Child of Love: End of the beginning (not much of a title, eh?) Before starting reading the story, you should read *THIS* : It's my FIRST attempt at writing a fanfic in Any language. I'm Chinese/Canadian and has already done NO fanfics in ANY language. Unfortunately, it seems there isn't many Canadian people interested in fanfics/Evangelion. This story will be a continuation of Child of Love, from after Teri's birth. It will also include semi-side-stories about various important aspects of the TV show, and something I come up with myself. There will be much more of Rei than the original, but Asuka is still the main character. Much thanks to Axel Terizaki, for creating Child of Love; and Flashman, for coming up with the short story named "She's *WHAT*?" (his webpage: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/borisd/) Neon Genesis Evangelion is brainchild of Hideaki Anno, and the property of Gainex. This fanfic is not making any money, so suing me is pointless. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter #1:0 Illusion of peace/Illusion of truth Asuka, looking down at Teri, who was still sleeping: "Shinji, can you see her?" Shinji looked at Teri too. Asuka, smiling warmly: "Shinji. This is your daughter, this is our little girl. This is *Ikari* Teri." Shinji was, too, smiling. Asuka, softly: "And... I'm sure that she'll be as proud as me to be part of the Ikari family, 'anata'." --- The room is completely black, there are no source of illumination anywhere. The room has been there since the beginning of time: it has seen the rise of the world's greatest empires, how they were manipulated like children, and how they fell. The room is ancient, and so are its occupants. In the blink of an eye, 8 monoliths, as black as night and lit from an unseen source, shatters the room's darkness. "And so we have returned to our proper place in this world" said the monolith labeled SEELE 01. The monolith labeled SEELE 03 boomed, "that fool Ikari! He thought that he can be rid of us so easily." "And that foolish double agent of the JMI, he will pay dearly, as well!" added SEELE 07 [JMI = Japanese Ministry of Interior] "Of course, the removal of Gendo was not in our original scenario" SEELE 04 commented. "Neither was 'her' birth", said a concerned SEELE 05. "And with Ikari gone, how do we know we can still control NERV?" asked SEELE 06. SEELE 01 cut them off, "the control over NERV is being seen to. The scenario will be altered to conform accordingly, it might be delayed, but it will not be stopped." In unison, all of the SEELE members called out, "we wish to return to our rightful place in heaven, and nothing on Earth will stand in our way". Just as sudden as they had appeared, the monoliths vanish, returning the ancient room to its usual darkness. Until the next time. --- A week later It has been over a week since Teri's birth, and after rigorous physical examinations, mother and daughter are both free to return home. Ritsuko, Misato, and Kaji brought the much-awaited news to the couple. "Great! Teri and me can finally get out of this place now!" Asuka cried out happily as she cuddles Teri closer to her. Teri is busy helping herself to a quick meal. "Ritsuko-san, are you sure they're both alright? I mean, I don't want to rush things, it's only been a week..." a concerned Shinji inquired, from his seat beside Asuka's hospital bed. "BAKA! Teri and me have been stuck in here for OVER a week! If we don't get out of here soon, Teri is gonna think this IS her home!" said Asuka in a booming voice, so loud that everyone in the room winced. Ritsuko slowly removes her hands from her ears, managing to interrupt Asuka before she can start again, "Shinji-kun, Asuka and Teri are both fine, I've ran every medical test I can come up with on them". That got Asuka started again, "And THAT TOO! You've put me through even more tests than when I was piloting Eva! Teri, too! Shinji, come closer". "Huh?" Shinji leans closer, only to be grabbed by a surprisingly strong Asuka by the collar, "Aaaahhh!" Asuka pulled Shinji close, real close, and looked him straight in the eye with her bright blue eyes. "Shinji, me and Teri are both fine, and we're all going home, understood?" Asuka said through an evil grin. Before a very nervous Shinji can respond, Asuka kisses him passionately, cutting off his words. Teri looks up in amusement at the couple, and smiled. All the while, Ritsuko, Kaji, and Misato are watching, with baseball sized sweat drops and super arched eyebrows. "Err...hmm..." was all the Misato can manage. "Let's go..." begin Kaji. "Outside..." continued Ritsuko. Misato finished by fleeing out the door, followed closely by the other 2 adults. After about 2 minutes, Asuka let Shinji up for air. She smiles down at Teri. "Hear that Teri-chan? We're going home!" cheered Asuka. All Teri did was to giggle at her father, who is lying on the ground, gasping for air. Asuka smiled, until she looks at the window, and saw her own reflection in the