Creation began on 01-19-19

Creation ended on 09-13-19

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Shinji, the Psychic Child: Otaku

Shinji wished that they had made it to China with less than a bad moment, but some things were just never meant to be. Especially since the person that approached him as he and Nabiki vacated Rion's entry plug was none other than Kensuke Aida, who gave the little girl the creeps due to his bad aura.

"It's been a while, Shinji!" Kensuke yelled at him, sending a strange form of energy at the boy, knocking him backwards onto the ground.

"Aaurgh!" Shinji groaned as he got back up. That felt like Kensuke's rage over what happened to Toji, like he blames me for his death.

I DO blame you for his death! He heard Kensuke's voice in his head. You killed him! You left him to die!

No! Nabiki's voice uttered in their heads. That's not true! Shinji never wanted to kill Toji! It was his father, a scary, angry man! He's the one that had Toji killed!

Only someone who believes in such a lie would side with Shinji!

Kensuke suddenly appeared behind Shinji and shoved him with such force that he was sent flying backwards into a tree branch, breaking it before he fell back to the ground.

"Ahh…" Shinji groaned again; part of him wanted to fight back, but another part of him was hesitant on causing pain to a friend. "Kensuke…it wasn't me…"

Kensuke was suddenly in front of Shinji, as though moving with lightning speed, and grabbed him by his neck, lifting back up.

"I have orders from NERV to bring you both back," he told them, "but I don't think they'll be too concerned if I break your arms and legs, just to keep you from running."

"Please!" Nabiki yelled at them. "Don't hurt him! Shinji, you have to fight back! Please, fight back. Defend yourself!"

Shinji looked at her, seeing her concern, and then felt Kensuke's right hand tighten around his nape, causing discomfort.

"Gaaaaurgh!" He howled as Kensuke grabbed his left arm.

"This is personal, you know," Kensuke told him. "He was my friend…and you killed him. He was MY FRIEND! MINE!"

Shinji, Nabiki's voice went again in his mind, please, fight back.

With no other alternative, Shinji used his own power and retaliated against Kensuke.

Flick! Kensuke felt something on his left leg and looked down, seeing a small fire on his pants.

"Aaah!" He gasped, letting go of Shinji to put out the small flame. "Damn you, Shinji! That was uncalled for!"

Shinji got up and forced him back with his telekinesis, sending him against another tree.

I was wondering when you were going to get serious, he heard Kensuke say to him.

Kensuke, please, I don't want to fight you.

I wouldn't want to fight me, either.

With the small fire dealt with, Kensuke got up and had sparks of this strange, electrical energy emanating from his body.

"You think you can beat me, Shinji?!" He yelled. "You think you can beat me?!"

He levitated off the ground and shot like a bullet at Shinji, this electrical energy serving as a barrier around his body.

Shinji blocked with his telekinetic power and caused a collision and backlash of psychic energy.

Shinji, this is your last warning, Kensuke threatened. Surrender, immediately, or I will kill you!

But Shinji, just from the look on his face, all vacant and displaying a minor anger at being attacked by someone he knew over what wasn't his fault…and the futility over not being able to convince him that this was a fact. His father had implemented the autopilot system that took control of the Eva, simply because he refused to endanger the life of another person that was trapped inside an Eva that had become compromised, and it was the autopilot, and by extension or by proxy, his father and the rest of NERV that followed the order to use it, were the ones responsible for Toji's murder. His death wasn't an accident, it was not inevitable, it was not to be listed as a casualty, just outright murder by an uncaring man and an indifferent agency that Shinji couldn't put up with no longer.

Then suffer! Kensuke's voice was heard again, but Shinji want undeterred; he knew what he had to do…but hated that there was no other choice when there should've been one.

Releasing more energy than he had realized he could, Shinji sent Kensuke flying backwards again, but with more force, at a tree so hard that the trunk shattered, taking the whole, one-story plant down, and Kensuke was sent rolling on the ground to a halt.

Falling to his knees and palms, Shinji panted as he caught his breath.

Nabiki ran over to him and asked him if he was okay.

"I'll be alright," he told her, and then got back up.

But what worried Nabiki was that Shinji's left eye looked red. Not like he had pinkeye, but a blood vessel popped and he needed time to recover.

"Ah…ha…ha… You're a lot stronger than you seem, Shinji," they heard Kensuke say to them as they slowly approached him on the ground. "Am I…dying?"

With one of his bones jutting out of his right leg and left arm, a large laceration on his waist and a gash on his forehead, Kensuke looked like he was in need of serious medical attention, but they were far from the nearest town or city.

"Yeah," Shinji responded, bitter over their conflict because this time, it was his fault. "I think you are, Kensuke."

Nabiki closed her eyes and brought her hands together in prayer for mercy upon Kensuke's soul as he prepared to depart to the afterlife.

"Shinji…you have to be careful," Kensuke told Shinji. "Beware."

"Beware? Be careful of what?" Shinji asked him.

"You should know," he responded, coughing out blood. "NERV…your father…yourself."

Kensuke's head then turned to the left, away from the two…and his heart ceased beating.

Shinji closed Kensuke's eyes to show that he respected the otaku…and then brought up his left hand in prayer. Now, he had lost two friends…and all because of NERV, his father…and it was very hurtful to lose what gave him some semblance of a life.

From a distance, Rion looked down at the two and the fallen boy. He may not have known the child, but he could sympathize with Shinji over having to lose someone that didn't deserve to be taken from this world. And while the world was full of sadness, it was only because of the people that chose to inflict the most harm upon those that wanted none of this madness to begin with.

-x-

All Misato got from Kaji was a text saying that he needed to see her and tell her about something, but the purple-haired woman had a hard time believing that it was anything more serious than Shinji and Nabiki running off in Unit-04, an Eva that was supposed to have disappeared in a failed installation of the Fourth Angel's S² Engine. As she walked in the halls of NERV HQ, she noticed someone that wasn't supposed to be there: Hikari Horaki, with Ritsuko.

"Uh, Horaki," she went, getting the pigtailed girl's attention, "what are you doing here?"

"I've been asked to pilot one of the Evas," the girl responded, and Misato suddenly felt a drop in the temperature around her; it was as though the girl was off.

Misato looked at Ritsuko, who didn't say anything to her about looking for another pilot for the Evas; there was no doubt in the woman's mind that her former friend was lying to her again.

"Why would you want to pilot the Eva?" She asked her. "I mean…just recently, it killed one of your classmates."

"No, it was Shinji Ikari that killed him," Hikari stated. "He's nothing more than a murderer."

And hearing that, Misato worried that something was wrong here. Something seriously wrong.

To be continued…

A/N: I was pressured mildly into producing a new chapter of this to satisfy a reader that wanted more of these works. All good things come to those that wait patiently. And I seriously hate Friday the Thirteenth!