fell to the floor with a cry of
pain.

He found himself beside her without knowing he had moved. His mind
shield was raised, but he still felt a dull ache, a reflection of the
pain that made her unaware of anything around. His decision made without
conscious thought, he pulled out of his shirt the leather satchel that
hung from his neck. People had just began to collect themselves when he
took out a gleaming sapphire stone from it. A blue light surrounded
everything around him and her.

Gendo couldn't believe his eyes. Everything was going according to the
plan, and he already could see his son giving in and climb into the
Entry Plug when... _that_ had happened. He didn't know what this stone
was and he didn't know what his son was trying to do, but he was sure it
was something that would not please him. Nothing unexpected did.

Rei wasn't aware of anything but the excruciating pain she felt. She had
tried to do as was asked of her, but it was too much to bear. Then,
slowly, relief came. She felt as if thousands of tiny fingers were
slowly healing her wounds, mending her bones. She opened her valid eye
to see a boy of about her age who was right beside her. He had a stern
expression to his face and concentrated his gaze upon a bright blue
stone in his hands. Only then did she notice the soft blue light that
was all around. Looking back to the stone, she felt a wave of nausea
that made her turn her eyes.

"Don't look at the Starstone, it'd hurt you." Despite hearing the soft
voice, she wasn't sure she had seen his lips move.

Misato finally gathered herself and went closer to the children. She was
hesitating as whether or not she should enter the blue lighted zone when
the glow subsided as Shinji secured the stone into its satchel.

"How do you feel?" he asked Rei.

"I'm... I'm fine." She answered, wonder in her voice.

It was the first time Misato saw Rei with such an expression on her
face. In fact, it was the first time she saw Rei expressing anything,
but this... This worship to Shinji was wrong, somehow.

Rei stood up slowly, taking off her bloody bandages. Her gaze never
faltered from Shinji who had slumped to the ground until she just had
her plugsuit on. Her injuries looked like she had weeks to heal and not
just a few minutes. Shinji, on the other side, seemed completely beat.

Lingering a bit more, Rei asked, "Are you all right ?"

"Just fine." His voice was weak, but he raised his hand in a reassuring
gesture "Nothing that a meal and a good night won't cure." The room
shook again. "I think you should go, now."

She nodded, and, turning around, began to run toward the Entry Plug. She
stopped before entering it and looked up toward Gendo, and then at him,
one last time. He looked back with a tired smile on his lips.

" They need to be quick, I think."

"Ikari-kun, arigato."

She then jumped into the plug.

*****

Losing control of a situation he thought he had in his hand wasn't
something Ikari Gendo even remotely liked. It had just happened. Worse,
the cause of this loss was his son, supposed to be on the verge of
autism. And here was the recluse, demonstrating unbelievable capacities,
thus thwarting Gendo's planning.

He was stunned beyond speech and didn't do or say anything when Rei
climbed into the Entry Plug, when it was inserted in the EVA 01, or when
Fuyutsuki began to drag him toward Central Dogma.

*****

Most of the people hadn't seen Shinji's healing, which meant the
training induced routine of the EVA launching sequence went on smoothly.
On the bridge, Misato was the first to recover from what they'd just
witnessed.

"Come on, Ritsuko ! Get a grip on yourself."

She jolted Shinji on his feet. "And you, don't you dare try to get away.
There's much you have to answer to."

"But I..." He was addressing her back as she'd turned back to Ritsuko.

"There's an angel outside, we might need you at Central Dogma."

She then stormed off toward the lift's door, half dragging the wavering
Shinji along.

*****

The synchronization had begun but Rei barely noticed the droning sound
of Maya's voice over the intercom. She still didn't quite believe what
Shinji had just done to her, for her. Again, she probed her right arm.
The suit had been modified to accommodate her injuries, and let it bare.
The scars still were there, attesting they weren't a dream. Only, they
didn't look one day, but one month old ; and she only had a bit of
strain when she tried some movement of the arm or the hand...

/"REI ! Pay attention!"/

Startled, she looked up to see the holo display of a frantic Misato.

"Hai." Shrugging, she concentrated on the synchro, allowing the absolute
barrier to be passed. Under her eyes, the inside of the Entry plug went
through a few psychedelic phases, until she had the outside of the EVA
under her eyes. It was on the launcher, all set to depart.

/"Rei, are you ready ?"/

"Hai."

*****

Half asleep in a corner of the command floor, Shinji was hard pressed to
stay conscious. In fact, the only things keeping him going were his
worries for Rei.

<Maybe I should have gone in her place. They thought I could do it.
They're always tired after being healed, and it was very serious. What
if she collapses when she's fighting? And what...>

"... Two, one. EVA launched!" Almost screamed Maya. Above them, the huge
display shown a diagram of the route to the surface the launched
followed at high speed.

*****

The head of the purple Eva went straight with the sudden stop on the
outside. Rei could see she was about a block away from the angel. Its
weird, skull like "face," above the red sphere of the Koa, seemed to
study what was in front of it for a moment.



--
Sebastien RENON

http://www.multimania.com/dairen/index.shtml