glass. Very much like a woman holding a toy doll. "I want to go home..." she whispered. Only Teri heard her mother's quiet request, and she answered by cuddling closer against her. --- Few days later Shinji collapse into his chair/desk at school, it is his first day at school in 3 weeks. "Ikari!" before Shinji could respond, Hikari, Touji, and Kensuke surrounded him. They bombard him with dozens of questions, "Where were you?" "What have you been doing?" "How's Asuka?" "How's the baby?" "Isn't she due weeks ago?" "Why haven't we heard from you?" All Shinji could do was to look straight ahead. Much like Rei, who was sitting a few seats away. "Shinji?" asked Touji, he taps Shinji lightly on the shoulder... ....And Shinji proceeds to fall limply out of his chair. "My God!" said Kensuke, "he was sleeping with his eyes open!" All Hikari could do was giggle at Shinji, who's now slowly awakening. "So Shinji, taking care of a baby is harder than you thought?" inquired Hikari, smiling. "How can you tell?" Shinji mumbled weakly. He begins to tell about the late night feeding, diaper changing, and other horrors. By the time he finished, he was completely surrounded by the entire class. Apparently, being a young father draws more attention than piloting an Eva and saving the world. Comments and questions assaulted Shinji from all sides. "Hey, way the go Ikari!" "Knocked up the prettiest girl in school, eh?" "Told you they'd be together!" "Ikari, you're a pig!" "Can we see the baby?" "Does she look like you or Asuka?" "Are you two gonna get married now?" "How is Asuka doing?" "Who changes the baby's diapers?" Just before the class overloads a weary Shinji with questions, the school bell goes off. As the elderly teacher takes his place at the front of the class, Hikari calls out: "All arise! Bow..." --- (To properly capture the spirit of Axel Terizaki, this author will now ramble on insanely...HAHA, I CONTROL WHAT YOU READ, ALL BOW BEFORE MY GREATNESS!! Thank you for your time, now for something completely different.) --- Back at NERV Headquarter Former vice-Commander Fuyutsuki, now Supreme Commander of NERV, sat in his office. The once dark and gloomy office of Gendo is now brightly lit, furnished with some plants, and the desk has been changed. But the large painting of the Cabala remained untouched. Fuyutsuki was staring out the window, when Vice-Commander Misato entered the office, and covered the long distance between the entrance and the desk. "Commander Fuyu..." she began, but was interrupted. "Fuyutsuki will be fine, how are the kids?" asked Fuyutsuki, with the usual weathered smile across his face. "They are fine, sir, I have finished with my investigation of our security section," she holds out a clipboard, "all the suspected personnel are on the list". Fuyutsuki skims through the list and brushed back his light-gray hair with his right hand. "That's almost the entire security section..." The list includes security agents assigned to keep watch over the Children. Fuyutsuki sat down, but got up a second later. I don't think I'll ever get use to sitting there, thought Fuyutsuki, I should have gone back to the university; I do not want the things that comes with this job. "They all have been relieved of duty," replied Misato, interrupting Fuyutsuki's train of thought, "and escorted out of the city". Fuyutsuki is once again looking out the window, frowning this time. "He never looked out the windows, despite having the best view of the whole place." He commented, "now all he will see is the walls of his cell, how ironic". He turns to Misato. "I've asked Dr. Akagi to join us, as Vice- Commander, you need to know the truth about NERV". The sound of the door sliding open and someone walking towards them can be heard. All of a sudden, Misato wishes she hadn't taken the Vise-Commander position. --- 600m below NERV Headquarter In a dimly lit and poorly furnished cell, sits a man. Despite the fact that there is almost no light, he is wearing tinted glasses. Sitting at a small desk and holding his hands together in front of his mouth, he stares at the wall, apparently deep in thought. Every now and then, he would mutter something too quiet for the security microphones in his cell to pick up. For the thousandth time since Gendo entered the cell, he whispered the question again. --- Misato/Ikari residence, hours later Asuka finally manages to make Teri comfortable, so she would take a nap. "Good girl," said Asuka, "mommy's gonna take a bath, you just rest" She picks up Teri's pacifier, and puts it on a table across the room. She then goes to the bathroom and begins testing the water's temperature. A few minutes later, she is immersed in hot water. "Hmmm..." was all she could say, as she relaxes from several nights of restlessness. Minutes later, Shinji arrived home. "I'm home..." he called out, and immediately fell asleep on the couch. Taking care of a baby and returning to school has proven to be too much for the teen. Short time