M. H. Fuzzball
Aperture Science-certified Horrible Person
- Location
- Sector 2814
And he gets his fix for free, and doesn't have to look around for a dealer. What was that about Pen-Pen's intelligence again?
Advice and Trust [NGE]
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Pen Pen looked anything but eager to eat that curry. I don't think addiction is the problem. Rather, 'I'm too short to reach the microwave or can opener, and I have no options.'
Going to get something done tonight, damn it. I have been jonesing to write all week.
Going to get something done tonight, damn it. I have been jonesing to write all week.
- Location
- Canada
Not a huge area, and depending on where Adam was there may not be any crater.
I thought we decided that the location of ADAM was the Wilkes Land mass concentration Crater, which is theorized to have been from the impact that caused the Permian-Triassic Extinction.Also, across the page from that image is the other one (click for a bigger size):
It accounts for post-glacial rebound, which is the rise of the land after the pressure of ice was removed. So the actual land would be somewhat bigger than on your picture due to it starting to rise, since the rise of the sea level in NGE suggests that most of the antarctic ice was melted in Second Impact.
octobersanctuary
Self-appointed Master of Ceremonies
- Location
- New Zealand
Just in the midst of catching up with Laserdisc Chronicles and...
This made my day
This made my day
CrimsonKnight
Lurking in a thread near you
Oh, my sweet summer child, you have no idea the massive conga line of trauma that the canon Bardiel fight was the beginning of.
Ranma-sensei
Sorcerer
- Location
- Citrix Receiver
- Pronouns
- Weatherdependent
Technically, it's even earlier.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Yeah, the canon kiss failure is up next after Iruel and Sahaquiel, and then the weirdness of Leliel. And the kiss is where things change trajectory and start heading south increasingly fast.
Update partially done.
Update partially done.
CrimsonKnight
Lurking in a thread near you
True, but I'm expecting confusion at first that the show isn't following exactly how they remember it anymore with the Kiss not taking between Shinji and Asuka, the Unit-01 -> Unit-02 shift in Lelial's fight even if it still ends with a Mother Ex Machina, and no secret intervention to detox Rei. It's only with Bardiel and everything that follows that they'll begin to feel the pain as they realize just how far down the trauma rabbit hole this will go (and where THEY could have ended up if only a few things went different).
octobersanctuary
Self-appointed Master of Ceremonies
- Location
- New Zealand
A: "The US is a very strange place."
Chapter 11.5
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
I really apologize for letting it be this long between canon updates, everyone. Thanks for hanging in there. Also, it's about 4am here, this is unbeta-ed, and I really hope any typos aren't too bad.
Art, of course
Chapter 11.5
Cards On The Table
+++
Rei's room was exactly as it had been the last time he'd seen it. No one had even entered it in the meantime. Several pairs of her underwear still hung from their drying ring in one corner, a sight which gave Kaworu a momentary sad smile as his eyes flicked across it. 'Better days,' he thought. This was not going to be easy. The happier memory and Rei's proximity was already causing his fragile control to start to crumble.
He turned to face her as she slid the door shut behind them.
She fixed him with a sharp, coolly hostile look. "You are the Seventeenth Angel," she said coldly.
"Yes."
"And they do not know?" Rei made a tiny gesture with her head at the door behind her.
"We… we were going to tell them about us after… the Sixteenth. When it was down to just me, so we could explain about the dangers of SEELE and the others to them, and get their advice," Kaworu said carefully, keeping his voice as low as hers. "So… now, mostly. But I think they'll accept us needing some time to get your memories back to speed." He looked more carefully at her Light. "You're not really hurt, are you?" he asked with some concern.
"No. This body is fresh. I am the third."
Kaworu sagged a little in relief. "That's… that's good. I'm glad you're… alright. And remember Shinji and Asuka."
Rei's face was still expressionless. "Not you?"
Kaworu gave a sad shrug. "I don't… I… I hope you will remember me. But even without that, I know you will keep your promises, and I will keep mine."
"What promises?" Rei demanded, still cool.
"That we would not lie to each other. That we'd protect Shinji and Asuka, and their world. That…" He hesitated. "That if I lost control, and could no longer resist the Call, you would kill me as quickly and painlessly as possible, and mourn my death. But you made me promise to live, to fight the Call as long as I could."
"I made you promise to live?" Rei asked skeptically.
He nodded. "Because we were… friends. Allies. Maybe…" Kaworu swallowed. "You made me promise that at midnight on New Year's Eve, right before we… kissed."
Rei's stare became so flat you could use it to prove mathematical theorems. "We kissed," she echoed, doubt soaking each word.
Kaworu spread his arms. "We promised not to lie to each other. Am I?"
Rei's eyes flicked over him coldly. Her lips pursed in annoyance when she finished. "No. You are not." She sighed, exasperated. "You seem to have made numerous promises to her."
"To you."
Rei shook her head. "I remember nothing past the week after Zeruel. I did not experience any of what you describe. I am not her."
"You are Rei Ayanami," he countered.
