Reika : Convergence of Duality

Prologue : And in Darkness binds them

Written by DJ Lesser
Draft begun : November 10th 2000

Standard Disclaimer : Neon Genesis Evangelion / Shin Seiki Evangelion 
belongs to Gainax and other miscellaneous companies. Characters used 
without permission.
--------------------------

    Shinji clenched his eyes shut in concentration. With a hard yank he 
managed to pull the lever free, and the entry hatch popped open beneath 
his hands. LCL began draining away from the breach, drenching him from 
waist down, but he was oblivious to the fact as his eyes began to adjust 
to the dim surroundings of the chamber. After making sure he had a firm 
footing, he climbed into the entry plug, only to see an empty seat.

    "Rei? Asuka?" he called out softly. Yet the sound of his voice 
seemed magnified in the recluse darkness. He strained to listen for a 
reply, for any sound, but the only sound that tickled his ear was the 
gentle rippling of LCL. He closed his eyes and frowned in concentration, 
willing his vision to be adjusted to the darkness before taking another 
step in.

    There! He released a breath he did not realise he was holding when 
he caught sight of a faint, light blue wisp of hair partially submerged 
in LCL at the bottom of the entry plug. Crawling towards it, he felt an 
impeding sense that something was not right. 

    Asuka was still nowhere to be seen.

    "Rei!" Shinji said, a hint of panic entering his voice. He pulled 
her up by her shoulders so that she would no longer be immersed in the 
fluid, his movements careful not to aggravate her injuries, if she had 
any. Rivulets of LCL trailed down her face and hair.

    It was not right.
    Rei had short hair...

    "Re-?" Shinji's voice strangled in his throat. His breath came in 
short, rapid bursts but he could not find the strength to scream. His 
eyes became adjusted to the dark at last and noticed everything he had 
failed to notice before. The red plug suit, belonging to the Second 
Child, that accentuated her curves and her long, slender body. The 
feeble light that reflected of her suit painted the waters around her 
with a crimson hue.

Her long, fringed masses of pale blue tresses was pulled up and held in 
place with white clips, partly hidden in her hair. Her hair was matted 
to her forehead by the LCL, but the style was distinctly Asuka's. She 
had smooth, flawless pallid skin that belonged to Rei. But her lips, her 
full red lips that he had once kissed, that was Asuka's. His mind 
couldn't make any sense of it. 

    "It can't be. It's not true. It can't be. I - I -" he whispered 
incoherently as all trains of thought derailed. He could not take his 
eyes off her face, could not stop staring, could not close his eyes. His 
hands would not respond to him, they still held her by her shoulders, 
his grip tightened reflexively around her in reaction to his tension. 
His legs would not move, would not run, even though he desperately 
wanted to. In a split second Shinji thought he was paralysed, from fear 
or from the same spell cast upon her, he didn't know. He wanted to wake 
up from this nightmare, wake up to another unfamiliar ceiling, anything 
was better than - than - *this*.

    She moaned low in her throat and opened her eyes slowly.
    Her red, red eyes.
    Now he screamed.