later, Asuka exits the bath wrapped in a towel. "Shin-chan, is that you?" she finds him asleep on the couch. Smiling, she pulls a nearby blanket over him, and kisses him on the cheek. She then goes to check on Teri, who was now awake. "Well, at least your father came to see you before passing out, and got you your pacifier" she smiles at Teri, who's sucking on her pacifier. --- Transport shaft Z-999, NERV Headquarter For the 12th time in an hour, Ritsuko glances nervously at Kaji, whose usual childish smile has been replaced with that of a more serious expression. Another passenger in the elevator caught the glance. "Ritsuko", begin Misato, "I thought we agreed that Kaji needs to see this". "Yes, but..." Ritsuko looks down at her feet, with a very concerned expression "it's just that I've been guarding these dark secrets for so long, and now everything coming into the light..." "It wasn't your fault, Ritsuko, Gendo used everyone" said Kaji, as he looked out the glass elevator. The lift has been descending for the past 30 minutes, and yet it still continues to travel down what seems a bottomless shaft. For the first time since they entered the lift, the 4th passenger speaks. "I don't come down here very often," said Fuyutsuki. --- Terminal Dogma, NERV Headquarter After 10 minutes of walking from the elevator, the 4 finally arrive at the first destination of their tour. In front of them stood a pair of doors of enormous proportion. "Heaven's door" was all Ritsuko said as she swiped an ID card through a device on the wall. The lights on the device switched from red to green, and the door slowly opened outwards. The 4 continued inside, and came upon a small yellow lake, with a huge cross in the center. A small NERV gunboat patrols the lake, its crew surprised at the visitors. An astonished Misato and Kaji staggered towards the beach of the artificial lake, while Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki watched on. "That is..." gasped Kaji at the white figure nailed to the crucifix. "Lilith?" asked Misato, who turns back and looks at the 2 NERV officials who's been keeping so much secrets. "It all began in 1999..." begins Ritsuko, as the 2 large door closes behind them, shutting them off from the rest of the world. --- Untold hours later The group arrives at their final destination. They enter a large, dark, circular room, with a strange glass and metal structure in the center, attached to the floor and ceiling by twisting tubes. The only sound audible from the darkness is the soft humming of pumping machinery. Misato, who is understandably upset from the countless hours of walking, and the fact that her view on the world had just shuttered like a vase, looked around the room. She checks the time on her watch. Commander Fuyutsuki and Kaji have long since left the group to discuss something. "It's getting late," she said impatiently, "Shinji and Asuka will be worried about me". "Then I will make this quick", said Ritsuko. She pulls a remote out of the lab coat pocket, and tapped a command in. An amber colored light replaces the blackness of the room. The circular wall of the room is in fact a large tank, filled with what appears to be LCL. And bodies, countless pale, nude bodies. Misato froze; all she could manage to do was to ask a simple question. "Ayanami...Rei?" In unison, dozens of heads turned towards her, bringing their blood-red eyes to bear. --- Misato/Ikari residence "Asuka, dinner!" called out Shinji, he realized his mistake a second later, when a child's crying can be heard. "Baka Shinji!" shouted Asuka, "she was finally asleep!" "Sorry" Shinji apologized. "Humpf!" was all Asuka said as she picks up the groggy child and gently rocked her. Teri rubbed her eyes, and smiled at the mother. "Good girl! I guess you take after your mother, not your father" She brought Teri into the dinning area, where Shinji was placing the food on the table. "Almost as loud as your mother" Shinji thought to himself, and Teri giggled. Asuka placed Teri in a baby chair and started eating. It wasn't long before Teri became restless. "I think she's hungry" commented Shinji. "Mother to the rescue!" said Asuka as she picked Teri up. She prepares herself to breast-feed Teri. Shinji couldn't help but stare. "What?!" asked Asuka, "nothing you've never seen". "It's not that," he replied, "it's just that the way you're doing it, like how a mother would..." "Of course I'm a mother, dummkopf!" fumed Asuka, while Teri continues her feeding. Shinji quickly changes the subject. "I wonder why Misato isn't home yet?" he asked between bites. "I dunno, probably working late again." Asuka answered, looking up from Teri. Shinji thought for a moment. "Asuka, I've got an idea, how about if I bring some friends to visit after school tomorrow?" "That a great idea!" said Asuka, suddenly excited. "I bet Hikari is dying to see Teri-chan!" "Yeah, Touji and Kensuke, too!" added Shinji, the mentioning of those 2 names didn't go well with the red head across the table. "3 stooges rids again..." muttered Asuka. "Huh?" Shinji wasn't paying attention; he was finishing the last of his rice. Asuka had already finished her dinner. "I mean...what about Wonder girl? She did help save my life, so it's only proper to grant her visitation rights" she suggested as Shinji clears the table. Shinji was quite astonished that Asuka would even mention Rei. "Ayanami? Sure, I bet she'd love to see Teri-chan" he said. Just then, Misato arrived home. After uttering out a weak "I'm home", she collapsed on the couch, exhausted from the days' activities. 