Rei's expression was flat. "I am the third. She was the second. I am not her."
"Do you love Shinji and Asuka?"
She almost scowled. "Of course I d-"
"Who fell in love with them?"
"I-" Rei halted. Her eyes scanned his face rapidly, but her gaze was inward.
Kaworu let her think for a moment before breaking the silence. "When..." he swallowed. "Right after Unit-00 exploded, when I thought... I thought you were dead, I nearly... I... the despair almost took me. I nearly gave in, let Tabris take over, and... did what I'm supposed to do. But Mrs. Horaki said to me, 'You're the same person who got in this Evangelion thirty minutes ago'. And I stopped. Because it was true. And that person had promised he would live and fight the Call. Fight until we came up with a way to end it. Because you didn't want me to die, and..."
He stopped and gathered himself, wiping at his eyes. "You're still the same person, Ayanami-san. You love them. You are still the person who loves them. You are still the person I made promises to, and you to me. You are still my friend. And know you will still stop me if I falter. We will protect them."
Rei's look searched him again. "...you love them too."
He looked to the side, avoiding her eyes. "Him. And her. And Misato-san, and Horaki-san, and... I cannot be the end of them. I won't let myself be. A-and you... you..."
"I?" Rei tilted her head microscopically.
"Can... can I ask a favor, R-... Ayanami-san?"
She hesitated, but nodded.
"Can... I hold you for a moment?"
She blinked. "I... guess?"
He carefully stepped closer and put his arms around her. He rested his head on her shoulder for a second.
And cried.
"You're alive. You're alive, you're alive, you're alive..." he sobbed. "I almost... I... you give me so much hope, Rei..."
Rei stood there stiffly, arms half-raised, completely confused as to how to take this. Slowly, her arms came up to complete the embrace from her side. Shinji and Asuka had taught her to show care. She would trust in their lessons.
His AT-Field was weak and open. He had no defenses in this moment. "I could kill you right now," she said quietly.
He nodded against her shoulder, still crying. "I think I love you," he said, barely more than a whisper.
Rei froze.
"It felt like someone ripped my heart out when Unit-00 blew up. I... I can't stand the thought of you... gone. You give me so much hope, Rei. Hope, and... love. When you asked me to see a movie with you on Saturday, I... I felt like I could do it, I could beat the Call and be with everyone for as long as I needed, my whole life. But... as long as I am what I am, I will be a threat to everyone. So... you promised. If... if you think it best, I will not stop you."
She turned her head into his. Not nuzzling, but trying to see him better. "You mean it," she said, halfway between asking and stating.
"You're alive. You need to live too, even more than I do. You're so important to them," he whispered.
"What about you?"
"I... I don't..."
Kaworu almost gasped when he felt Rei's arms tighten around him. "Listen, Fifth Child. My Sight still works just fine, and I can see how you feel about them. And Shinji clearly likes you more than you realize. He is very open to you, even more than to Kensuke and Suzuhara-san, two of his closest friends. Shinji is a very private person who does not make friends easily or let people close. He and Asuka are quite alike in that, though she pretends otherwise better than him in public. They both have tender hearts, one of the many reasons I love them. That he thinks so well of you... even if I do not remember how it happened, I know you are a friend to them both. Do you think for an instant they will not fight to defend your life too? That you mean nothing to them? If... I made you promise to live, I must have had good reason. So you will uphold that promise. Is that clear?"
Kaworu let out something between a laugh and a sob. "You... you are definitely the same person, Ayanami-san."
She let him go and stepped back a pace. "We shall see, Fifth Child. For now, explain what we have held back from the others."
What the others knew already. Their conversations. The memories of Lilith she had recovered after Arael. His visions. The events of the last two months. Their plans.
He was nearly finished when an outbreak of music made them both look at the door to the living room. Shinji's cello was almost cheerfully purring it's way through a song that was on the edge of familiar to Rei.
Rei turned back to look at Kaworu when the sudden flaring of his Light lit up the room. "What are you doing...?"
Kaworu's face was a huge, achingly bittersweet smile. "He... he has no way of knowing what it means to me, but... Shinji is... so kind to me."
"What is it? A song you like?"
"That is Ode to Joy."
Kaworu stood up quickly from where they'd both sat down on the futon and reached out his hand to Rei. "We've kept them waiting long enough. Let's go join them. We can continue our conversation via the text messages as I mentioned."
She cautiously took his hand and rose. "You do not lie, and our phones' records will have much for me to examine, but it is difficult to accept so much so quickly, Nagisa-san. I will attempt to defer reaction until I have taken a look, though. Please pardon me."
Kaworu smiled sadly at her. "You give me hope, more precious than anything, Ayanami-san. I can hold on. And please, call me Kaworu."
"I-"
"Please?"
Rei sighed. "As you wish."
Kaworu's eyes went wide. "I... you..."
"What?"
"You... a movie we... I... gah?!" Kaworu babbled.
Rei blinked. "I... oh. Oh! I... ah... did not mean it like that!"
