Characters and situations depicted here belong mainly to GAINAX, except for that tiny that came from the fertile imagination of M.Z. Bradley.

Author's note : see at the end.

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 ther 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 adressing 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 launchpod 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.
 
 
 

Author's note :

First of all, for those who know of the Darkover serie : the only thing I've picked up is the way the powers work. Don't expect to see anything else coming from it.

KOA : One of my prereader told me the english translation of Eva had it called the Core. Since there is no way to know how it's been translated in different countries, I'll keep the japanese name. There might be other instances of this kind of things, don't hesitate to let me know.

I'm working on it, so the draft of Part 2 should be out in a fairly short time (say, a month ? ^_^;;)

Ja !

-- 
Sebastien RENON

http://www.mygale.org/~dairen/index.shtml
http://members.tripod.com/~SebastienR/index.html