3 heads peered around the doorway to the kitchen. "Hi Misato-san!" 2 of the heads called out in unison, while the 3rd just smiled at the woman. "Misato-san, I kept dinner warm for you" Shinji informed her, and went into the kitchen to get it. "Thank you very much, Shinji-kun." Asuka drop into the couch with Teri, right next to Misato. "Say hi to your aunt Misato, Teri-chan." Asuka held Teri up, and she smiled with joy and waved her little arms at Misato. That brought a smile across Misato's tired lips, too. "Can I hold her?" she asked. "Of course you can!" was the reply. "By the way Misato, the gang is coming over to see Teri after school tomorrow" said Asuka as she hands Teri over to Misato. "Rei, too" Shinji called out from the kitchen. "Baka, isn't that what I just said?" "Ayanami Rei..." was all Misato said as she held Teri in her arms. END of Chapter #1.0 version 4, dated 06/09/99, roll credits with moon and Rei backdrop, cue 'Fly me to the moon' Author: Me, David Templar (<--pen name, don't bother trying to hunt me down, Asuka-loving-anti-Rei extremists out there) Co-author: Half-empty bag of jellybeans on my table, various containers of ice cream treats that are now no more *sniff*. And the 51 Eva mp3s playing over and over again. Ideas from: the little chibi Eva characters inside my head talking to me telling be to do things bad thing why won't they stop talking to me why why why why why?! Much thanks to: Axel Terizaki, for creating such a wonderful alternate story for Evangelion Many thanks to: Axel Terizaki, for letting me continue his wonderful story All the thanks in the world to: Hideaki Anno, for creating the original and simply magnificent story, thank you sir. Almost as much thanks to: Vancouver Japanese Animation Club, for without them, I would have never seen Evangelion, thanks guys! This fanfic cannot be created without the influence of such beloved fanfic as: Child of Love (no, really?); EVA: R; Garden of Eva; Evanjellydonut; some other ones, can't remember them all, but they made a difference. Other thanks go to newsgroup Japan.anime.evangelion and rec.arts.anime.creative, the Evangelion Encyclopedia webpage, various Eva mp3 sites, SDAT, and the guy who lend me a copy of Evangelion manga, which started the whole obsession. About the author: He is a 17 year old living in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He is an Ayanami Rei fan, but like Asuka very much, too. He has 51 Evangelion mp3s (gonna get more as soon as he finds more), and a pack of collectable Evangelion-Death: Rebirth card priced at $7.59 Canadian. His creative genius can be attributed to the following: one too many blows to the head, too much TV, too much day dreaming, not really having a life, and massive overdose of Eva mp3s. For all those who'd like to comment on the fanfic, or the author's sanity, please send a self-addressed envelope to Vancouver Psychiatric Treatment Center, please include return address and postage. He likes to show his appreciation by mailing back large suspicious packages. For a fast way to reach him, his e-mail is damnit@intergate.bc.ca (no joke), or ICQ him at: 8155557 (nick: TheSaint). If you read all of the above, you now are gonna be treated to something relevant to the story. Preview of next chapter/episode: Misato is in US attending a memorial for NERV 3rd Branch, when it mysteriously reappears! EVANGELION Unit-04 is recovered, but there is little clue as to what happened. The EVA is sent to NERV HQ, and so is a new Pilot. The 4th seems to know Rei, but Rei doesn't recall ever meeting him. Meanwhile, things are happening at the Misato/Ikari residence, strange things. Not just that, Asuka's synch rate seems to be dropping! What is causing the drop? What happened to the 3rd Branch? Who is this 4th and what history does he and Rei share? Find out in the next chapter/episode: Childhood acquaintance, long since forgotten. Oh yeah, there might or might not be fan service, whatever that is! but Rei doesn't recall ever meeting him. Meanwhile, things are happening at the Misato/Ikari residence, strange things. Not just that, Asuka's synch rate seems to be dropping! What is causing the drop? What happened to the 3rd Branch? Who is this 4th and what history does he and Rei share? Find out in the next chapter/episode: Childhood acquaintance, long since forgotten. Oh yeah, there might or might not be fan service, whatever that is!