Kaworu looked like he was about to start crying and smiling at the same time. "I... of course. I... it was just a shock. I..." He flushed and looked away. "I... would... er... sometimes say that to you."
Rei looked at him closely. "...and I permitted this?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
Kaworu scratched the back of his head nervously. "Recently, you um... stopped objecting to it? Or at least, you stopped replying with the threat to kill me in the morning?"
Rei hummed doubtfully in the back of her throat. "I see... For now, let us go rejoin the others... Kaworu."
The smile won out on his face, and he nodded.
They turned to open the door together.
Art, of course
Chapter 11.5
Cards On The Table
+++
Rei's room was exactly as it had been the last time he'd seen it. No one had even entered it in the meantime. Several pairs of her underwear still hung from their drying ring in one corner, a sight which gave Kaworu a momentary sad smile as his eyes flicked across it. 'Better days,' he thought. This was not going to be easy. The happier memory and Rei's proximity was already causing his fragile control to start to crumble.
He turned to face her as she slid the door shut behind them.
She fixed him with a sharp, coolly hostile look. "You are the Seventeenth Angel," she said coldly.
"Yes."
"And they do not know?" Rei made a tiny gesture with her head at the door behind her.
"We… we were going to tell them about us after… the Sixteenth. When it was down to just me, so we could explain about the dangers of SEELE and the others to them, and get their advice," Kaworu said carefully, keeping his voice as low as hers. "So… now, mostly. But I think they'll accept us needing some time to get your memories back to speed." He looked more carefully at her Light. "You're not really hurt, are you?" he asked with some concern.
"No. This body is fresh. I am the third."
Kaworu sagged a little in relief. "That's… that's good. I'm glad you're… alright. And remember Shinji and Asuka."
Rei's face was still expressionless. "Not you?"
Kaworu gave a sad shrug. "I don't… I… I hope you will remember me. But even without that, I know you will keep your promises, and I will keep mine."
"What promises?" Rei demanded, still cool.
"That we would not lie to each other. That we'd protect Shinji and Asuka, and their world. That…" He hesitated. "That if I lost control, and could no longer resist the Call, you would kill me as quickly and painlessly as possible, and mourn my death. But you made me promise to live, to fight the Call as long as I could."
"I made you promise to live?" Rei asked skeptically.
He nodded. "Because we were… friends. Allies. Maybe…" Kaworu swallowed. "You made me promise that at midnight on New Year's Eve, right before we… kissed."
Rei's stare became so flat you could use it to prove mathematical theorems. "We kissed," she echoed, doubt soaking each word.
Kaworu spread his arms. "We promised not to lie to each other. Am I?"
Rei's eyes flicked over him coldly. Her lips pursed in annoyance when she finished. "No. You are not." She sighed, exasperated. "You seem to have made numerous promises to her."
"To you."
Rei shook her head. "I remember nothing past the week after Zeruel. I did not experience any of what you describe. I am not her."
"You are Rei Ayanami," he countered.
Rei's expression was flat. "I am the third. She was the second. I am not her."
"Do you love Shinji and Asuka?"
She almost scowled. "Of course I d-"
"Who fell in love with them?"
"I-" Rei halted. Her eyes scanned his face rapidly, but her gaze was inward.
Kaworu let her think for a moment before breaking the silence. "When..." he swallowed. "Right after Unit-00 exploded, when I thought... I thought you were dead, I nearly... I... the despair almost took me. I nearly gave in, let Tabris take over, and... did what I'm supposed to do. But Mrs. Horaki said to me, 'You're the same person who got in this Evangelion thirty minutes ago'. And I stopped. Because it was true. And that person had promised he would live and fight the Call. Fight until we came up with a way to end it. Because you didn't want me to die, and..."
He stopped and gathered himself, wiping at his eyes. "You're still the same person, Ayanami-san. You love them. You are still the person who loves them. You are still the person I made promises to, and you to me. You are still my friend. And know you will still stop me if I falter. We will protect them."
Rei's look searched him again. "...you love them too."
He looked to the side, avoiding her eyes. "Him. And her. And Misato-san, and Horaki-san, and... I cannot be the end of them. I won't let myself be. A-and you... you..."
"I?" Rei tilted her head microscopically.
"Can... can I ask a favor, R-... Ayanami-san?"
She hesitated, but nodded.
"Can... I hold you for a moment?"
She blinked. "I... guess?"
He carefully stepped closer and put his arms around her. He rested his head on her shoulder for a second.
And cried.
"You're alive. You're alive, you're alive, you're alive..." he sobbed. "I almost... I... you give me so much hope, Rei..."
Rei stood there stiffly, arms half-raised, completely confused as to how to take this. Slowly, her arms came up to complete the embrace from her side. Shinji and Asuka had taught her to show care. She would trust in their lessons.
His AT-Field was weak and open. He had no defenses in this moment. "I could kill you right now," she said quietly.
He nodded against her shoulder, still crying. "I think I love you," he said, barely more than a whisper.
Rei froze.
"It felt like someone ripped my heart out when Unit-00 blew up. I... I can't stand the thought of you... gone. You give me so much hope, Rei. Hope, and... love. When you asked me to see a movie with you on Saturday, I... I felt like I could do it, I could beat the Call and be with everyone for as long as I needed, my whole life. But... as long as I am what I am, I will be a threat to everyone. So... you promised. If... if you think it best, I will not stop you."
She turned her head into his. Not nuzzling, but trying to see him better. "You mean it," she said, halfway between asking and stating.
"You're alive. You need to live too, even more than I do. You're so important to them," he whispered.
"What about you?"
"I... I don't..."
Kaworu almost gasped when he felt Rei's arms tighten around him. "Listen, Fifth Child. My Sight still works just fine, and I can see how you feel about them. And Shinji clearly likes you more than you realize. He is very open to you, even more than to Kensuke and Suzuhara-san, two of his closest friends. Shinji is a very private person who does not make friends easily or let people close. He and Asuka are quite alike in that, though she pretends otherwise better than him in public. They both have tender hearts, one of the many reasons I love them. That he thinks so well of you... even if I do not remember how it happened, I know you are a friend to them both. Do you think for an instant they will not fight to defend your life too? That you mean nothing to them? If... I made you promise to live, I must have had good reason. So you will uphold that promise. Is that clear?"
Kaworu let out something between a laugh and a sob. "You... you are definitely the same person, Ayanami-san."
She let him go and stepped back a pace. "We shall see, Fifth Child. For now, explain what we have held back from the others."
What the others knew already. Their conversations. The memories of Lilith she had recovered after Arael. His visions. The events of the last two months. Their plans.
He was nearly finished when an outbreak of music made them both look at the door to the living room. Shinji's cello was almost cheerfully purring it's way through a song that was on the edge of familiar to Rei.
Rei turned back to look at Kaworu when the sudden flaring of his Light lit up the room. "What are you doing...?"
Kaworu's face was a huge, achingly bittersweet smile. "He... he has no way of knowing what it means to me, but... Shinji is... so kind to me."
"What is it? A song you like?"
"That is Ode to Joy."
Kaworu stood up quickly from where they'd both sat down on the futon and reached out his hand to Rei. "We've kept them waiting long enough. Let's go join them. We can continue our conversation via the text messages as I mentioned."
She cautiously took his hand and rose. "You do not lie, and our phones' records will have much for me to examine, but it is difficult to accept so much so quickly, Nagisa-san. I will attempt to defer reaction until I have taken a look, though. Please pardon me."
Kaworu smiled sadly at her. "You give me hope, more precious than anything, Ayanami-san. I can hold on. And please, call me Kaworu."
"I-"
"Please?"
Rei sighed. "As you wish."
Kaworu's eyes went wide. "I... you..."
"What?"
"You... a movie we... I... gah?!" Kaworu babbled.
Rei blinked. "I... oh. Oh! I... ah... did not mean it like that!"
Kaworu looked like he was about to start crying and smiling at the same time. "I... of course. I... it was just a shock. I..." He flushed and looked away. "I... would... er... sometimes say that to you."
Rei looked at him closely. "...and I permitted this?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
Kaworu scratched the back of his head nervously. "Recently, you um... stopped objecting to it? Or at least, you stopped replying with the threat to kill me in the morning?"
Rei hummed doubtfully in the back of her throat. "I see... For now, let us go rejoin the others... Kaworu."
The smile won out on his face, and he nodded.
They turned to open the door together.
BG_Character_592
The Fisherman
- Location
- Australia
Poor fishie
Hopefully they'll be able to rebuild their relationship back to a state before Armisael. Though if Kaworu tries to rush things it might not end well...
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
I was expecting something like "Your logic is difficult to deny", but Rei halting her train of thoughts speaks volumes about her emotional turmoil.
I shall not cry in public.
I shall not cry in public.
I shall not cry in public.
I shall not cry in public.
Well worth the wait, this was.
Last edited:
octobersanctuary
Self-appointed Master of Ceremonies
- Location
- New Zealand
I really apologize for letting it be this long between canon updates, everyone. Thanks for hanging in there. Also, it's about 4am here, this is unbeta-ed, and I really hope any typos aren't too bad.
Art, of course
Chapter 11.4
Cards On The Table
+++
Rei's room was exactly as it had been the last time he'd seen it. No one had even entered it in the meantime. Several pairs of her underwear still hung from their drying ring in one corner, a sight which gave Kaworu a momentary sad smile as his eyes flicked across it. 'Better days,' he thought. This was not going to be easy. The happier memory and Rei's proximity was already causing his fragile control to start to crumble.
He turned to face her as she slid the door shut behind them.
She fixed him with a sharp, coolly hostile look. "You are the Seventeenth Angel," she said coldly.
"Yes."
"And they do not know?" Rei made a tiny gesture with her head at the door behind her.
"We… we were going to tell them about us after… the Sixteenth. When it was down to just me, so we could explain about the dangers of SEELE and the others to them, and get their advice," Kaworu said carefully, keeping his voice as low as hers. "So… now, mostly. But I think they'll accept us needing some time to get your memories back to speed." He looked more carefully at her Light. "You're not really hurt, are you?" he asked with some concern.
"No. This body is fresh. I am the third."
Kaworu sagged a little in relief. "That's… that's good. I'm glad you're… alright. And remember Shinji and Asuka."
Rei's face was still expressionless. "Not you?"
Kaworu gave a sad shrug. "I don't… I… I hope you will remember me. But even without that, I know you will keep your promises, and I will keep mine."
"What promises?" Rei demanded, still cool.
"That we would not lie to each other. That we'd protect Shinji and Asuka, and their world. That…" He hesitated. "That if I lost control, and could no longer resist the Call, you would kill me as quickly and painlessly as possible, and mourn my death. But you made me promise to live, to fight the Call as long as I could."
"I made you promise to live?" Rei asked skeptically.
He nodded. "Because we were… friends. Allies. Maybe…" Kaworu swallowed. "You made me promise that at midnight on New Year's Eve, right before we… kissed."
Rei's stare became so flat you could use it to prove mathematical theorems. "We kissed," she echoed, doubt soaking each word.
Kaworu spread his arms. "We promised not to lie to each other. Am I?"
Rei's eyes flicked over him coldly. Her lips pursed in annoyance when she finished. "No. You are not." She sighed, exasperated. "You seem to have made numerous promises to her."
"To you."
Rei shook her head. "I remember nothing past the week after Zeruel. I did not experience any of what you describe. I am not her."
"You are Rei Ayanami," he countered.
Rei's expression was flat. "I am the third. She was the second. I am not her."
"Do you love Shinji and Asuka?"
She almost scowled. "Of course I d-"
"Who fell in love with them?"
"I-" Rei halted. Her eyes scanned his face rapidly, but her gaze was inward.
Kaworu let her think for a moment before breaking the silence. "When..." he swallowed. "Right after Unit-00 exploded, when I thought... I thought you were dead, I nearly... I... the despair almost took me. I nearly gave in, let Tabris take over, and... did what I'm supposed to do. But Mrs. Horaki said to me, 'You're the same person who got in this Evangelion thirty minutes ago'. And I stopped. Because it was true. And that person had promised he would live and fight the Call. Fight until we came up with a way to end it. Because you didn't want me to die, and..."
He stopped and gathered himself, wiping at his eyes. "You're still the same person, Ayanami-san. You love them. You are still the person who loves them. You are still the person I made promises to, and you to me. You are still my friend. And know you will still stop me if I falter. We will protect them."
Rei's look searched him again. "...you love them too."
He looked to the side, avoiding her eyes. "Him. And her. And Misato-san, and Horaki-san, and... I cannot be the end of them. I won't let myself be. A-and you... you..."
"I?" Rei tilted her head microscopically.
"Can... can I ask a favor, R-... Ayanami-san?"
She hesitated, but nodded.
"Can... I hold you for a moment?"
She blinked. "I... guess?"
He carefully stepped closer and put his arms around her. He rested his head on her shoulder for a second.
And cried.
"You're alive. You're alive, you're alive, you're alive..." he sobbed. "I almost... I... you give me so much hope, Rei..."
Rei stood there stiffly, arms half-raised, completely confused as to how to take this. Slowly, her arms came up to complete the embrace from her side. Shinji and Asuka had taught her to show care. She would trust in their lessons.
His AT-Field was weak and open. He had no defenses in this moment. "I could kill you right now," she said quietly.
He nodded against her shoulder, still crying. "I think I love you," he said, barely more than a whisper.
Rei froze.
"It felt like someone ripped my heart out when Unit-00 blew up. I... I can't stand the thought of you... gone. You give me so much hope, Rei. Hope, and... love. When you asked me to see a movie with you on Saturday, I... I felt like I could do it, I could beat the Call and be with everyone for as long as I needed, my whole life. But... as long as I am what I am, I will be a threat to everyone. So... you promised. If... if you think it best, I will not stop you."
She turned her head into his. Not nuzzling, but trying to see him better. "You mean it," she said, halfway between asking and stating.
"You're alive. You need to live too, even more than I do. You're so important to them," he whispered.
"What about you?"
"I... I don't..."
Kaworu almost gasped when he felt Rei's arms tighten around him. "Listen, Fifth Child. My Sight still works just fine, and I can see how you feel about them. And Shinji clearly likes you more than you realize. He is very open to you, even more than to Kensuke and Suzuhara-san, two of his closest friends. Shinji is a very private person who does not make friends easily or let people close. He and Asuka are quite alike in that, though she pretends otherwise better than him in public. They both have tender hearts, one of the many reasons I love them. That he thinks so well of you... even if I do not remember how it happened, I know you are friends to them both. Do you think for an instant they will not fight to defend your life too? That you mean nothing to them? If... I made you promise to live, I must have had good reason. So you will uphold that promise. Is that clear?"
Kaworu let out something between a laugh and a sob. "You... you are definitely the same person, Ayanami-san."
She let him go and stepped back a pace. "We shall see, Fifth Child. For now, explain what we have held back from the others."
What the others knew already. Their conversations. The memories of Lilith she had recovered after Arael. His visions. The events of the last two months. Their plans.
He was nearly finished when an outbreak of music made them both look at the door to the living room. Shinji's cello was almost cheerfully purring it's way through a song that was on the edge of familiar to Rei.
Rei turned back to look at Kaworu when the sudden flaring of his Light lit up the room. "What are you doing...?"
Kaworu's face was a huge, achingly bittersweet smile. "He... he has no way of knowing what it means to me, but... Shinji is... so kind to me."
"What is it? A song you like?"
"That is Ode to Joy."
Kaworu stood up quickly from where they'd both sat down on the futon and reached out his hand to Rei. "We've kept them waiting long enough. Let's go join them. We can continue our conversation via the text messages as I mentioned."
She cautiously took his hand and rose. "You do not lie, and our phones' records will have much for me to examine, but it is difficult to accept so much so quickly, Nagisa-san. I will attempt to defer reaction until I have taken a look, though. Please pardon me."
Kaworu smiled sadly at her. "You give me hope, more precious than anything, Ayanami-san. I can hold on. And please, call my Kaworu."
"I-"
"Please?"
Rei sighed. "As you wish."
Kaworu's eyes went wide. "I... you..."
"What?"
"You... a movie we... I... gah?!" Kaworu babbled.
Rei blinked. "I... oh. Oh! I... ah... did not mean it like that!"
Kaworu looked like he was about to start crying and smiling at the same time. "I... of course. I... it was just a shock. I..." He flushed and looked away. "I... would... er... sometimes say that to you."
Rei looked at him closely. "...and I permitted this?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
Kaworu scratched the back of his head nervously. "Recently, you um... stopped objecting to it? Or at least, you stopped replying with the threat to kill me in the morning?"
Rei hummed doubtfully in the back of her throat. "I see... For now, let us go rejoin the others... Kaworu."
The smile won out on his face, and he nodded.
The turned to open the door together.
Darn it Stryp
Timerider
That guy who really should get out more.
- Location
- The End of the World.
Bullet dodged, apocalypse averted.
Teh Rei has been huggel'd, and the Fish is ok.
Now all that's left is to stomp the MP-Evas (once SEELE figures out that Tabris isn't gonna play along) and dump Gendo into a piranha-filled acid tank.
Wait... That sounds too easy. We're doomed.
Teh Rei has been huggel'd, and the Fish is ok.
Now all that's left is to stomp the MP-Evas (once SEELE figures out that Tabris isn't gonna play along) and dump Gendo into a piranha-filled acid tank.
Wait... That sounds too easy. We're doomed.
Lord Sovereign
The Emperor of shitty fanfic
- Location
- England
Grade A diabetes inducing, love it.
Now then, you twats have a lot to answer for. You see, the other day I was helping my dear old Dad clean up the kitchen after a very nice Sunday Dinner. We were chatting away and got on to the subject of fish, at which point my Dad listed off a few species...ending in "Rainbow Trout." This is an actual species of fish, a kind of Salmon, but thanks to you motherfuckers, that wasn't the first thing to come to mind. You have no idea how much of a struggle I had to not turn into a giggling buffoon in front of my pushing sixty father.
So yeah, thanks for that.
Now then, you twats have a lot to answer for. You see, the other day I was helping my dear old Dad clean up the kitchen after a very nice Sunday Dinner. We were chatting away and got on to the subject of fish, at which point my Dad listed off a few species...ending in "Rainbow Trout." This is an actual species of fish, a kind of Salmon, but thanks to you motherfuckers, that wasn't the first thing to come to mind. You have no idea how much of a struggle I had to not turn into a giggling buffoon in front of my pushing sixty father.
So yeah, thanks for that.
Timerider
That guy who really should get out more.
- Location
- The End of the World.
While I do feel for your struggle...Now then, you twats have a lot to answer for. You see, the other day I was helping my dear old Dad clean up the kitchen after a very nice Sunday Dinner. We were chatting away and got on to the subject of fish, at which point my Dad listed off a few species...ending in "Rainbow Trout." This is an actual species of fish, a kind of Salmon, but thanks to you motherfuckers, that wasn't the first thing to come to mind. You have no idea how much of a struggle I had to not turn into a giggling buffoon in front of my pushing sixty father.
So yeah, thanks for that.
I REGRET NOTHING!
Last edited:
octobersanctuary
Self-appointed Master of Ceremonies
- Location
- New Zealand
Now then, you twats have a lot to answer for. You see, the other day I was helping my dear old Dad clean up the kitchen after a very nice Sunday Dinner. We were chatting away and got on to the subject of fish, at which point my Dad listed off a few species...ending in "Rainbow Trout." This is an actual species of fish, a kind of Salmon, but thanks to you motherfuckers, that wasn't the first thing to come to mind. You have no idea how much of a struggle I had to not turn into a giggling buffoon in front of my pushing sixty father.
So yeah, thanks for that.
(We aim to please)
wyatt2996
Need me some WAFF
- Location
- Tidewater, VA
Shouldn't it be 11.5? (I get it that it was late... I'm still up from yesterday thanks to a silly 24 hour in port watch... SV is the only way I got through it)
Ranma-sensei
Sorcerer
- Location
- Citrix Receiver
- Pronouns
- Weatherdependent
Now there's a surprise, that the girl is better at hiding in plain sight.
Most of us boys couldn't hide our true characters if our lives depended upon it.
I am a little (over)tired, but I found two things:
'you are a friend', I think. Or can you say plural in this constellation?
'They'
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
In counterpoint, I submit that under *archy, we do that every day.
Seihai-kun
[Unverified Wish Granting Device]
- Location
- Brasil
*instakilled by the FEELS*
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Is this capitalization an intentional double-meaning?
yes
It's like watching a train wreck
expect YOUR IN THE TRAIN!
I really apologize for letting it be this long between canon updates, everyone. Thanks for hanging in there. Also, it's about 4am here, this is unbeta-ed, and I really hope any typos aren't too bad.
Art, of course
Chapter 11.4
Cards On The Table
+++
Rei's room was exactly as it had been the last time he'd seen it. No one had even entered it in the meantime. Several pairs of her underwear still hung from their drying ring in one corner, a sight which gave Kaworu a momentary sad smile as his eyes flicked across it. 'Better days,' he thought. This was not going to be easy. The happier memory and Rei's proximity was already causing his fragile control to start to crumble.
He turned to face her as she slid the door shut behind them.
She fixed him with a sharp, coolly hostile look. "You are the Seventeenth Angel," she said coldly.
"Yes."
"And they do not know?" Rei made a tiny gesture with her head at the door behind her.
"We… we were going to tell them about us after… the Sixteenth. When it was down to just me, so we could explain about the dangers of SEELE and the others to them, and get their advice," Kaworu said carefully, keeping his voice as low as hers. "So… now, mostly. But I think they'll accept us needing some time to get your memories back to speed." He looked more carefully at her Light. "You're not really hurt, are you?" he asked with some concern.
"No. This body is fresh. I am the third."
Kaworu sagged a little in relief. "That's… that's good. I'm glad you're… alright. And remember Shinji and Asuka."
Rei's face was still expressionless. "Not you?"
Kaworu gave a sad shrug. "I don't… I… I hope you will remember me. But even without that, I know you will keep your promises, and I will keep mine."
"What promises?" Rei demanded, still cool.
"That we would not lie to each other. That we'd protect Shinji and Asuka, and their world. That…" He hesitated. "That if I lost control, and could no longer resist the Call, you would kill me as quickly and painlessly as possible, and mourn my death. But you made me promise to live, to fight the Call as long as I could."
"I made you promise to live?" Rei asked skeptically.
He nodded. "Because we were… friends. Allies. Maybe…" Kaworu swallowed. "You made me promise that at midnight on New Year's Eve, right before we… kissed."
Rei's stare became so flat you could use it to prove mathematical theorems. "We kissed," she echoed, doubt soaking each word.
Kaworu spread his arms. "We promised not to lie to each other. Am I?"
Rei's eyes flicked over him coldly. Her lips pursed in annoyance when she finished. "No. You are not." She sighed, exasperated. "You seem to have made numerous promises to her."
"To you."
Rei shook her head. "I remember nothing past the week after Zeruel. I did not experience any of what you describe. I am not her."
"You are Rei Ayanami," he countered.
Rei's expression was flat. "I am the third. She was the second. I am not her."
"Do you love Shinji and Asuka?"
She almost scowled. "Of course I d-"
"Who fell in love with them?"
"I-" Rei halted. Her eyes scanned his face rapidly, but her gaze was inward.
Kaworu let her think for a moment before breaking the silence. "When..." he swallowed. "Right after Unit-00 exploded, when I thought... I thought you were dead, I nearly... I... the despair almost took me. I nearly gave in, let Tabris take over, and... did what I'm supposed to do. But Mrs. Horaki said to me, 'You're the same person who got in this Evangelion thirty minutes ago'. And I stopped. Because it was true. And that person had promised he would live and fight the Call. Fight until we came up with a way to end it. Because you didn't want me to die, and..."
He stopped and gathered himself, wiping at his eyes. "You're still the same person, Ayanami-san. You love them. You are still the person who loves them. You are still the person I made promises to, and you to me. You are still my friend. And know you will still stop me if I falter. We will protect them."
Rei's look searched him again. "...you love them too."
He looked to the side, avoiding her eyes. "Him. And her. And Misato-san, and Horaki-san, and... I cannot be the end of them. I won't let myself be. A-and you... you..."
"I?" Rei tilted her head microscopically.
"Can... can I ask a favor, R-... Ayanami-san?"
She hesitated, but nodded.
"Can... I hold you for a moment?"
She blinked. "I... guess?"
He carefully stepped closer and put his arms around her. He rested his head on her shoulder for a second.
And cried.
"You're alive. You're alive, you're alive, you're alive..." he sobbed. "I almost... I... you give me so much hope, Rei..."
Rei stood there stiffly, arms half-raised, completely confused as to how to take this. Slowly, her arms came up to complete the embrace from her side. Shinji and Asuka had taught her to show care. She would trust in their lessons.
His AT-Field was weak and open. He had no defenses in this moment. "I could kill you right now," she said quietly.
He nodded against her shoulder, still crying. "I think I love you," he said, barely more than a whisper.
Rei froze.
"It felt like someone ripped my heart out when Unit-00 blew up. I... I can't stand the thought of you... gone. You give me so much hope, Rei. Hope, and... love. When you asked me to see a movie with you on Saturday, I... I felt like I could do it, I could beat the Call and be with everyone for as long as I needed, my whole life. But... as long as I am what I am, I will be a threat to everyone. So... you promised. If... if you think it best, I will not stop you."
She turned her head into his. Not nuzzling, but trying to see him better. "You mean it," she said, halfway between asking and stating.
"You're alive. You need to live too, even more than I do. You're so important to them," he whispered.
"What about you?"
"I... I don't..."
Kaworu almost gasped when he felt Rei's arms tighten around him. "Listen, Fifth Child. My Sight still works just fine, and I can see how you feel about them. And Shinji clearly likes you more than you realize. He is very open to you, even more than to Kensuke and Suzuhara-san, two of his closest friends. Shinji is a very private person who does not make friends easily or let people close. He and Asuka are quite alike in that, though she pretends otherwise better than him in public. They both have tender hearts, one of the many reasons I love them. That he thinks so well of you... even if I do not remember how it happened, I know you are friends to them both. Do you think for an instant they will not fight to defend your life too? That you mean nothing to them? If... I made you promise to live, I must have had good reason. So you will uphold that promise. Is that clear?"
Kaworu let out something between a laugh and a sob. "You... you are definitely the same person, Ayanami-san."
She let him go and stepped back a pace. "We shall see, Fifth Child. For now, explain what we have held back from the others."
What the others knew already. Their conversations. The memories of Lilith she had recovered after Arael. His visions. The events of the last two months. Their plans.
He was nearly finished when an outbreak of music made them both look at the door to the living room. Shinji's cello was almost cheerfully purring it's way through a song that was on the edge of familiar to Rei.
Rei turned back to look at Kaworu when the sudden flaring of his Light lit up the room. "What are you doing...?"
Kaworu's face was a huge, achingly bittersweet smile. "He... he has no way of knowing what it means to me, but... Shinji is... so kind to me."
"What is it? A song you like?"
"That is Ode to Joy."
Kaworu stood up quickly from where they'd both sat down on the futon and reached out his hand to Rei. "We've kept them waiting long enough. Let's go join them. We can continue our conversation via the text messages as I mentioned."
She cautiously took his hand and rose. "You do not lie, and our phones' records will have much for me to examine, but it is difficult to accept so much so quickly, Nagisa-san. I will attempt to defer reaction until I have taken a look, though. Please pardon me."
Kaworu smiled sadly at her. "You give me hope, more precious than anything, Ayanami-san. I can hold on. And please, call my Kaworu."
"I-"
"Please?"
Rei sighed. "As you wish."
Kaworu's eyes went wide. "I... you..."
"What?"
"You... a movie we... I... gah?!" Kaworu babbled.
Rei blinked. "I... oh. Oh! I... ah... did not mean it like that!"
Kaworu looked like he was about to start crying and smiling at the same time. "I... of course. I... it was just a shock. I..." He flushed and looked away. "I... would... er... sometimes say that to you."
Rei looked at him closely. "...and I permitted this?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
Kaworu scratched the back of his head nervously. "Recently, you um... stopped objecting to it? Or at least, you stopped replying with the threat to kill me in the morning?"
Rei hummed doubtfully in the back of her throat. "I see... For now, let us go rejoin the others... Kaworu."
The smile won out on his face, and he nodded.
The turned to open the door together.
OH GOD THE FEELS
I am slain.
Wait this brings up an amusing idea for the laser disc chronicles
[After they watch all the disks]
Kaworu: so... if Shinji hadn't tripped I would of never gotten involved with Rei?
Rei: Yes, I think the show made that very clear you stupid fish -__-
Kaworu: [Turns to Shinji] In such circumstances, I think, you are what Toji would refer to as a 'bro'
Shinji:...... your welcome?
BG_Character_592
The Fisherman
- Location
- Australia
Now I've got an image in my head of Shinji singing this
more chronicles soontm
Dmol8
The Undead Unhinged Lunatic of the Web
- Location
- Belgrade,Serbia
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Really @Strypgia? I see your Ode to Joy and raise you one Eternal Love by Madam Piano.Hey hey hey hey
. No ordinary acid for Gendo. Use A.C.I.D. for plot armor penetration just in case ya know.
Rajvik_wolfboy
Wolf amongst the stars.
- Location
- Florida
Hey hey hey hey
ooh, does that get to be, Trippy?